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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

BBC is homophobic for not allowing a same sex couple for strictly

133 replies

Glasgoow · 05/09/2015 13:08

I can't think of anyone that isn't homophobic from being offended by two guys dancing.

The BBC sounds very outdated by saying this is because its a "family show".

OP posts:

ExConstance · 05/09/2015 15:25

The rumba and argentinian tango would be interesting....

TiggyD · 05/09/2015 15:29

The reason was wrong.

I've heard one of the reasons why same sex couples can be frowned on in dancing competitions is that 2 men have an advantage because neither has to dance backwards wearing heels.

HamaTime · 05/09/2015 15:37

Surely someone has to go backwards regardless

LovelyFriend · 05/09/2015 15:54

It's not a "dance with someone you might want to shag" competition though - I don't see what sexual preference has to do with it?

Why would the gay competitor insist on dancing with a gay male professional - that's kind of fucked up. Would a lesbian then insist on a gay female dance partner? Can straight celebs insist on dancing only with professionals they want to perhaps have sex with?

Sex/sexuality really has nothing to do with it. It would be homophobic to not have gay celebs or professionals on the show but that isn't the case.

For goodness sake think of the frocks won't you!

Elle are you thinking of Chas Bono? He is TransGender and danced with a female partner on the USA show. www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/11/dancing-with-the-stars-week-four-cher-chaz_n_1005030.html

BertieBotts · 05/09/2015 16:01

Sounds bizarre. Maybe it's to do with unfair advantage due to body type differences?

Saying "We are a family show" is shocking. Homosexuality is not something taboo for children in 2015. The BBC has gay characters in Doctor Who and Waterloo Road which are aimed at "Family" audiences, though there are no gay CBBC or CBeebies characters.

SmugairleRoin · 05/09/2015 16:14

I don't really see why a gay person needs to dance with a gay person - there's no requirement to be attracted to your dancing partner.

I imagine it also makes judging difficult given that ballroom dances are traditionally male-female and there can be specific moves for each sex.

yeOldeTrout · 05/09/2015 17:09

Isn't the show more like genderist than homosexual-prejudiced?

Why should each partner have to be obviously female or male? Why not have dancers who are a bit of both / neither. Why don't the blokes wear very glossy lippy, dresses, high heels & very girlie/skimpy costumes. Why don't the women wear tuxedos and solid black covered shoes sporting crew cut hair? MEH.

ALassUnparalleled · 05/09/2015 17:15

I imagine it also makes judging difficult given that ballroom dances are traditionally male-female and there can be specific moves for each sex

I don't like ballroom dancing but whilst traditionally there are specific moves for each sex, because a couple would be male and female, there is no reason why that can't work as specific moves for each partner in the couple regardless of sex.

The point about men dancing the "female" role not working because men couldn't dance backwards in heels is irrelevant. There's no reason why high heels have to be worn. It's not choreographed for en pointe like ballet.

Elledouble · 05/09/2015 17:20

Ah - found it - it was the Israeli version of Dancing With The Stars that had a same sex couple competing. Telegraph story

PetraDelphiki · 05/09/2015 17:26

The way same sex couples dancing works is generally that in one dance one learns the leaders ("mens") steps and the other learns the followers ("ladies") steps. The person doing the leading for one dance might be the follower for others - I certainly know same sex couples who don't know how to do the traditional part for their sex because they have always been in the other role.

In competitions I believe that they tend to dress in the same costumes, and get extra credit for seamlessly switching from leader to follower mid dance - it is something incredible to watch as you suddenly realise what has happened!

But there are still separate mens and womens competitions, because you have to judge like against like. Which is why you can't have same sex couples in a traditional competition because you would be comparing apples and oranges.

It's the same as tennis doubles - you don't have mixed doubles playing against same sex doubles because it's not a fair competition.

Moln · 05/09/2015 17:33

FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS GLITTERY WHO THE HECK IS CJ??????

Surely two men would have an advantage becausee they can both dance in comfy shoes rather than high heel like the women do?

BlackAmericanoNoSugar · 05/09/2015 17:41

Moln CJ is one of the expert panel on a tv quiz show called Eggheads. Here. He's not particularly interesting or personable, but he knows a lot of stuff.

OurBlanche · 05/09/2015 17:50

And had you simply typed CJ into google uk the chances are he would be the first hit

Sunnymeg · 05/09/2015 17:59

I think that if the BBC want to have same sex couples, then they will choose a contestant who is popular with the public and who will last longer than the first public vote. IMO CJ wasn't that contestant.

MidniteScribbler · 05/09/2015 17:59

I don't know any of these so called celebrities, but as a Dancesport judge (what we call the Ballroom, Latin American and New Vogue styles), if a same sex couple danced together, then it would need to be very clear which partner was taking on which role, because there are aspects of judging which are based on those roles.

On the other hand, I would have no problem judging a same sex couple as long as their partner roles were defined, which is as per our judging guidelines. Quite frankly, I've said for quite some time that we're going to have to change the rules to consider same sex couples, as it's going to happen, and they should have every right to be able to dance together if they choose to.

specialsubject · 05/09/2015 18:04

with the help of google (nevererdovim otherwise...)

two-bloke dancing won't fit the criteria of the comp, where half the contestants need boobs, skimpy outfits, swirly skirts, inch-thick slap and duck-walk heels. Although would be funny to see it tried - might even make me watch rather than move to pre-recorded TV for three months to avoid endless trailers, ads, reheats and so on of this wettest, stupidest of fake emotion-fests.

NotMeNotYouNotAnyone · 05/09/2015 18:19

I'm gay and this doesn't bother me in the slightest (I don't actually give a shit sbout strictly tbh).

Ballroom dancing is traditional, and traditionally it's only done in male/female couples. I have a background in ice skating where there is a huge shortage of boys but all dance couples and pairs teams must be male/female (even at beginner level where there's no lifts). So it's something I'm used to I guess.

Hygge · 05/09/2015 18:53

I don't think he said he wanted to dance with a gay partner, or a partner he was attracted to, did he?

Just that he wanted to dance as part of a same sex couple.

CJ probably isn't popular enough, and perhaps he would have been the first to go in the public vote, although if that's true the BBC would have lost nothing by giving his idea a try and if he was more successful they could have come out of this looking quite good for giving him a shot.

Is he really horrible though?

BMW6 · 05/09/2015 18:55

I would watch that! There's a shortage of laughs on a Saturday night!

mollie123 · 05/09/2015 18:59

why can a gay person not dance with a straight female or vice versa (gay woman and straight male partner)
there is no assumption that the couple dancing are a couple
the whole point of the show is the 'dancing' not the orientation of the participants.

Moln · 05/09/2015 19:06

I could of put CJ into google uk but I'm not in the uk.

OurBlanche · 05/09/2015 19:07

But they do - remember Robin? He danced with a fair few women, including his pro partner.

He can't be the only professional gay male dancer who dances with a female partner, or vice versa.

ouryve · 05/09/2015 19:08

You could equally argue that CJ is misogynistic for not wanting to dance with a woman.

OurBlanche · 05/09/2015 19:13

Ah! Moln, he is a professional quizzer, chess player, actor and is active in many charities. He has a well known telly persona, stuck up, arrogant, humourless twonk. But my friend insists that this is far from the truth. It seems to have come from his drag queen/panto dame persona.

He has had a torrid life, his parents were odd and he has just launched his autobiography, so the timing is apt

Moln · 05/09/2015 19:18

I see, he sounds, erm, "fun"

I just noticed I wrote 'could of'

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