Do you think Strictly should have same sex couples?

[MaggieSimpson44]

Just googling the gorgeous Susan Calman and apparently there's been a bit of a row saying as she's gay she should be allowed to dance with a woman. She's fine with dancing with a man though.
Just wondered how people felt though? Same sex couples, a good idea or just a bit try hard?

If it's about sex, then Ann Widdecombe should have danced solo, surely? (I must say that would have been quite a sight to see).

I would have no objection if Calman, or any competitor gay or straight, had said they wanted a same sex partner but given she's stated she has had a picture of Kevin on her fridge for years, I think it's pretty clear she has the partner she wants.

Exactly tribpot Sweet to see AW kissing with Brucie yesterday!

OP, I in no way referred to same sex couples as offensive. I said a woman being reduced to her sexuality was fucking offensive. Quite frankly I have no interest in who a person shares a bed with as long as both are consenting adults.

Camilla is on TWS today and they just had a phone in about it

She said same sex dancing is completely different as during same dance the one who leads switches over again and again

She couldn't lead to high standard as very different to her experience

She also thinks she could not lift a female

Since when was there just one type of lesbian? That being a butch, short haired, trouser wearing type. Sure, some people who happen to be lesbian would prefer to take a lead role and not wear a sparkly dress and heels, but equally lots like to be "feminine" and are happy to fit with the traditionally female part in a dance competition.

I wouldn't have an issue with same sex or otherwise, but actually it should be down to the choice of the contestant and the professional dancers involved.

Exactly WaxOn Like everyone, they're just people .

I have nothing against there being same sex couples on strictly, but it should be the celeb and pro's choice. It seems like Richard would be really up for dancing with a male pro, if there's a male pro who'd really like to dance with a male celeb too then why not.

Same sex couples for gay participants is only useful if they're planning on having sex on the dance floor!! Ridiculous.

Actually I don't know many of the shot haired butch type lesbian, most of the people I know are not indistinguishable from the rest of the range of society in that some like to wear dresses and have long hair and some people like to wear jeans and have short hair etc etc. I know straight women who don't like fusses and frills and sparkles. You know, as you say people are just people and I really couldn't care less what other people choose to do with their genitals etc.

I also don't think it's expected that in a gay couple, one takes a traditionally male and one a traditionally female role, just as it isn't within hetrosexual couples. Strangely enough DH can do the ironing and childcare without his penis dropping off and I can cut the grass and put the bins out without a short haircut.

I think Susan would cry if you pried Kevin from her fingers. I don't imagine there's a female dancer she would want more than the lovely Kev!

I think if they want to do same sex dances it should be in the proffesional dances. Some people wouldn't vote and I think it would detract from the dance and become aboit the politics.

If Susan had wanted to dance with a woman she would have had to dance the male role. Which is fine, if she wanted to do it, I think that happened in Australia's DWTS once, but she clearly doesn't want to dance the male role and saying she should just because she's a lesbian is hugely insulting.

They're ballroom dancing, not having sex in front of a live audience-what does being gay have to do with it?

No
I love Strictly as it is .

Richard Coles was asked about it in the Sunday Times. He said he would love to dance with a man and 'The conversation (with the producers) is ongoing.'

But is he happy to do the "female" bits of the dance? Because like it or noorthose formal dances are made up of two halves

No, no and thrice no. Can't all this endless gender political correctness stay out of at least one programme, I'm sick to the back teeth with it. Some people are straight and some are gay, let's stop making an issue of it all and enjoy the DANCING. In other words, leave the Strictly format as it is. Thank you.

Dancing and sexual orientation have nothing to do with each other.
Just because you dance with a man doesn't mean you fancy them

Who knows, Sleeping.

I think they should stick to tradition and have male and female pairings. I doubt that Ola Jordan fancied Paul Daniels, or that Anton Du Beke fancied Ann Widdecombe, but they still managed to dance together. I don't the pairings should be chosen based on sexual attraction.

So how would a same sex dancing couple work? Do the men both dress up in tuxes? Who will lead and who will follow? Wha about the women. Will they both wear sparkly dresses? It's going to look weird.

I never knew that being a Lesbian mean't that you couldn't be friends with or dance with a man.

And the lesbian in question utterly adores Kevin and wouldn't want to give him up!

There is loads of footage of same sex dancing on youtube if you are interested. Seems to be a mixture of both parties dressing identically and one being dressed very feminine and one very masculine. I can't tell who is leading at any given point but I did find it interesting that in the male couples one partner had their hand on the others back the other had their hand on the underside of the partners upper arm not on their shoulder.

I love watching the male couples but for some reason find the females less interesting to watch.

I don't think you could have same sex couples on the current strictly as I'm not sure you could compare directly be a same sex version would be good.

I just want to watch them dance - I don't care who they want to have sex with.
And I want to see mixed sex couples. It's easier to judge and compare that way.

Yes I agree VoiceOf

If Susan had wanted to dance with a woman she would have had to dance the male role. Which is fine, if she wanted to do it, I think that happened in Australia's DWTS once, but she clearly doesn't want to dance the male role and saying she should just because she's a lesbian is hugely insulting.

This. I'd quite like to see a same-sex couple in Strictly, but I don't think anyone should be obliged to have a same-sex partner if they don't want. As pp have said, it's a competition/entertainment show, not a dating agency. I do hope that sometime soon someone (and I don't mind whether they are straight or gay) will choose to dance in a same-sex couple as I think it would be interesting and fun to watch. But I agree that it's deeply insulting to Susan Calman to want to dictate who she should dance with.