RTM Pulls ‘Santiago of the Seas’ Off Air After Complaints, Assures the Cartoon Has No LGBTQ Elements

Local TV Station, Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) broke the silence after Malaysians expressed their dissatisfaction about the LGBTQ elements in a cartoon that the station aired.

Earlier, audiences spotted a gay father character in the cartoon, Santiago of the Seas, which was aired at 10 AM every Sunday. In its most recent episode, which aired on 16 November (Sunday), one of the characters, Rio, was seen kissing his partner, Martin, on his cheek, thus creating an uneasy situation among audiences, especially parents who are concerned about their children, as well as the spread of LGBTQ ideologies.

RTM, however, said that there are no LGBTQ elements in Santiago of the Seas

In its official statement last night (17 November), RTM said that based on its Content Review report, there were no elements of same-sex intimacy and LGBTQ elements in the show. Regardless, RTM has decided to pull the show from broadcast.

“To ensure there are no elements that could cause doubt or sensitivity within the community, RTM has suspended the broadcast of the animation to conduct a more thorough review of the series’ overall content.”

RTM urges all parties not to make any speculations 

RTM said that it remains committed to ensuring all broadcast content adheres to broadcasting ethics and does not cause discomfort to any party.

In its statement, RTM also urged the parties to seek clarification from the party and not make any speculation about anything that was mentioned online.

Santiago of the Seas is an American animated TV series that originally aired on Nicklodeon from October 2020 to January 2023. The show ran for two seasons with 48 episodes.

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