HONG KONG — Paris Jackson, the 20-year-old actress and model who recently told fans she is bisexual, apologized this week for appearing on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar in Singapore, a country where sex between men is punishable by up to two years in prison.

But it was an apology that many of her followers on social media said was unnecessary, with some praising Ms. Jackson, Michael Jackson’s daughter, for offering visibility to members of a group that rarely gets positive representation in the Singaporean media.

Jamie Tabberer, an editor at Gay Star News, started the debate when he criticized the cover, saying Ms. Jackson’s appearance on it was incompatible with her pledge to support gay rights. Nicki Minaj faced a similar backlash in July after appearing on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar Russia.