Cable channel USA alienated at least one viewer with their queerly edited showing of cheerleading movie Bring It On. From an “enraged” reader:
Imagine my delight, as a gym-procrastination measure, when I discovered that USA Networks was screening Bring It On (in my opinion unjustly dissed by Entertainment Weekly with a lowly #30 ranking in their list of 50 Best High School Movies) last Saturday, Oct. 25. But my pleasure turned to self-righteous-letter-to-the-editor-writing rage when I realized that USA censors had degayed the sympathetic homo character, Les (Above, left).
Not only did they remove the coming-out scene where he says he speaks fag “fluently,” but also the bit at the end where he meets another cute guy backstage at the nationals. However, USA saw fit to leave the homophobic slurs (Eliza Dushku being called a dyke, one straight jock calling another a fag) intact. I would be curious if Queerty could get a response from USA Networks as to why they made these editorial decisions.
So, USA, what have you go to say for yourself?
ron
Bleh completely lame.
BTW, the character of Les doesnt appear in the pic you posted.
M Shane
Just a supposition, but I thought all male cheerleaders were gay. Who else would be cheering the jocks on? except horny girls.
In any case, with the empowerment given the Fundies by the right wing, we should see a lot more of that action.
rick
I actually really liked that movie.
Darth Paul
Yeah, Les isn’t in that pic.
Bush II was a cheerleader. Just sayin.
Eric
As the non-gay cheerleader points out in that movie (which I love), what better job for a straight guy than one where you get to touch, hold, and caress the tight-bodied hot girls?
If USA deleted the gay elements of the film for anti-gay reasons, then yeah, boo on them. But in their defense, it might just have been that they had to trim something to make the film fit in the time slot, and those parts — short scenes relating to a minor character — were easiest to eliminate without damaging the story. Maybe.
Ken
I’ve only seen the basic cable version (most recently on USA this weekend), and I remember seeing the “speaks fluent fag” scene (unless there was more than one). The line was spoken by Dushku in the car scene when when the gay character says that he’s “controversial.”
alan brickman
not all male cheerleaders are gay…but they shouldn’t have edited the film on that premise…supression is not pretty..
howdy
color me thissurprised
Peter
If I were to guess why USA did it, I would guess that they needed to edit down the film to fit in a timeslot, so they cut out the least necessary plotline for time. This happens all the time in TV… It just happens that in this case, it was the gay storyline. I doubt USA would purposefully edit the film in a homophobic way.
Joey
I saw it edited the same way when it played on ABC Family, the network home to the 700 Club.
ryan
you cant leave in the anti-gay parts if your going to take out the affirming ones, that’s just f’d up.
Jeffy Dylan
I’m an openly gay sixteen year old from IN…. And Personally the words fag(got), gay, queer. etc. do not bother me. Or the sentences they’re used in. (e.g. That’s so gay, I think he is queer). I use them fluently. And I don’t do it because I can, me being a queer and all. But I do it as a person. Especially being sixteen. And I don’t think they should edit that shit out on TV. I think they should be able to say whatever the F you want. They already basically have sex on regular television. What is the word “fuck” going to do?
Braden89
Ditto what Jeffy said!
skerit
It’s a typical case of making shit up and turning them into a law. (Is there a better description for it?)
In Europe tv presenters dare to wear a t shirt that says “fuck me – I’m famous”, boobs during prime time aren’t a big deal, swear words are frowned upon, but nobody is going to get sued for them. We have programs on tv which openly talk about sexuality and all.
And we survive. And we’re doing all right.
Yet somehow Americans believe allowing this will bring forth the apocalypse.
boo
While I agree that probably needed to trim the film down for timimg. I am willing to bet that they left in the scene where during the auditions one of the girls strips to Warrant’s “Sweet Cherry Pie”, even though it is pretty suggestive.
I had a similar letter writing rant when years ago VH1 “twisted” the words “roll another joint” from Tom Petty’s video for You Don’t Know How It Feels but left in the words “the little faggot got a brand new airplane” from Dire Straits video Money for Nothing. The last time I saw it the Dire Straits video was edited. I like to think I had something to do with that.
lyssa
Funny how the homo crowd here is whining about suppression of gay lives, while they freely do it to trans lives.
Hypocrisy, much?