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Dan Levy has criticized TV station Comedy Central India for censoring a gay male kiss from a scene in Schitt’s Creek.
Gay actor Levy was the co-creator and executive producer of the Canadian sit-com. He also starred as bisexual character David.
In the scene, David and several other lead characters are at a party, playing spin the bottle. When Ted (Dustin Milligan) spins, it points to David and the two share a passionate kiss.
But in a clip Comedy Central India shared on Twitter, the kiss is cut and the action skips on awkwardly.
Do you smell drama? #SchittsCreekOnCC@SchittsCreek | SEASON 5 | THURSDAYS | 10 PM pic.twitter.com/XbHjWsYSij
— Comedy Central India (@ComedyCentralIn) March 19, 2019
However Levy says the channel’s decision to edit out the kiss made a ‘harmful statement’.
Levy tweeted: ‘You showed the kiss between two women, you showed the kiss between a woman and a man, then removed the kiss between two men?
‘This is a show about the power of inclusivity. The censorship of gay intimacy is making a harmful statement against that message.’
Too long and passionate
Indeed, Schitt’s Creek has attracted huge praise for its positive portrayal of LGBT+ people living their lives without judgement.
The series follows David and his wealthy family who go broke and have to move to a backwater town – Schitt’s Creek.
It became a cult classic, then a worldwide Netflix hit before finally achieving widespread recognition after its last season this year. It has won multiple Emmys, sweeping the board in the comedy category this year.
However, Comedy Central International told CNN the decision to cut the kiss in the promo clip was to follow rules that stop Indian broadcasters from running content that is not family friendly during the day.
A spokesperson said the channel had run the scene in full when it aired the show.
However, it had to cut the kiss for the promo clip, not because it was between two men but because it was longer and more passionate than the others it showed.
India decriminalized gay sex in 2018. However, Indian censors often edit western TV shows that show nudity and sex.
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