Downton Abbey: The Greek Position

Greek state television came under fire from the country's main opposition party and critics for editing out a gay kiss on Monday's primetime premiere of popular British period drama Downton Abbey.

Greeks took to social networking sites such as Twitter to complain about the NET channel's decision to axe a scene from episode one of the first series showing a kiss between a visiting duke and Downton's unscrupulous footman Thomas. NET defended its move, citing parental guidance viewing rules.
"As incredible as it may seem for a democratic country in the 21st century, officials of the NET television channel censored the scene of a kiss between men from the TV drama Downton Abbey," the SYRIZA party said in a statement.
"This is of course an obvious case of censorship, an extreme act of homophobia and discrimination which unfortunately, after what has been happening recently, we cannot characterize as unprecedented."

The Independent.
Several papers ran with this - most just recycling a Reuters story.
It's of obvious interest to gay media, but why is it of interest to UK newspapers, especially when like The Independent they ignore so many gay news stories that really matter to their readers?
I think the subtext is an Orientalist one - "Those funny, unsophisticated foreigners, tsk!"
It seems the kiss was only cut from a pre-watershed transmission, then re-installed.
Not the sort of thing we worry about in dear old Blighty, of course. 
Hell no!

PS This all reminded Fagburn of a line from Boy George after Culture Club played a festival in Athens and got pelted and booed off; "Homosexuality?!! The Greeks bloody invented it!"

TV Kissing Poll: Lesbians Good! Married People Yuk!

YouGov has just published the findings of a poll they conducted in June about how people feel about seeing fellas kissing and a'cuddling on TV and that.
You may recall this was quite a big story back then, mainly because of a MADE-UP STORY in The Daily Mail about a wholly fictional "Lesbian TV Watershed Kiss Ban", Christian and Syed canoodling in Eastenders, and The Bailey Report into "the Commercialisation and Sexualisation of Childhood".
Wisely YouGov also raised that thorny old question as to whether kissing outside marriage is ever okay.
I know what you're thinking - but how does this break down according to party affiliation?
As you can see below Lib Dems are pretty levelheaded about things.
But Tories would rather french kiss their dog's bumhole than see two blokes spooning on the tellybox.

And finally here it is broken down according to age.
Fagburn is colourblind, so may have got this wrong, but among 18-24s it appears lesbian kisses are the most acceptable, and married kisses are the least acceptable.
The world's turned upside down!

Right, I think this has settled the whole gay and lesbian kissing on TV before the watershed thing once and for all, so let us never speak of it again.

Via PoliticsHome.
Don't forget to read the small print.

UPdate: More detailed look at the findings from The Guardian.

Brian Sewell Vs Coronation Street: How Terribly Vulgar

Well-known expert on working class Northern life, Brian Sewell, wades into the debate about all The Gays on our TV soaps before the watershed a-kissing and a-cuddling, asking;
'What Have They Done To CORRIE?'
In The Daily Mail, natch.
"Is it true that the lives of heterosexual Mancunians are haplessly intertwined with transvestites, transsexuals, teenage lesbians and a horde of homosexuals across the age range? Is Manchester now the Sodom of the North?
"Coronation Street has a gay scriptwriter, Damon Rochefort. Fine. Nothing wrong with that. Indeed, its very first writer, its inventor in 1959, Tony Warren, was gay and open about it when homosexuality was still illegal and the penalties dire — and had a tough time with homophobia.
"But the pendulum has swung to the other extreme, and where once we had no gaiety at all, we now, perhaps, have rather too much..."
Blah blah blah!
"As a result, TV is far too politically correct..."
Blah blah blah!
Mad conclusion coming up!
"If the audience responds to the proselytising and is happy for the street to swarm with gloomy lesbians and happy homosexuals engaged in relationships ranging from intensely monogamous to brief, shallow and promiscuous, then it must be broadcast after the watershed. ITV must make up its mind."
Did this commission for the Mail come over lunch with Paul Dacre?
How very stupid of Mr Sewell to enter into this debate in the pages of the Mail.
You silly old queen.

• You can watch Brian Sewell's filth-filled 2007 Channel 4 TV documentary, Dirty Dali here. How lucky for us Dali forever preserved young Mr Sewell wanking on film.

Update: On Thursday The Daily Star ran with a straight lift of this story titled 'Corrie Is Now Far Too Gay'.
They even trailed it on the front page - and guess what they illustrated that with?
A photo of two goodlooking young lesbians from Corrie snogging.
Won't someone please think of the children!!

Eastenders: TV Watershed Gay Non-Outrage!!!

Complaint

We received complaints from some viewers who felt a scene featuring Christian and Syed in bed together during an episode of EastEnders was inappropriate.

The BBC's response

EastEnders aims to reflect real life, and this means including and telling stories about characters from many different backgrounds, faiths, religions and sexualities.
We approach our portrayal of homosexual relationships in exactly the same way as we do heterosexual relationships, ensuring depictions of affection or sexuality between couples are suitable for pre-watershed viewing.
We would also point out that same-sex civil partnerships became law in December 2005, giving equal rights to gay couples in the UK. The BBC cannot discriminate by treating gay characters differently to heterosexual characters.
We have also received a lot of very positive feedback about the storyline regarding Christian and Syed's relationship.

From BBC Complaints.
Good for them.

Emmerdale: TV Watershed Gay Outrage!!!

The print had barely dried on The Bailey Report into "the sexualisation of childhood" than an excited Daily Mail found some disgusting pre-watershed gayness it could pretend to be outraged about.
Slightly unfortunately for the Mail, this was about gay death not sex.
'TV soap Emmerdale accused of 'losing the plot' as it shows paralysed gay man's assisted suicide before watershed'
"Emmerdale was under fire today after showing a tetraplegic character take his own life in an assisted suicide before the watershed.
"An estimated 7.2million viewers watched as gay character Jackson Walsh consumes a cocktail of drugs he had been given by his gay lover.
"TV regulator Ofcom confirmed they were investigating after a number of viewers said they were offended by the storyline..."
Won't somebody please think of the children!?

Report: Gay Kissing Banned Today!

Letting Children be Children - Report of an Independent Review of the Commercialisation and Sexualisation of Childhood is published today.
This is the fabled "Brookside lesbian kiss ban" report which says nothing of the sort, and has provoked some of the most monumentally stupid press "reporting" Fagburn can ever recall.
Which continues today.

Here are its recommendations.

These are just recommendations and are not government legislation.

We have already seen a silly press release from various retailers saying they won't sell "inappropriate" paedophilic childrens' clothes.
Well done various retailers - a brave stand!

The Tories believe businesses should be self-regulating, so Fagburn suspects all that will happen is that corporations - not the government - announce they will "take action" ie do fuck all about a media-driven moral panic no-one really cares about.

My guesses; music DVDS will no longer be exempt from classification (now being mis-reported as a "ban on sex videos" on TV), "lad mags'" and gay mags will be covered up by more retailers (as fagburn has warned), and a wonderfully meaningless "restricting outdoor adverts containing sexualised imagery where large numbers of children are likely to see them, for example near schools, nurseries and playgrounds."
They will still be allowed where small numbers of children are likely to see them, one presumes.
Or anywhere else large numbers of children are likely to see them - ie everywhere.
Oh and the government will set up another of their pointless websites so people can complain about "stuff" - I hope someone proposes a ban on children marrying horses.
The Daily Mail - who began the NONSENSE that this independent report meant there'd be a ban on gay kisses on TV - illustrated with several photos of lesbians kissing - today claims there will be a "pre-watershed crackdown on smut", illustrated with some smutty photos you can see above.
Hilariously Bailey's report doesn't mention "smut" in the tabloids.
What an avalanche of effluence, hypocrisy and stupidity this story has unleashed.
Well done all!

You can read the report here - more from Fagburn when he has properly, and on today's coverage.

Update: On Tuesday The Sun polled its readeers asking if they were concerned about "the sexualisation of culture" and "raunchy vids sexualising kids". Lead showbiz story?
Update2: Actually most tabloids and some broadsheets have run comment about the Bailey report alongside "smutty" photos...

The Sun: Aaargh!

"RAUNCHY pop videos could be banned from TV before 9pm under plans revealed next week.
Nudity and sexual scenes could even earn cinema-style 15 or 18 ratings.
"The proposals are in a report on the sexualisation of children ordered by PM David Cameron.
"It blasts the stream of near-the-knuckle promos by stars such as Rihanna, Lady GaGa and Katy Perry - who shot cream from canisters on her breasts in her California Gurls video.
"The report by Reg Bailey - the first male chief executive of the Mothers' Union - does not propose rules for live performances..."

Screams the Sun.
Fagburn wishes people realised Reg Bailey has just written a report - he doesn't have the power to ban anything, and no-one knows what it says as it's not published til Monday.
It will almost certainly call for less sexy stuff in popular culture - that is its point - and he's scared of The Gays, but this carries as much weight as Fagburn calling for a more sex in popular culture with more of The Gays.
It's just an "independent report".
This story has to be the most farcical of the year.
I'd say the reporting of it has been laughable, but it really just makes me want to smash my head against the wall.
Nothing is happening.
I doubt much will change.
There will be no bans on lesbians kissing.
Or on Katy Perry's tits.
This non-story is just an excuse for The Daily Mail to print pictures of lesbians kissing.
And for The Sun to print a photo of Katy Perry's bazookas, as pictured above.
For fuck's sake!

David Cameron: "No Call For Gay Kiss Ban"

David Cameron has indicated he will not support any calls to ban gay kissing on TV before 9pm.
It follows newspaper claims that the prime minister didn't want images of same sex kissing shown before the watershed.
Last year the government asked the chief executive of the Mothers' Union, Reg Bailey, to carry out a review into the way children were 'sexualised' by things like TV shows, music videos, clothing and adverts.
The review is due to be published later this month.
Some newspaper reports claimed it could call for a ban on same sex kissing on TV in the early evening, leading to criticism from soap stars.
Coronation street actor Anthony Cotton, who plays gay father Sean Tully, said David Cameron was "not in touch with people" after reports he would support the review's recommendations.
But a spokesman for the prime minister has told Newsbeat: "Those suggesting that the PM is looking at a ban are both wrong and being irresponsible."
He said the review's remit "doesn't include making recommendations as to what should or shouldn't be shown on TV".
However the Department for Education's website says Reg Bailey's review will be looking into how parents can tell broadcasters about the "things they are unhappy about".
Earlier this month, Mr Bailey tweeted: "Don't believe everything you read in the press. Brookside kiss has never been mentioned in anything the review has looked at."

Newsbeat, BBC Radio 1.
Please let this be the end of this ridiculous Daily Mail-invented fairy tale.
Oy vey!

Gay Kiss TV Watershed Ban: "It's Utter Nonsense"

Coronation Street's Antony Cotton has said Prime Minister David Cameron is "not in touch with the people" for backing a proposed ban on showing same-sex kisses before the watershed.
The actor, who plays gay father Sean Tully in the soap and is gay himself, said the policy was "nonsense" and "unenforceable".
Speaking at the British Soap Awards, Cotton said: "That just goes to show that the man doesn't know what he's talking about and he's not in touch with the people.
"As for that policy, it's utter nonsense. And one would hope that in 2011 it's entirely unenforceable because it's a nonsense."

This is from a Press Association story that's just gone out.
It'll probably appear - exactly as above - in your local paper tomorrow.
A few points: Antony Cotton doesn't now what he's talking about.
Talking about "that policy" is "utter nonsense" - because there is no such policy.
Nor is there "a proposed ban".
We are waiting for an independent report on children and TV that has not been published yet.
We have no idea what it says about same-sex kissing - this was a fantasy dreamt up by the Daily Mail - or indeed what it says about anything.
David Cameron has not "backed a proposed ban on same-sex kissing before the watershed" - firstly because no-one has proposed one, and secondly because he has not seen the report and has not made any comment on it.
And, yes Antony, a ban on gay kissing but not straight kissing would probably be unenforceable as it contravenes the Equality Act.
Will any journalist bother checking this stupid story?*
FOR FUCKS SAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

* Credit where credit's due - one journalist has bothered to check this story with Downing Street - James Park at Pink News.

The Guardian: When Nigel Met Rhona

Saturday's Guardian gave over their The Conversation head-to-head discussion thingy to Rhona Cameron and Nigel Evans MP talking about "how far gay equality has really come".
Evans is described as "Tory MP and deputy speaker, who came out in December."
The Guardian doesn't explain why he waited until December to come out - it's rumoured that he wants to be Speaker of the House, and so realised he had to come out/clean, or risk being outed under the media spotlight.
How very noble.
Mr Evans is a rather strange choice - he is a rather new convert to the cause of gay equality.
He was first elected as an MP in 1992, but his voting record on equality legislation on Publicwhip.org shows he only began supporting lesbian and gay equality in 2003.
He has voted against equalising the age of consent and abolishing Section 28, and abstained on votes on such key legislation as civil partnerships and gay adoption.
Oops!
Fagburn is a big fan of Rhona Cameron, but it might have been a better idea to have Nigel Evans debating with an MP who is Labour, a lesbian, and has always been out.
Ooh, I don't know... Angela Eagle, say.
Particularly as Eagle was in the news just the other week after being subjected to David Cameron's sexist bullying Bullingdon boy "Calm down dear!" putdown in the House - and would have much to say about how the Tories liberal rhetoric is rarely matched by the reality.
The conversation touched on many things - out MPs, how the Conservative party has changed, sports players, Section 28, the B&B ban, the gay blood ban, anti-gay violence, homophobic bullying, education... - but didn't allow for any real discussion about any of them.
Still, nice to see Nigel Evans is the only gay man in Britain who still calls gay men "gays".
And good to see The The Guardian thinks Gay Times is called "The Gay Times".
Rhona and Nigel began by talking "about reports this week that kissing between same-sex couples on television could be banned before the watershed following a review."
Fagburn believes this is the first time this laughably false Daily Mail-manufactured story has been mentioned in a grown-up newspaper.

Rhona Cameron: I know the review is about any sexual scenes before the watershed, but when it gets this "gay" focus in reports, it's very worrying.

Nigel Evans: It's sad that it was portrayed in that way. I don't think David Cameron would agree to only banning gay kissing before 9pm, but not heterosexual kissing. On equality legislation alone, it would simply not happen.

I'm loathe to agree with a Tory MP - or, worse, to defend a Tory PM - but I wish this could be the end of the utter, utter fiction that "Cameron wants to ban gay TV kisses".

Parliamentary News: Tory MP Introduces Stupid Anti-Sex Bill

Yesterday Tory MP Nadine Dorries introduced a Ten Minute Rule Bill into parliament - the Sex Education (Required Content) Bill 2010-11

"A Bill to require schools to provide certain additional sex education to girls aged between 13 and 16; to provide that such education must include information and advice on the benefits of abstinence from sexual activity; and for connected purposes." [Hansard]

So far, so daft - so what?
It's a Private Member's Bill that doesn't stand a chance in hell of becoming law - these things are more of a way for MPs to get themselves in the papers to show they really, really care about something or other.
What's interesting - and worrying - is that when introducing her bill yesterday, Dorries' brought together several current moral panics. [Full debate here]
Not just teaching sexual abstinence to girls' (and only girls, oddly), but also "the sexualisation of young girls and the prevalence of pornography".
She quoted Joan Bakewell; "Why else sexualise the clothes of little girls, run TV channels full of naked wives, have sex magazines edging out the serious stuff?”
Dorries declared solemnly; "In fact, in some newsagents now there are more sex magazines available than any other kind of magazine."
The Labour MP Chris Bryant, (yes, the Gaydar one), replied rather brilliantly; "Well, stop going to those shops then."
She was not amused. Note how she didn't say "pornographic magazines", but "sex magazines" - presumably allying herself with the campaigns to get lads' mags and gay mags off the shelves.
She also omitted the warning from Joan Bakewell's article which contradicts her;
"Yet there is still resistance in some quarters to explicit sex education for cildren. No wonder young girls get mixed messages and grow up to make bad decisions. Sex as glamour – good. Sex as normal behaviour – dodgy."
Dorries but of course swiftly moved on to this month's hot topic; sexual content on TV pre-watershed.
"Our society is saturated in sex: a typical prime-time hour on TV contains 2.6 references to intercourse, 1.2 references to prostitution and rape, and 4.7 sexual innuendoes."
Bryant - who has done much research on sex education - went on to demolish "the daftest piece of legislation I have seen". [Read his reply in full here] concluding;
"Finally, the only thing that I would add is that, sadly, many youngsters get only 10 minutes of sex education in their whole lives. They do not get proper sex and relationship education; they spend less time on it than we have had to debate the issue today."
Hear hear!
The National Children’s Bureau’s sex education forum said in a statement; "There is strong evidence that young people who have sex education that starts early and covers a broad range of topics are less likely to have sex at a young age, have fewer partners and are more likely to use contraception or condoms.
"There is also extensive evidence that a ‘just say no’ or ‘abstinence only’ approach combined with no information (or incorrect information) about contraception is not effective."
Simon Blake, chief executive of sex education charity Brook, said; "Any debate that polarises views about sex and relationships education is unhelpful. It’s time to recognise that abstinence has been so discredited by the evidence that it’s hardly worthy of debate."
The bill just passed its first reading in a thinly attended House - its second reading won't be until early next year.
As before, it hasn't a snowball's chance in hell of passing, but sometimes private member's bills can snowball and be adopted and/or incorporated into actual government legislation.
Particularly if they chime in with current press prejudices and obsessions - and Nadine Dorries' speech namechecked at least three.
Be warned, it was bonkers backbench bigoted MPs reactionary mumblings in the 80s that led to Section 28.

• Quite awful piece of journalism in The Daily Mail on a small survey by a commercial website, BabyChild.org.uk, of parental attitudes to sex education.
Headline: "Sex education should not be taught in schools, say more than half of parents"
Their survey actually said: "Almost half (48 per cent) of those questioned said children should be at least 13 years old before it is appropriate to teach them about sex, the survey found."