Singapore (AFP)

National television in Singapore has apologized after an outpouring of criticism over the allegedly homophobic portrayal of a gay figure in a soap opera.

The city-state may show a modern face, but it still takes a conservative look at the LGBT community. Although rarely applied, an article dating from the colonial era in the Penal Code still considers sex between men a crime.

In this series entitled "My Guardian Angels", broadcast in April and May, a basketball coach suffering from a sexually transmitted disease assaults a teenager and other characters show homophobia.

The soap triggered anger on social media. For Teo Yu Sheng, the way in which the characters are "extremely harmful to the LGBTQ + community" and "perpetuates the stereotype according to which all gay men are pedophile predators carrying STDs," he wrote on his Instagram account where he sells products for the LGBT community.

The NGO Action for AIDS asked the television group Mediacorp, producer of the soap, to put an end to these homophobic representations.

"Spreading distorted views on the most popular free channels is unseemly and highly irresponsible, and this further increases discrimination and stigmatization of LGBT people," said the NGO.

Mediacorp apologized on Monday, saying it had "no intention of disrespecting or discriminating against people or a community."

"We are sorry if we have offended anyone or caused any anxiety," Mediacorp said in a statement.

The charter regulating the content of Singaporean television stipulates that it must not "promote homosexual lifestyles".

In recent years, homosexuality has become more accepted in Singapore, with growing support for the rights of LGBT people and a Pride March organized every year. But progress is deemed slow by gay activists and in March a court rejected the latest attempt to remove the ban on same-sex sex.

© 2020 AFP