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The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is considering adding warning labels to TV shows featuring LGBTQ+ characters and storylines.
An FCC public notice set out plans for a new “warning label” on family programming that includes LGBTQ+ characters, stories or themes, explicitly targeting “gender identity” and “transgender and gender non-binary programming”.
It claimed parents had raised concerns that “controversial gender identity issues” were being included in children’s programmes without adequate disclosure.
GLAAD‘s analysis of the 33,739 public comments filed found 80 per cent opposed the proposal, a five-to-one ratio against. Of the objections, 95.8 per cent were unique, individually written submissions, while 57.4 percent of supportive comments were copied verbatim from a template.
“This proposal will erode freedom of speech in the United States and limit the entertainment industry’s ability to operate freely and without government interference,” GLAAD said in its submission.
The FCC does not set TV ratings directly, but holds significant leverage over the board that does.
A separate Morning Consult survey found roughly two in three Americans oppose the labels, with 69 per cent of parents saying they should decide what is appropriate for their children without government-mandated warnings.
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