On the 19th, Samsung deleted an advertisement that was released at the end of last year in Singapore. This is due to backlash from the local Muslim community against an advertisement that showed a Muslim mother supporting her drag queen son.
Regarding this, some netizens claimed that it was “an attempt to force LGBT ideology.”
Samsung Electronics' Singapore subsidiary said in a Facebook statement that day, "We are aware that this video was inconsiderate and may be perceived as offensive."
Although there are voices calling for more tolerance, Singapore is generally conservative on LGBTQ issues.
The ad was for Samsung's new wearable products, including noise-free earphones and a heart rate monitor smartwatch.
The advertisement deals with people's reactions to heartfelt recorded messages sent by their loved ones. Among these was one in which her son, dressed as a drag queen, expressed his gratitude to his mother in her hijab.
Her son, she says, "is a mother who sees you differently and people judge you differently, and she doesn't care that she has a son dressed as a drag queen."
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A debate arose online over this scene.
Although there was a response that it was insensitive to the Muslim community, there were also voices that defended it and criticized it for taking down the advertisement.
One netizen named Sayed Dan said, “I am against the ideology that mainstreams homosexuality and transgenderism,” and claimed, “This hinders harmony within the Malay-Muslim community.”
Muhammed Zuhaili posted that the video had "raised confusion and questions in the Muslim community."
Samsung eventually removed the video from all public platforms.
In a post on Facebook, Samsung said, "We admit that we fell short."
However, there are some who question the controversy surrounding the ad and support it.
“Imagine a mother being attacked and threatened for her love for her children,” said Instagram user Basunju.
It was also pointed out that Samsung's decision to run this advertisement contradicted the content of the statement that "diversity and inclusion lead to innovation and growth."
Facebook user Morimi commented, "If the ad does not violate the law... and contains a positive message of embracing the underprivileged, Samsung should maintain the ad."
On the 20th, the drag queen featured in her commercials posted a video to her Instagram where she told her followers that she and her mother were doing well.
He said, "I will not talk about the remarks in the video," but added, "The advertising video was all about a mother's love, and no other content was mentioned."