Gay and gay friendly viewers of CBS' daytime soap As The World Turns have been complaining about the lack of action between the shows' gay characters Luke and Noah, but a CBS exec denies the gay couple is treated any different than the heterosexual couples on the show.

CBS daytime chief Barbara Bloom spoke to TV Guide about the controversy:

"I can assure you there is no homophobia on the part of the network, nor are we pandering to any group," Bloom claims. "We have not censored ATWT or asked them to hold back in any way. I really hope the show will continue to evolve the Luke and Noah story, and that they culminate their relationship the way all couples in love do."

"I understand why all this makes people scream," Bloom admits. "The only thing you're going to get out of me is that the pacing is slower with Luke (Van Hansis) and Noah (Jake Silbermann) than it is with other romances on ATWT. But that's good storytelling. We're in the business of getting people to watch more."

Meanwhile, the right-wing hate group American Family Association reportedly wants the teens dropped from the soap and has asked P&G to make it happen.

See Luke and Noah's first kiss below:

Last update: 04-06-2008 14:27

Posted by TheNiebur, on 04-06-2008 15:42, 1. Sweet. Well at least they have a gay couple on the show. And showing that kiss in close up... It dosn't seem homophobic to me. Kind of "funny" you still struggle with these issues in the us. Here in Denmark nobody raises an eyebrow over gays on tv. Or elsewhere for that matter. I sincerely hope that it will be like that for you some day. You can start by voting for Hillary? Best wishes to all of you!   » Report this comment to administrator