TL;DR
- Chinese distributor altered the gay wedding scene in “Together” with AI, replacing a groom with a bride.
- Global distributor Neon condemned the unauthorized edit and demanded screenings be stopped.
- Chinese authorities postponed the release, citing “distribution plan changes.”
- Experts warn the AI edit signals tightening state control on LGBTQ representation.
- LGBTQ activists call it a dangerous precedent for queer visibility in film.
Chinese Studio Scrubs Gay Wedding with AI
A horror flick meant to twist stomachs is twisting politics instead. The Australian-directed film Together, starring Alison Brie and Dave Franco, became the latest casualty of China’s never-ending crusade against queer visibility. Moviegoers in early screenings were stunned when a wedding between two men didn’t vanish—it was digitally “straightened.” One groom’s face was replaced with a woman’s, courtesy of artificial intelligence.
The film’s global distributor Neon wasted no time slamming the Chengdu-based outfit Hishow, which handled prerelease screenings in 11 Chinese cities. Neon declared the Frankenstein-style edit “unauthorized” and demanded screenings stop. The distributor made it clear: Together was never meant to be “retouched” into hetero conformity.
The original plot, a couple heading into the countryside to salvage their romance before facing a supernatural menace, was supposed to explore love under pressure. Instead, Chinese viewers got a grimy AI intervention that turned a queer moment of visibility into just another boy-meets-girl cliché. “It looked quite reasonable,” one social media user quipped on RedNote, “even American conservatives would be impressed.” Outrage spilled online, with many describing the gender swap as nothing short of “outrageous.”
Beijing’s Censorship Playbook, Now with AI
Homosexuality may have been decriminalized in China decades ago, but queer stories remain state targets. The country banned “effeminate” behavior on screens in 2021, cut a lesbian subplot from Friends in 2022, and hacked out Freddie Mercury’s queerness from Bohemian Rhapsody. But this latest maneuver stands out—it’s not just censorship, it’s digital revisionism.
“This signifies the government has a red line,” said Jason Coe, a Hong Kong–based media scholar. “They will enforce it, and they will innovate to enforce it.” That “innovation” now includes AI, a tool designed for creativity, being twisted into a weapon for erasure.
Zeng Hong, a film professor, warned that this isn’t just bad news for art—it’s a gut punch for LGBTQ rights in China. “This is not looking promising for LGBTQ representation on Chinese screens,” he noted, underscoring how quickly AI may become a standard tool for cultural sanitization.
The Bigger Picture: Queer Stories Under Siege
This isn’t just a one-off scandal. The body horror here isn’t confined to the screen—it’s playing out in real life, where technology is enlisted to literally overwrite queer existence. The altered wedding in Together is more than a cinematic tweak; it’s a message: queer love is disposable, replaceable, erasable.
For LGBTQ communities worldwide, it’s a chilling warning of what happens when authoritarian governments meet new tech. Today it’s a horror film, tomorrow it could be entire archives, rewritten to “straighten” history. Representation matters—especially in countries where queer people are already pushed to the margins.
When Bollywood’s Raanjhanaa was recently AI-altered to rewrite its tragic interfaith ending, critics called it an act of betrayal. What happened to Together is no less sinister. Storytelling is sacred; turning a gay kiss into a straight one with a click of software isn’t just censorship—it’s cultural violence.
For queer audiences, the irony is bitter: in a film about body horror, the real monstrosity came not from the script, but from the state’s fear of a gay wedding. And no AI filter can disguise that.