NEIGHBOURS GETS FIRST MAN-ON-MAN KISS
After 27 years on the air, iconic Australian soap series Neighbours has finally screened its first-ever male gay kiss.
The scene, broadcast on Monday night, was set at a house party and featured openly gay character Chris Pappas (James Mason) kissing his on-screen boyfriend Aidan Foster(Bob Morley).
The first same-gender kiss on the show was a lesbian smooch between schoolgirl characters Lana Crawford (Bridget Neval) and Sky Mangel (Stephanie McIntosh) in 2004, which received much negative feedback at the time.
By all accounts the reaction to the latest kiss on social media networks was much more positive.
Some viewers, however, were disappointed that the scene was so low-key, with the kiss happening discreetly in the background.
“It’s not sensationalist or token – we are very proud of the way we have done this,” commented Executive Producer Susan Bower.
Watch the scene below (the kiss takes place about 2 minutes into the clip).
Kylie (Minogue) would be proud.