Warner Bros has removed a scene from the latest Harry Potter prequel, Secrets of Dumbledore, that makes explicit reference to a gay relationship, in order to appease China’s LGBT censorship.
The six-second dialogue between characters Dumbledore (Jude Law) and Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen) containing the lines “… because I was in love with you” and “the summer Gellert and I fell in love” will not feature in the Chinese version of the film, according to Warner Bros.
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling announced in 2009 that the beloved character Dumbledore was gay, however, this aspect of his life has remained unexplored until now.
Despite receiving some criticism, the production company insisted in a statement to Vanity that it was ‘committed to safeguarding the integrity of every film we release’ which occasionally means making ‘nuanced cuts’ for particular markets.
‘We want audiences everywhere in the world to see and enjoy this film, and it is important to us that Chinese audiences have the opportunity to experience it as well, even with these minor edits.’
The statement continued: ‘In the case of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, a six-second cut was requested and Warner Bros accepted those changes to comply with local requirements but the spirit of the film remains intact.’
Some in the media disagreed, with Thomas Storaï, editor at the Future of the Force, a TV and film fan website, saying: ‘WB shouldn’t have accepted, they simply shouldn’t have released the movie in China. Removing the gay dialogue means removing a crucial part of the movie.’
Others lamented the reality that some countries still censor on-screen LGBT representation. LGBT publication, Out Magazine, tweeted: ‘It’s a shame that, in 2022, certain countries are still censoring LGBTQIA+ characters in film and television.’
Although homosexuality in China was legalised in 2001, same-sex marriage is not recognised and homosexuality is considered taboo throughout much of Chinese society.