HOMOPHOBIA IN THE ARAB WORLD

I've been meaning to post something on this subject for a while now, but watching an episode of Glee on TV tonight gave me the push I needed. The local Fox affiliate station here recently started showing Glee, I assume because of its popularity in the States. One interesting thing about censorship in Jordan is that few if any swear words on TV are bleeped out, that is except the word gay. For the first few bleeps I couldn't figure out what was happening, but later in the show, just as the gay character was about to come out to his friend, the show awkwardly cut to the next scene. The Fox affiliate, based out of Dubai, is bleeping and cutting out any mention of the character's gayness, despite the fact that he is obviously gay. Homosexuality is not illegal in Jordan as it is in most other Arab countries, but it is not really accepted by society either. Many people here view being gay as an act against nature and a choice of the individual. But despite these massive obstacles, Arabs still manage to be gay in completely secret and underground alternative realities. One of the top Internet sites in Jordan is a gay networking site called Manjam. And in case you're still confused, Kurt from Glee is gay. That's why he wears tiaras. I can't wait to see how they edit Will and Grace.

Breaking News: On last night's episode they bleeped out the word Jewish.