MUMBAI, May 26 — British actor Ian McKellen appeared to call Singapore a “dictatorship” in an interview with Indian newspaper, Mumbai Mirror, which was published on Tuesday.
The 76-year-old actor is currently in India to promote the British Film Industry (BFI) production of Shakespeare on Film, a series coinciding with the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.
McKellen, who has been actively involved in LGBT rights since he came out at the age of 49, used his first visit to India to bring attention to gay rights in the country.
In India, homosexuality is a criminal offence under a law that dates back to British colonial times.
The X-Men actor mentioned an experience in Singapore in 2007, when he asked a television talk show hostess where he could find “some decent gay bars” in the city on TV.
“I found it preposterous that I was a criminal in Singapore… and by the way, I did find a cool gay bar!” he was quoted as saying.
“See, that is the great irony. You can have a dictatorship, you can have laws that criminalise homosexuality, but gay men will find a way to live a life, have fun.”
During the interview, McKellen also said it was time for homophobes in India to “grow up”.
He cited the example of a bill that the UK government had attempted to pass in the 1980s, which would have made discussing homosexuality with children illegal, something that he said he found “deeply offensive.”
“Can you imagine the thousands of lives that could have been ruined with such policies?” said McKellen.
“India is going through what the UK went through 30 years ago,” he continued. “It is appalling and ironical that India would use a colonial law to oppress its homosexuals.
“India needs to grow up. India needs to realise that it doesn’t need to follow British laws anymore.”
McKellen is an outspoken activist for LGBT rights, and frequently engages in political debates. He is also an active participant in gay pride parades in the UK.
