Children’s TV ‘needs more gay characters’
By Will Stroude
Children’s television should include more gay characters, according to Lib Dem leadership hopeful Norman Lamb.
The MP for North Norfolk, who is in the running to replace Nick Clegg as the party’s leader, told PinkNews that broadcasters should not shy away from reflecting the reality of modern British society.
“It is deemed inappropriate to show same-sex couples on children’s television – in a manner not dissimilar from the treatment of mixed-race couples a generation ago,” the former Health Minister said.
“Our broadcasters must realise that sexuality is not, fundamentally, about who you want to have sex with – but who you are, and who you love.”
He continued: “It ends up with the legislation that we passed being a bit meaningless if we don’t follow through in the way we behave in our institutions and in our media. We have to be true to the legislation we’ve passed.
“The legislation very clearly says that a loving relationship between two people of the same sex is of equal value, so in everything that we then do, as a society, we need to reinforce that, not deny it.
Asked whether that meant he’d like to see gay characters in shows designed for younger children, like Peppa Pig, he said: “If you impose arbitrary limits, you’re saying that actually at heart, it’s not equatable. It should absolutely not be out of bounds, which it appears to be at the moment.
“It is inconsistent with the philosophy that has led to the legislation. That’s the principle point. So, we have to be clear and consistent.
“If we’re not, it still tells that teenager, who is struggling to come to terms with her sexuality, that there is something not quite normal about how they feel. And that puts unfair strain on that individual which we should not be prepared to tolerate.”
Purely because this seems like the only time we’ll ever be mentioning Peppa Pig on attitude.co.uk, it seems like the perfect opportunity to revisit what is perhaps one of our favourite viral videos of the last year, courtesy of Peppa herself and Nicki Minaj. Enjoy.
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