Gay comedy series banned
A Utah affiliate of US network NBC has said it will not run an upcoming comedy series about a gay couple’s attempts to start a family with the help of a surrogate..
The New Normal, which stars Ellen Barkin, The Hangover’s Justin Bartha and Real Housewives of Atlanta’s NeNe Leakes, was due to premiere on September 11, but the Mormon-owned KSL station has refused to air it.
“For our brand, this program simply feels inappropriate on several dimensions, especially during family viewing time,” KSL CEO Jeff Simpson told Deseret.
The anti-gay US lobby group One Million Moms had previously targeted the show in July, urging its members to send letters to NBC demanding they not air it because the program was “damaging to our culture”.
“Same-sex families are a beloved part of American television thanks to shows like Modern Family, Glee and Grey’s Anatomy,” Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) president Herndon Graddick said.
“While audiences, critics and advertisers have all supported LGBT stories, KSL is demonstrating how deeply out of touch it is with the rest of the country.
“We invite Jeff Simpson to sit down with GLAAD and local LGBT families. We know that if he would, he would see that not only are our families normal, but by citing ‘crude and rude’ content and refusing to affirm LGBT families, KSL and Mr Simpson are sending a dangerous message to Utah. They should make that right.”
