Bowing to pressure from conservative
groups and viewers, a popular Australian soap opera has edited out an
upcoming lesbian kiss, reports The Australian.
Producers of the long-running Home
and Away soap opera, which airs on the Seven Network, have been
forced to cut out a kiss between cop Charlie Buckton (Esther
Anderson) and deckhand Joey Collins (Kate Bell). The smooch occurs
after the pair share a tender dance on the deck of a boat.
Controversy erupted after Melbourne's
Herald Sun wrote about the upcoming episode with the gossipy
headline “Gay TV for Kids.” The drama is broadcast at 7PM in
Australia and 6PM in the United Kingdom on channel Five.
After publication of the story, mothers
complained about the scene to the network, saying they did not want
their children exposed to gay relationships.
The conservative group Pro-Family
Perspectives labeled such television part of the “gay agenda.”
“To me there's no difference –
love's love,” Anderson, who plays one of the ladies involved in the
scene, said. “The fact that your partner's the same sex is no
different. You just want to be loved.”
Home and Away is currently
celebrating its 20th anniversary. It premiered on January
17, 1988.