SINGAPORE (AP) - Moviegoers in this wealthy city state are not ready for same-sex smooching on the big screen, the head of Singapore's Board of Film Censors said on Friday.

In the Oscar-winning drama "The Hours,'' lead actresses Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman and Julianne Moore briefly lock lips with other women.

But Singaporean theatergoers are missing these kisses, excised by the state-run censorship board.

Similar scenes in the Hollywood musical "Chicago'' were also cut so distributors could receive a PG rating here.

"Our censorship guidelines are a reflection of community standards,'' Ng Eng Ping, chairman of the Board of Film Censors, said in an open letter published by the Straits Times newspaper.

The letter was in response to public outcry against the cuts.

"Homosexuality is a sensitive subject in Singapore and hence has to be treated cautiously,'' he said, adding that Singapore's censorship guidelines "do not discriminate between male and female gender intimacy.''

Other films that deal with homosexuality "in a more discreet manner'' such as "Philadelphia,'' "The Next Best Thing,'' and "My Best Friend's Wedding'' have been screened here without edits, Ng said.

"As society matures in sophistication, the classification standards will be revised to keep pace with social acceptance levels,'' Ng said. - AP

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