Posted in: Movies | Tagged: , , , , , , , ,


The First Gay Kiss On Saudi Arabian TV

The First Gay Kiss On Saudi Arabian TVIn last night's Olympic Opening Ceremony, during the Frankie And June Say Thanks Tim section celebrating a century of music and technology, when Frankie and June finally meet up and kiss, we got a barrage of clips of kisses from film and TV, from Charlie Chaplin to Lady And The Tramp to Shrek to Planet Of The Apes to Wall-E. And one was between two young women from the British TV soap Brookside from 1993, the first lesbian kiss between two characters on pre-watershed British television, a time considered suitable for all ages to watch unsupervised.

(One of them was Anna Friel. More may know her from Pushing Daisies.)

It ran unchanged in most territories, for about half a second, including many in the Middle East where it suddenly became the first gay kiss on their entire televisual history, including Saudi Arabia where homosexuality is illegal, with punishments including beatings and hangings.

With so many countries live streaming the content as it was provided, it small, it was tiny, it was slight, it was an oversight on their part, but it's just a miniscule victory for Danny Boyle.


Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!

Rich JohnstonAbout Rich Johnston

Founder of Bleeding Cool. The longest-serving digital news reporter in the world, since 1992. Author of The Flying Friar, Holed Up, The Avengefuls, Doctor Who: Room With A Deja Vu, The Many Murders Of Miss Cranbourne, Chase Variant. Lives in South-West London, works from Blacks on Dean Street, shops at Piranha Comics. Father of two. Political cartoonist.
twitterfacebookinstagramwebsite
Comments will load 20 seconds after page. Click here to load them now.