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Integrity at Bay

More reports on a re-edited Home and Away kiss indicate how Seven contributed to its own media mess.

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hawayFurther to weekend reports of a re-edited same-sex kiss on Home and Away due to air tomorrow night on Seven, The Australian writes of behind the scenes struggles to contain media headlines.

It notes, “….drama chief John Holmes begged Today Tonight not to fan the flames by running a story which gave a platform to anti-gay groups. But he was overruled by news chief Peter Meakin.

‘We just wanted to tell the story with honesty – there was no attempt to be prurient or sensationalist,’ a Home and Away insider told Diary.

The saddest thing about all the fuss is that the gentleness and the integrity in which the story has unfolded over five weeks has been lost. The kiss was just a tiny part of the friendship, which was handled with great sensitivity by the writers and the actors. ”

Perhaps it is time producers afforded gay characters storylines that aren’t so driven by their sexuality. It’s almost become a cliche now to introduce a guest gay character simply to see a resident heterosexual character become temporarily and romantically distracted. When the pressure is on from lobby groups, advertisers or even media, it becomes too easy to detract from storylines with integrity -or, as was suggested on the weekend- to dilute key scenes.

At least Home and Away attempted to go there. The two actors have certainly handled the material they were given with integrity, even if the network doesn’t.

Source: The Australian

9 Responses

  2. no-one here in england batted an eyelid when people heard of the storyline and we have the show on a more family friendly time of 6 o’clock instead of 7 in australia.
    it just shows people about different cultures all around the world and how accepting people are around the world.

  3. Dear Channel Seven,

    In case you hadn’t noticed, you currently run Brothers and Sisters and Grey’s Anatomy, both which feature gay cast members and all who have at one point locked lips with members of the same sex. You didn’t seem too phased about the religious fundmentalists back then. What changed?

    Was it fine to broadcast these shows without a fuss because they’re American?But heaven forbid an Australian-made show attempts to depict the part of the population that isn’t completely heterosexual. Quick! Call the villagers! Tell them to bring their torches!

    In the immortal words of Liz Lemon (another character on a gay-friendly show you broadcast, albeit at pumpkin hour):

    Suck it Channel Seven.

  4. Why did the Neighbours lesbian kisses (Skye & Lana) (Rosie & Pepper) pass by without so much hoo-ha?

    Could it be that the viewers of ch 7 are stubbornly clinging onto ideals from the 50’s? Or possibly because they decided to big note themselves and tell the whole world about it before it happened?

    Would the kiss have passed by virtually unnoticed if they had of kept in under wraps?

  5. I certainly see your point about the paragraphs Hmm, my bad, but I’m sorry my post struck you as a “rant”. It was meant to be a measured argument, but perhaps it’s being in one block did make it read like I was spewing forth. That was certainly not my intention. I stand very level headedly behind the things I wrote.

  7. I think the final comment is unfair re “Perhaps it is time producers afforded gay characters storylines that aren’t so driven by their sexuality. It’s almost become a cliche now to introduce a guest gay character simply to see a resident heterosexual character become temporarily and romantically distracted.” It’s a case of damned if you do and damned if you don’t. The alternative to a story that addresses the gay character’s sexuality is to potentially go back to the time when telling gay stories involved the token Matel doll gay character, the character with all the features of being human except genitals. The nice girl’s best friend for example who supplies the jokes and support for the heterosexual relationship, but perish the thought they should have desires of their own. What you are suggesting to me is even more craven backsliding than what you are accusing Seven of with its trimming of one kiss. It’s self-censorship at core story level, not just with a few seconds of a kiss. If you and most of your posters had been watching the story, you would see that it has in fact been about a lot more than the characters’ sexual interest in each other. This is what I have indicated in my two previous posts, a lot of people are forming opinions about something that they have not seen, including yourself David. I’ve always found your prose fair and intelligent. Editorialising as you did above, without full exposure to the material you are discussing, lowers your normal fair standards. The implicit good point tucked away in what you said though is that it would be great to see a day where all forms of honest stories around gay characters, integrating all facets of their life, could go to air without this sort of silly fuss arising. I think however, the reactions of both the conservative right and the media in their zeal to beat up a story show that that day is far from here.

  8. Well it’d certainly be interesting to see what the reactions to Poppy & Peta in Out of the Blue would be if the show was getting a significant amount of viewers. That’s pretty much been as you described – their sexuality isn’t really an issue at all. They go through problems and face obstacles like any other couple but the writers didn’t make an issue out of it.

    I’m pretty sure it would still cause ‘outrage’ though if it came to the attention of certain quarters.

  9. We are going backwards. This storyline should have been left as is. The fact the Channel 7 chronies bowed to pressure is disgraceful. Why oh why can’t we just accept gay people (male and female) are part of society. There should have been no censorship as this is part of life. We have gone backwards. This is going to make shows like Home and Away wary of introducing topics like this again!

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