Singapore will assess the upcoming RuPaul’s Drag Race live show for content classification

Photo: Werq the World / Facebook
Photo: Werq the World / Facebook

Even though celebrity drag queens (both international and local) have been firing up the stages in Singapore for years with awesome amounts of shade and sass, an upcoming live show suddenly became a matter serious enough to be discussed in Parliament.

Member of Parliament (MP) for Nee Soon GRC Lee Bee Wah was concerned enough about RuPaul’s Drag Race that she had to question how the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) is handling the LGBTQ content in its live performances. Her written parliamentary questions arrive just a few weeks before the reality TV series’ season 10 finalists drop by the Kallang Theatre on Feb 2 for the Werq The World tour — the first time the official RuPaul’s Drag Race live show will be staged here.

Lee asked the questions, and Lee got the answers. Yesterday, the Minister for Communications and Information S Iswaran assured that no, Singapore doesn’t have to worry about the upcoming drag show destroying the moral fabric of society.

In response to Lee’s query if there have been complaints lodged about the performance of RuPaul’s Drag Race show here, the minister mentioned that not much feedback has been received, even for similar shows previously staged in Singapore. In the past couple of years, celebrity drag queens such as Manila Luzon and Bianca Del Rio have performed here with no issue. Well, except the time when folks were livid that Sasha Velour performed on stage for a mere 20 minutes here.

Lee had also wondered how the age restriction is determined for such shows, and how performances dealing with LGBT issues are approved or censored. Iswaran clarified that the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) takes into consideration the overall theme, the content elements, message, impact of the work, and its suitability for different age groups. According to IMDA, content with mature themes and LGBT content would be given a higher classification rating — only viewable by those aged 18 and above.

It’s arguable that not letting people in the lower aged group be exposed to LGBT content is pretty backward in 2019, but that’s just how it (sadly) has been in Singapore. Classification ratings are developed in consultation with the community and “aims to reflect prevailing social norms”, implying that the local society still considers anything LGBT to be unsuitable content that needs to be shielded from the young. After all, this is a country that bans anyone under the age of 21 from watching Love, Simon — a coming-of-age film about a teen gay boy and his journey in accepting himself.

Iswaran noted that the IMDA has already received the Arts Entertainment license application for RuPaul’s Drag Race: Werq The World, and will assess the performance accordingly. While the authorities have yet to confirm the official rating, show organisers Voss Events noted on their ticketing page that it would be restricted to patrons aged 18 and above.



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