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Same-sex peck on Home & Away, no media hysteria.

In 2009 a kiss sent Seven execs into meltdown, but 9 years later Summer Bay is growing up.

Home and Away flirted briefly with a same-sex teen kiss last night when Ty (Darius Williams) made a move on his friend Ryder (Lukas Radovich).

“I like you, Ryder,” Ty said.

I like you too, man. You’re the best!” Ryder replied.

“You mean that?” Ty asked as he leaned in for the smooch.

But Ryder deflected the move telling his friend saying, “I… I didn’t mean…,” prompting Ty to run off, embarrassed, as the credits rolled.

The scene is significant for the fact that in 2009 nervous Seven execs got cold feet over a same-sex kiss between Charlie (Esther Anderson) and Joey (Kate Bell), both several years older.

It was edited out before ever being broadcast after newspapers whipped it up into a media frenzy.

Since then Summer Bay has been conspicuously devoid of gay characters, while other shows such as Neighbours and Dance Academy have led the way, and the country voted for marriage equality.

Darius Williams, who plays foster teen Ty to John Palmer (Shane Withington) and Marilyn (Emily Symons) is understood to be in a guest role on the Seven soap.

13 Responses

  1. I grew up being “subjected” to seeing heterosexual couples as a kid but that still didn’t make me straight!
    People need to stop using “it’ll influence kids seeing this” as a reason for their own insecurities and hatred.
    I personally am so happy to (finally) have homosexual representation on mainstream TV shows (i.e. Neighbours) and the fact that they aren’t the stereotypical overly-feminine homosexual is even better!

  2. Time for this show to be reclassified and shown in a later time slot. So many messages that are being pushed on young viewers that are too adult for them. H & A has enjoyed a free ride at a prime time slot because it started as a family-friendly story, and nobody has been brave enough to recognise that it is no longer fit for 7pm.

    1. There has been a lot of mad bombers, kidnappers and implied violence yes, but romance isn’t problematic with a PG rating. I don’t recall any classification breaches by the show. A Current Affair usually gets more.

    2. Kids being “subjected” to gay characters is not going to brainwash them into thinking they now need to be gay. Homosexuality is inside the person, as is the feeling of being attracted to the opposite sex, and hopefully by having decent representation on TV shows encourages these individuals struggling with their thoughts to believe that they are not “wrong”, “sick”, “perverted” or any other disgusting word used to describe something that has been in the human race for centuries, and shows them that people will love and accept them for who they are, even if their own family members can’t. It is a human instinct to be attracted to a particular person or gender, not a choice.

  3. Yes it is good that it seems to be a non issue, but the 2009 storyline shouldn’t have been considered “so controversial” as it was at the time and clearly left writers, producers etc. with cold feet for years…..

  4. Charlie and Joey did kiss, quite a number of times. They broke them up because the minority groups hated it. I think they could have lasted a lot longer.

    If neighbours can do it, home and away should be able to be stronger and do it too.

    1. wrong wrong wrong
      i don’t want my kids exposed to this, not that we let them watch H&A, but there’s the ads and then there’s the times we don’t get to change channels quick enough

      1. Home and Away has plenty of mad bombers, kidnappers, implied violence and more, so entirely it’s your choice about whether children can watch PG but there is no classification issue with kissing whether gay or straight.

      2. Adelaide john, obviously it is your choice what you let your children watch, but I am saddened that you would find it so offensive. Many teenagers who are struggling with their sexuality would benefit from these issues being canvassed on mainstream TV shows

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