Some Brits are bent out of shape over a gay kiss on popular soap EastEnders.

More than 150 people griped to network BBC after character Christian and his new boyfriend, Lee, locked lips. One person griped: "I am appalled by the display of homosexual kissing…" That's a lot of emotion for a little smooch…

Though some executives may have quaked in their boots, BBC came out against the outraged masses and released the following statement:

EastEnders aims to reflect real life, and this means including and telling stories about characters from many different backgrounds, faiths, religions and sexualities.

We approach our portrayal of homosexual relationships in the same way as we do heterosexual relationships.

In this instance, Christian is enjoying the first flush of romance and we've shown him being affectionate with his new boyfriend in the same way any couple would.

Snap!

What a difference a day makes! BBC Radio 1 reversed its decision to censor The Pogues' "Fairytale of New York," a holiday-themed track that includes the word "faggot".

A bulk the radio's listeners apparently approve of the questionable word's inclusion. Radio 1 manager Andy Parfitt released this statement:

After careful consideration, I have decided that the decision to edit A Fairytale of New York was wrong. Radio 1 does not play homophobic lyrics or condone bullying of any kind. It is not always easy to get this right, mindful of our responsibility to our young audience.

While we would never condone prejudice of any kind, we know our audiences are smart enough to distinguish between maliciousness and creative freedom.

In the context of this song, I do not feel that there is any negative intent behind the use of the words, hence the reversal of the decision. The unedited version will be played from now on.

Gay activist Peter Tatchell isn't happy, to say the least, and wonders if people would feel the same way about the word "nigger". He's doubtful.

BBC Radio 1 ain't fucking around when it comes to the word "faggot". Radio 2, however, sings a different tune:

BBC Radio 1 has said it will stand by its ban on the word "faggot" from the Pogues' 1987 Christmas hit Fairytale of New York to avoid offense.
…
The ban does not apply across the BBC. Radio 2 said it would be playing the full version of the track.

Listeners have had mixed reactions. While one gay fan described Radio 1's ban as "offensive," gay activist Peter Tatchell called Radio 2's full play "shameful".

Bah humbug!

Earlier this morning we mentioned that "metrosexual" daddy Mark Simpson has been sending us much appreciated video love.

In addition to reminding us about The English Beat, Simpson included this music-minded version of BBC's Brideshead Revisited adaptation. That's a younger Jeremy Irons and Anthony Andrews. Men that handsome truly are rare.

For those of you not familiar with 80s-era British bands, the tune's "All My Heart" by ABC. And in case you're not familiar with literature, Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited tells the tale of two boarding school chums - Sebastian and Charles - and their unrealized, virtually unspoken love. The 1945 novel will soon hit the big screen with super cute actors Matthew Goode and Ben Wishaw.

Right wing Christian activist Stephen Green best find a new mission.

Britain's High Court dismissed Green's blasphemy lawsuit against the British Broadcasting Corporation. Green filed the suit after BBC aired Jerry Springer: The Opera, which depicts Jesus as a scat lover.

The Court ruling reads: "The play had been performed regularly in major theatres in London for a period of nearly two years without any sign of it undermining society or occasioning civil strife or unrest." BBC network executives and their lawyers celebrated the decision, saying, "We believe the work, taken in its proper context, satirizes and attacks exploitative chat shows and not the Christian religion. The Court's judgment today vindicates that decision in full."

So they're basically telling Green to get a sense of humor and sod off.

A group of right wing Christians are suing BBC and an independent producer for blasphemy after the network aired Jerry Springer: The Opera. What's so blasphemous about the musical hijinks? Shit.

Stephen Green, national director of Christian Voice, said in 2005 that the show portrayed Jesus as a "coprophiliac sexual deviant". A coprophiliac is someone who is sexually aroused by faeces.

This reminds us of a discussion in Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being: if we're created in God's image - as this Green man no doubt believes - then why are we so ashamed of our bowels? Just a little philosophy to get things moving…

Ben Summerskill pulled a GLAAD on BBC. The British activist used this weekend's Equity Diversity Conference to criticize the broadcaster's dearth of gay representations. Summerskill pointed out that gay folk contribute more than $400 million of the company's neary $6.5 billion licensing revenue, yet queers still don't have much of a presence. What's more, the obvious absence puts the BBC out of step with the nation's evolving culture.

Said Summerskill:

I have always been a huge advocate of the BBC and I do think it has served historically as a cultural glue for so many people in this country. But I think it is putting the opportunity of continuing to do that in peril if it does not properly engage and portray the way Britain is in the 21st century, rather than the way a small number of people at the top of that organization imagine it might be.

Wait, so network executives don't fairly represent, understand or care about the common people? What a fucking shocker!

The Game gets it both ways in the UK.

CONTINUED »

When a 5-year-old calls another boy on the monkey bars a "fag," it might still be offensive. But calling him "gay?" Not as bad, according to the BBC Board of Governors, which has taken the surprising step in associating the slang usage of "gay" as to mean "rubbish."

A listener complained after Chris Moyles dismissed a ringtone by saying on his Radio 1 breakfast show: “I don’t want that one, it’s gay.”

The complainant argued that the use of the word gay in this context was homophobic. The governors said, however, that Moyles was simply keeping up with developments in English usage.

The programme complaints committee noted: “The word ‘gay’, in addition to being used to mean ‘homosexual’ or ‘carefree’, was often now used to mean ‘lame’ or ‘rubbish’. This is a widespread current usage of the word amongst young people.”

The committee, which consists of five BBC governors, including the former Royal Ballet dancer Deborah Bull, was “familiar with hearing this word in this context”.

Troubling? Absolutely. Whenever someone outside a cultural group adopts such a charged term to apply a derogatory meaning, it's a step backward. There's plenty of debate within minority communities – whether gay, black, or physically disabled – on whether offensive words should even be used within their community, let alone by anyone else. But an outsider throwing around "gay" to mean something patently unsavory — because "young people" deem it okay? We shouldn't even have to raise the argument about anyone but people of color using the word "nigger."

Gay means rubbish, says BBC [London Times]

• Are these pics of Jake Gyllenhaal and a friend out for a walk completely innocent or do they scream gay, gay, gay? We're not telling you what to believe. We'll let the pictures speak for themselves. [The Gilded Moose]

• When will the world learn to accept that most trannies are completely harmless. Especially grandmotherly schoolteacher trannies. [CNN]

• The BBC has been accused of being homophobic, truly making the queer-friendly Little Britain the only gay in the BBC village. [The Advocate]

• No surprise here. "Brokeback," the word on the lips of all queers and straights, is the Hollywood word of the year. [Jossip]

• Since Brokeback Mountain has been responsible for the word of the year, we think now is the perfect time for everyone to receive a quick tutorial on the history of gay cowboys. [Film Experience]