'Outdated, harmful LGBT stereotypes': Local drama Silent Walls faces criticism for portrayal of gay couple; Mediacorp and production house respond

"No media representation is better than harmful media representation."

That was the stance taken by Sean Foo, founder of LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer+) publication Dear Straight People upon watching the recent Mediacorp drama Silent Walls.

The thriller follows four families living in a mysterious house, spanning the years 1938, 1983, 1988 and 2023. For every generation who lives in the house, one person doesn't make it out alive.

It is the 1980s storyline that shows a relationship between dance student Kai De (played by Alfred Sun) and his instructor Nigel (Adam Chen) which has "pushed outdated, harmful LGBT stereotypes" and "is causing a stir for all the wrong reasons," according to an article by Foo on April 3.

Foo alleges that "large age gap between the couple is problematic in itself, as it reinforces the harmful stereotype that gay men are predators and groomers," but that it was not the worst part of the narrative.

"Nigel has Aids (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome), which implies that he cheated on Kai De. Nigel eventually succumbs to the disease, and a heartbroken Kai De commits suicide to join Nigel in the afterlife," Foo added.

According to him, this narrative strengthens notions that "gay men are all diseased and promiscuous" and implies gay couples "will always meet a tragic fate".

Mediacorp responded to the criticism in a statement yesterday (April 5), stating that it "did not set out to depict the LGBTQ community in a negative light or perpetuate any stereotypes" through the drama.

This is not the first time they have faced criticism for their portrayal of LGBTQ people.

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In 2020, Mediacorp faced backlash for a character in the drama My Guardian Angels. In it, a basketball coach (played by former national player Chase Tan) is a paedophile with Aids who preys on and sexually abuses young boys.

At the time, they also reiterated that they did not intend to portray the LGBTQ community in a negative light and said: "We are sorry to have caused offence and distress. We have heard your feedback and will continue to exercise vigilance and be mindful of our portrayal of characters."

Ochre Pictures, the production company behind Silent Walls, also made a separate statement on April 5 in response to the criticism.

They explained: "The relationship in the story was presented with much empathy and dignity. Sadly, it was a doomed relationship because of social and family pressures."

They added that there were no "elements of grooming" in the storyline as it presented "genuine friendship, care, concern and love between" a 36-year-old dance teacher and his 24-year-old adult student, and that they were both consenting adults.

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There were also no assertions that Nigel was cheating on Kai De, as he was portrayed as a single adult male who was never married or adulterous, according to Ochre.

They continued: "We cannot deny that these social issues (i.e. discrimination) existed in the 1980s, which is the very reason why our intent in this storyline was to show that a lack of empathy and understanding can have tragic consequences.

"Our stories and characters are authentic to the times, and have validity. It is our hope that through this story, viewers would be encouraged to put aside individual biases."

Silent Walls is available to stream on meWATCH. There is a PG version which was broadcast on TV and an NC-16 version that delves further into the relationship between Kai De and Nigel.

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drimac@asiaone.com

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