The Rainbow Campaign

[Perry]

This has been discussed a bit in the Tim Campbell coming out thread, and I do support what you're all trying to do, but like I said in there I'm not sure they should do a gay storyline if they can't tackle it properly (because of the timeslot). A gay character would ultimately have to have a gay relationship - would they be able to cover that successfully within the restrictions? To be honest, being in the uk I don't know much about what they can and can't do, but if they couldn't even use the word 'rape' in the Dani/Kane storyline I'm guessing the limits are pretty tight?

I understand what you're saying but being in a PG rated timeslot they can do the story right, hey we're not asking for gay porn are we?

[emmasi]

People keep saying throughout threads like this that it's not fair to single out a gay character as an unrepresented part of Australian culture. Why should they put a gay person in over a black person, an Asian person, a disabled person, etc? Well it occurs to me that it's not an either/or situation. Who's to say that a black person, an Asian person, or a disabled person wouldn't feel represented and relate to a gay character just as readily as an able-bodied Caucasian would? I don't have any official statistics on me, but if I had to guess, I'd say that there are more gay and bisexual people from all walks of life, all cultures, backgrounds and abilities, than there are of any other so called minority. So if it was only about reaching a vaster number of audience members, I would think that would be a logical choice.

As for not wanting to see gay people being intimate on TV... well, I'm sure there were some people who didn't much like seeing Lewis and Rachel in an interracial relationship, and probably some that didn't like seeing Lewis at all... Should that storyline have been avoided to keep those people happy? I don't think so.

I don't get why 7 are being such prudes on the issue anyway. This is the network that has had openly gay people on their most popular progams - It Takes Two and Dancing With The Stars. Those are marketed as wholesome family shows, so what's the problem? They also ran Will & Grace for however many years, and I'm sure that was plenty popular too. Home and away already DID a decent gay storyline with Dean and Gareth, the only problem was that they were both chased off before any of it had a chance to sink in. As per my letter, I'd love for them to come back, particularly Dean because he could be so great for Mattie to have around. It would make perfect sense, and it would make me happy

[Amii]

^ Sorry to contradict you, emmasi, but I don't feel that the Dean/Gareth storyline was done well at all.

All Dean did was try to hide his sexuality from everyone when he had actually already accepted the fact that he was gay. All he did was go 'I'm not gay. I'm not gay. I'm not gay. Oh okay, I'm gay. Bye!"

I mean maybe if they showed a bit more to him then just going out with Matilda, and Lucas seeing him with Gareth that one time and then those 2 setting Lucas and Matilda back up before leaving town it would have been better.

I think Shannon/Mandy is a better example of a good 'gay storyline', but that's just my opinion.

[claire_louise]

This has been discussed a bit in the Tim Campbell coming out thread, and I do support what you're all trying to do, but like I said in there I'm not sure they should do a gay storyline if they can't tackle it properly (because of the timeslot). A gay character would ultimately have to have a gay relationship - would they be able to cover that successfully within the restrictions? To be honest, being in the uk I don't know much about what they can and can't do, but if they couldn't even use the word 'rape' in the Dani/Kane storyline I'm guessing the limits are pretty tight?

I understand what you're saying but being in a PG rated timeslot they can do the story right, hey we're not asking for gay porn are we?

I didn't realise that the show's rating had changed since the Dani/Kane storyline (we don't have these ratings for tv shows in the uk). In that case, maybe they'd be able to do a gay storyline justice. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see it and think it's long overdue, it's just that I'd rather they didn't bother if for whatever reason they can't do a good job.

[Eli]

I'm not a huge fan of the Dean/Garreth storyline either, but I actually thought the Chris Fletcher storyline was good. I mean, it was obviously very brief and too short, but I think it was good for a storyline that small.

It just proved to me that they can if they just want to. And that storyline was all the way back in 2003, now 5 years later I think we're ready for more than just a few episodes, cause let's face it, it still seems like people watch Home&Away even though our lil' Chrissy had a boy-crush five years ago. I mean, COME ON!

And Jem, that's exactly what I usually say when I discuss gay rights with my friends (which I seem to do an awful lot when I come to think about it...) I mean, I'm not saying we're gonna get same sex marriages all over the place tomorrow and no one will ever say a bad word about same sex couples again, but seriously, it's not that long ago interracial couples was concidered wrong, women weren't allowed to vote and homosexuality still was concidered an illness (up to the '70s here in Norway I believe), and look how far we've come from that. All of the above seems ridiculous to most people today, so how can we just sit back and say "Nope, sorry, there's no hope for this world. As much as I'd like it to, I don't see this ever happening."?!

I'm willing to bet that in 150 years people will laugh and shake their heads when they hear same sex couples couldn't get married (that is if the global warming hasn't all burnt us to crisps by then).

Progress and change in general don't always come easily, but when it does it tends to move a lot faster than we think it will.

Back in 1994 one of the biggest financial newspapers in Norway reported in huge letters across the front page that "Internet is a flop!"

I guess they were proved wrong, cause here we are, only 14 years later, more addicted to internet than ever. my point it that progress and change in general don't always come easily, but when it finally does it tends to move a lot faster than we think it will.

[alexx]

I hated the Chris Fletcher storyline, hated how Pippa was written in regards to it, and it was all..blalahhh. Didnt like it.

I am in two minds about it. I could just imagine it being really predictable and if it were in regards to two guys in a relationship, they wouldnt be able to show them kissing, and to be honest I think it would totally turn off some viewers if they did actually see two dudes snogging on the beach in each others arms...but how else would they portray a realsitic relationship without the producers being screamed at for not including kissing scenes as they would Maddie and Ric... I just dont see it working to anyones satisfaction or with cred...and I also think it would turn off the teenage dudes and chicks who do watch the show and dont wanna see it.

I dont know. I mean I think maybe there would be more scope for a gay chick, becuase if they were to have a romance, there intamcy could be porrayed in less obvious ways, and it wouldnt harm the viewing figures half as much I suspect. I'd like to see a lesbian hippy. But again, maybe there would be too many restrictions...I enjoyed the Shannon/Mandy storyline, though it was soooooooo subtle. However there was so much potential had the writers been aloud to 'go there''.

The only way I could see it working is if they had a gay guy or chick in the Bay, without any romantic storylines, and I'd probably love them for that reason alone, becuase I dont care for the romance storylines anyway regardless of sexuality. I dont know. If they did have someone, I'd really not like them to go down the Í am gay, I have a huge issue with it'' storyline... if I were to write a gay character in, whether it be girl or guy, I'd have them totaly comfortable with it, without the cliches, but of course they would encounter homophobes, which would be realistic in a small seaside town, I could see Alf being uncomfortable with the idea, Tony not giving a rats, Colleen being a total homophobic always glaring and huffing and puffing around them, and if it were a gay chick, have her flirt with Colleen as Kim used to!

Anyway... like I said, I'm in two minds...simply becuase I dont know how it would or could be written if romance were to be involved. I heard a rumour another Aussie show were to have there first gay guy, it will be interesting to see how it goes if its true.

The other thing is how realistic would it be for there to be an openly gay guy or girl in Summer Bay? Just like the 'black character' thing...The city yeah of course, but a small country town? I'm not sure...it would be great to break the barrier though...would it be realistic though?

[Eli]

I get what you're saying about some viewers getting totally turned off by two characters of the same sex kissing each other. But on the other hand, as you can see from this thread there are quite a few of us who are starting to get really turned off by the fact that there aren't any same-sex couples kissing each other at the beach

[emmasi]

Colleen being a total homophobic always glaring and huffing and puffing around them, and if it were a gay chick, have her flirt with Colleen as Kim used to!

lol, that'd be awesome

I guess I want the whole darn system to change. I can't understand why it's so difficult to show two people kissing. They already go further with heterosexual couples than I'd like to see in a "family" show. And they showed gay kissing on Will & Grace, which I think used to be on right after H&A. What's half an hour if H&A's now PG? And I'd only say that a gay storyline might be PG because that stands for Parental Guidance, and some kids may need to be guided into understanding that there is more to grown up love than boy meets girl.

To quote Phoebe Buffay:

Sometimes men love women

Sometimes men love men

And then there are bisexuals

But some just say they're kidding themselves

I would definitely complain if they weren't treated the same as any other couple on the show, because after all that's the whole point.

[Eli]

Haha, I love that song, I think it's one of my favourite Phoebe songs, especially when you see the little kid looking at Chandler while Phoebe sings it

Ahem, back to the topic: I agree, Jem. It just makes me laugh when cartain concervatives talk about the "gay agenda" like they think gay people will try to recruit new "members", take over the world and force everyone to paint their houses in the colours of the rainbow and wear pink clothes or whatever.

Gay pride is not about waving the rainbow flag and parade the streets with slogans every day, more than anything it is about equality. It's not about getting more rights or being treated any differently than heterosexuals in any way, even if it is for the better, it's simply about having the same rights.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, there is no such thing as equality for same-sex couples before it's common to have to come out as straight.

[Perry]

Would it be wrong for me to say that the only problem people have with a gay character is that they feel it won't be done properly? There is no reason- due to the timeslot and rating Home and Away has that they can't have a gay relationship in the same way that there are straight relationships. Maybe people should be writing that in their letters with the rainbows.