Gay News

Posters for gay hookup site Squirt.org were removed from the Toronto Subway because the company supposedly promoted sex in public places, which is against the law , according to a spokesperson from the Toronto Transit Commission.

Squirt.com claim the 100 posters were only removed after they were seen inside train carriages, some were displayed outside a station from June to September without problems.

A Chinese film-maker is to sue state censors in a quest to discover how and why his gay-themed documentary was removed from local streaming sites, in a legal case that could have powerful ramifications for film censorship in the country.

Fan Popo says his documentary Mama Rainbow , which follows six Chinese mothers as they learn to love their gay or lesbian children, disappeared without explanation from video sites such as Youku, Tudou and 56.com in 2014.

The director had uploaded the documentary to keep it in the public eye after his film completed its short run at US and Asian film festivals in 2012. So he was disappointed when 56.com managers informed him that China's censor SARFT, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, had issued the company with instructions to remove the movie.

SARFT censors later officially denied having any involvement in censorship of Mama Rainbow, so Fan has decided to sue the censor in the Beijing court in an effort to find out what really happened.

Last week, state-backed newspaper Global Times confirmed the case would be heard -- a victory in itself in China's government-controlled courts.

Update: Not us!

30th December 2015. See  article from shanghaiist.com

Beijing-based filmmaker Fan Popo, whose gay rights documentary was removed from Chinese video streaming websites, has claimed victory in a lawsuit over government censorship despite the courts ruling that regulators were not to blame.

In its verdict released last week, Beijing's No. 1 Intermediate People's Court found censors had not ordered his documentary Mama Rainbow to be taken down from prominent streaming websites Youku, Tudou and 56.com.

Prior to filing the lawsuit, Fan had been told by two of the major streaming platforms that they had received a document from SAPPRFT ordering the removal of the film. He filed a request in February for information from the regulator, but they denied ever releasing such a document. Fan told the Wall Street Journal:

I hope that my case can serve as catalyst to inspire more people to stand up against SAPPRFT for content we care about.

The verdict still poses the question as to who, if anyone, ordered his film to be taken offline. Fan said:

I still think the verdict is to my advantage, because now knowing the agency did not release any document, I can require the video sites to put my film back.

China has approved for cinema release the first film with gay principal characters. Film director Wanga nnounced on Weibo, a Chinese version of Twitter, that censors had given Seek McCartney permission for a cinema release. He said:

This is a small step for the film department, and a big step for the members of the film industry.

The film, a Chinese-French co-production, centres on a secret relationship between two men, one Chinese and one French.

Fan Popo, an LGBT filmmaker and rights activist was note entirely convinced that this is a policy change. He told AFP:

The fact that this film can be released in theatres doesn't mean gay films in the future will be able to released in China. China's system for evaluating films is still very unstable, because the rules are very unclear. It depends heavily on the individual censor's whims.

A few EastEnders viweres were 'shocked' when the BBC soap aired a gay sex scene in a funeral parlour on Friday.

TV censor Ofcom received 48 complaints after Ben Mitchell (Harry Reid) was seen getting frisky with Paul Coker (Jonny Labey) in front of an open coffin containing a dead woman's body.

Twitter was inevitably 'awash' with 'shocked' comments from a few viewers criticizing the storyline, branding it disgraceful and distasteful .

The scene, which saw both teens strip off their shirts when their romp was interrupted by Paul's grandparents leading to Ben hiding under the coffin.

A BBC spokesperson responded:

The millions of regular EastEnders fans who tune in each week know and expect dramatic storylines. We are always mindful of out time slot in which we are shown and the scenes in question were implied and not explicit.

Update: BBC responds

22nd July 2015. See  article from  bbc.co.uk

The BBC has published a response to the whinges about EastEnders:

EastEnders, BBC One, 16 & 17 July 2015

Complaint

We received complaints from viewers who felt the scenes between Ben and Paul in the Chapel of Rest were inappropriate.

Response

We do appreciate that for some members of the audience the scenes in the Chapel of Rest might have a particular resonance, but it wasn't our intention to cause any distress or upset to our viewers with Ben and Paul's storyline.

When the Cokers were introduced as funeral directors, it was inevitable that their work would feature in storylines, and that in keeping with the tone of the show, these would range from serious to light-hearted. We try very hard to be true to our characters and keep their comments and actions as authentic as possible, sometimes this will include actions others find disagreeable.

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. In this case we were careful to ensure the scene was implied rather than explicit, but we appreciate all of the feedback we've received.

Update: Ofcom inevitably not interested

6th September 2015. See  article from dailymail.co.uk

Ofcom said it assessed the complaints but concluded they didn't raise issues warranting further investigation . Its decision continued:

We found the scenes were justified in the context of a long-running plotline and sexual contact between the characters was implied rather than overt. Our rules don't discriminate between scenes involving opposite-sex and same-sex couples.

A few EastEnders viweres were 'shocked' when the BBC soap aired a gay sex scene in a funeral parlour on Friday.

TV censor Ofcom received 48 complaints after Ben Mitchell (Harry Reid) was seen getting frisky with Paul Coker (Jonny Labey) in front of an open coffin containing a dead woman's body.

Twitter was inevitably 'awash' with 'shocked' comments from a few viewers criticizing the storyline, branding it disgraceful and distasteful .

The scene, which saw both teens strip off their shirts when their romp was interrupted by Paul's grandparents leading to Ben hiding under the coffin.

A BBC spokesperson responded:

The millions of regular EastEnders fans who tune in each week know and expect dramatic storylines. We are always mindful of out time slot in which we are shown and the scenes in question were implied and not explicit.

Sainsbury's has been criticised for covering up a gay magazine with a modesty board , right next to a copy of FHM featuring a woman in a bikini.

A PinkNews reader sent a photo of the board covering an issue of Attitude Magazine at the Mid City Place branch of Sainsbury's Local.

 The Attitude issue in question was the Pride Heroes edition, which featured a number of people, male and female, all fully clothed.

The Sainsbury's Twitter account responded to criticism to say:

We use modesty covers for a range of publications -- including Loaded, Zoo, Nuts, Bizarre, Front & Attitude... We do regularly review the titles covered and we'll log your feedback.