SINGAPORE — Media content on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) persons will "continue to warrant higher age ratings", with the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) taking reference from "prevailing norms", it said on Monday (Aug 22).

MCI's statement came a day after Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced in his annual National Day Rally that the Government will repeal Section 377A of the Penal Code, which criminalises sex between men.

In his speech, Mr Lee said that the Government has no intention of changing national policies that rely upon the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman, whether it be policies relating to public housing, education, adoption of children, advertising standards, film classification and others.

"MCI reaffirms the Government’s position that the repeal of Section 377A does not mean that we are changing the tone of society. This position also applies to our policies on media content," the ministry said.

MCI and its statutory board, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), regulate media content to protect younger audiences from age-inappropriate content, as well as to enable mature audiences to make informed choices over a diverse range of content.

"Media content with higher reach and impact is subject to more stringent requirements," MCI added.

To understand the community's views, the ministry said that IMDA regularly consults its advisory committees — made up of members of the public from all walks of life — on specific titles, as well as content guidelines and regulations.

"Our content regulatory approach has to be sensitive to societal norms and values."