Gay TV kiss OK, but TV advert saucy
Viewer Damian Polly complained that when the promotion for the sexually explicit series Californication was shown he had no choice but to watch it.
TV3 told the Broadcasting Complaints Commission (BCC) that the promotion was aimed at an adult audience and was broadcast well after the 9pm watershed.
Upholding the complaint the BCC pointed out that the viewer was not forewarned that the promotion contained extracts from the series that were sexually explicit and nudity that was totally sexual in nature and inappropriate.
The extracts featured naked women, a naked man, scenes of a sexual nature of a man and woman in bed, a man spanking a woman, and a woman with an open shirt taking off her underwear as she kisses a man.
Another viewer, Ross Barry, complained about TV3 screening an episode of Emmerdale showing two gay men kissing while talking about their forthcoming commitment ceremony.
Mr Ross thought the broadcasting of such scenes at 6.45pm when young children are watching TV was morally wrong and indefensible.
TV3 said it was accepted that soaps can deal with difficult issues, provided these were dealt with sensibly.
They said the story line had been developed in an entirely responsible and editorially justified way.
The BCC described the scene showing the two gay men kissing as one of “gentle affection”.
The BCC also found that economist and television presenter David McWilliams was unfair to trade unionists in a remark he made during the screening of the series, Ireland’s Generation Game.
At the time Mr McWilliams was pointing out that only 1% of the public sector workforce was foreign-born as opposed to one in six in construction and close to half in tourism.
“This may be the result of powerful trade unionists, who although they speak the language of international solidarity, are damned if they are going to let thousands of immigrants drive down their wages,” he said.
Esther Lynch, who made the complaint on behalf the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, said the remark was utterly false and misleading.
But a complaint made by Sorcha Ui Chonnachtaigh about a Calvita Cheese ad screened by RTÉ 2 did not discriminate or stereotype based on gender, the BCC stated.
In the cartoon the little boy says: “When I grow up, I want to be a professional footballer.” Three little girls come into view and one says: “When I grow up, I want to be a WAG.”
Rejecting the complaint, the BCC said the ad was clearly based on humour. Children do grow up fast and do like to play by mimicking adults, it said.
The BCC also decided not to uphold a complaint made by Maurice Fitzgerald that the coverage by RTÉ of the conferring of the title on 23 bishops, including Sean Brady, Archbishop of Armagh, was unfair to other religious denominations.
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