ACTUP rally against censorship

By Bronwen Beechey

MELBOURNE -- A noisy protest was held outside the offices of TV Week on May 8, following the magazine's refusal to carry a series of AIDS awareness advertisements aimed at young gay and bisexual men.

The magazine's editor, Laurie Masterson, said that the advertisements were a “recruiting exercise”.

The protest, organised by the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, condemned the homophobia behind the decision, and demanded that the magazine (renamed TV Weak for the occasion) print the ads.

ACTUP spokesperson Michael Connors told the rally that TV Week was the only magazine that had refused to run the ads. Those that have agreed to run them include Rolling Stone, Cleo and Hot Metal (a magazine aimed at heavy metal fans). TV Week had initially agreed to carry the ads, but had then told the project team responsible that they were not happy with the words “if you think you might be gay or bisexual”.

The rally concluded with some lively street theatre, which looked at what TV would be like if people's sexuality could in fact be changed by advertising. Featured prominently was the inaugural episode of a soap opera entitled Queer Street.

This article was posted on the Green Left Weekly Home Page.
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