US film board accused of homophobia over gay film rating

The Motion Picture Assiociation of America (MPAA) has been accused of homophobia after handing a film about two gay men, featuring no nudity or violence, the equivalent of an 18 rating in the US.

Love Is Strange tells the story of a gay couple, played by John Lithgow and Alfred Molina, who are forced to live separately with friends when one loses his job shortly after they get married.

The MPAA has given the film an R rating for its release in the US, which means that anyone under the age of 17 must be accompanied by an adult to see it in cinemas.

In comparison, two other films also released in the US this week, comic book adaptation Sin City: A Dame to Kill For and horror comedy Jersey Shore Massacre, have been given the same rating – even though they feature scenes containing sex, violence, nudity and drug use.

Respected US film critic Stephen Whitty has condemned the MPAA’s decision to give Love Is Strange an R rating, writing in the New Jersey Star Ledger:

“There is no violence or gore. There are several scenes of men kissing, and two scenes of a gay couple sleeping together, fully clothed, in bed. It is rated R. If there’s an equivalence among these thee films, and their equal unsuitability for anyone under 17, it’s lost on me — and, I suspect, on anyone but the censors at the MPAA.”

Love Is Strange has been given a 15 rating in the UK, ahead of its yet-to-be announced release date. Watch the trailer below.

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