Gay roles on TV: What does 'positive portrayal' mean?

Gay roles on TV: What does 'positive portrayal' mean?

SINGAPORE - I wonder what Mr George Bishop means by the phrase "positive portrayal" ("Lift ban on positive portrayals of gay people on TV"; last Saturday).

Would he think a "positive portrayal" of homosexuals in the media is one whereby two fathers are shown to raise a child as well as, or even better than, a heterosexual couple?

The phrase is a loaded one. Something that is positive or progressive to one person may be negative and regressive to another. We need to concretise the abstract, otherwise one stands the risk of being perceived as merely using empty rhetoric to stoke emotions. Hence, the fundamental question is: To whose and what standard should "positive" be held to?

Perhaps the best way forward is not to "demonise" one another and stir ill will, but to let Singaporeans decide for themselves.

Several questions can be considered: Should we promote a homosexual lifestyle when it is by no means clear that homosexuality is "inborn"? Would it serve the good of our society to normalise such a lifestyle? What are the justifications for lifting the TV ban? Would lifting it help or further confuse youngsters struggling with identity issues?

The Women's Charter defines marriage as that between a male and a female only. This is one norm that has worked well and deserves to be defended and protected.

- Peter Lim


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