The Cultural Affairs Bureau (also known by its Portuguese acronym IC) has shut down the drag show Made by Beauty.
The show was organised as part of the 22nd Fringe Festival, scheduled between 17 and 28 January. However, it came under official scrutiny after a video, featuring a scantily clad performer strutting down the aisle of a public bus, was posted to social media and prompted public complaints.
The bus stunt was described by the show’s producer Sarah Sun as an “outreach activity” in an interview with local broadcaster TDM. She added that IC officials had demanded changes to the show after viewing a dress rehearsal on Monday.
[See more: Greater legal protections urged for Macao’s LGBTQ+ community]
Sun claims that performers complied with almost all of the requests, but says that she was nonetheless told after the show’s opening night that the remaining two performances would be cancelled.
IC president, Deland Leong, told media yesterday that she was “regretful” over the decision, but stressed that her bureau had “the final right of interpretation” and insisted that the IC remained supportive of “diverse and different types of performances.”
According to a 2019 survey, conducted by Rainbow of Macau, local LGBTQ+ individuals are at high risk of depression and discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation and gender expression.
