Yahoo News 'Coronation Street' sparks Ofcom complaints and claims of homophobia over Kate Conner storyline
Coronation Street has been accused of homophobia over its latest storyline in which gay character Kate Connor seduces on-screen womaniser Adam Barlow.
Ofcom has received 66 complaints and is currently considering investigating viewer concerns over the plot.
Despite Kate being gay – and not bisexual – fans of the show have slated writers for implying that sexual preference can be changed so easily, even ‘fixed’.
Some called the suggestion ‘inexcusable’ and ‘offensive’.
having a lesbian character who has never once shown attraction to men suddenly seduce and kiss a man is incredibly irresponsible.
it enforces a homophobic rhetoric that lesbians can be “fixed” & become heterosexual in the"right" circumstances. shame on @itvcorrie #corrie
— alice (@kanaswarrior) December 17, 2018
@itvcorrie is absolutely disgusting for displaying this homophobic, harmful trope of a lesbian sleeping with a man to have a baby. This is unforgivable, and so, so harmful to the lgbt community. #Corrie
— 🌻 (@itssgeorgia) December 17, 2018
I hope no closeted and fearful young lesbians are watching @itvcorrie tonight. What an inexcusable mess. #corrie Shame. For shame.
— !!!! (@tipping__the) December 17, 2018
@itvcorrie I hope you’ll understand that the outrage isn’t about shipping. It’s about insulting the lesbian community & implying that under a certain set circumstances, they’d be okay with being intimate with men. This encourages the undermining of lesbian sexuality #Corrie #Kana
— Nicolette ❄️ (@doubledutch217) December 17, 2018
@itvcorrie no grief related mental health issue storyline is going to absolve you from the responsibility of representing a lesbian character truthfully. What you have kate connor do tonight is as offensive as it gets for the lesbian community. You're better than that #corrie
— amonovalis (@amonovalis) December 17, 2018
A spokesperson for Ofcom said: “We are assessing these complaints against our broadcasting rules, before deciding whether or not to investigate.”
In response to the plot, producer Iain MacLeod said: “Kate was out of her mind with grief for Aidan and thinks she’s lost Rana. She came to her senses before going through with it.
“She’s gay, and loves Rana, and can’t believe she nearly let her grief-fueled obsession for a baby almost lead her into betraying who she is and making the biggest mistake of her life.”
Read more
Holly Willoughby won’t be returning to the jungle
Queer As Folk to get US reboot
Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig reunite on QI
