Blind Date features LGBT contestants
A popular dating show on British television for the first time included lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) contestants, more than 30 years after it was first broadcast.
The Blind Date episode, aired last week to coincide with London’s gay pride march, featured a woman deciding between three potential female dates who are hidden from view.
LGBT rights group Stonewall said it welcomed the decision and hoped to see more television programmes featuring sexually diverse people.
“The show’s commitment to inclusion is welcomed by the community, demonstrating just how far society — and LGBT representation in the media — has come,” a Stonewall spokesman said.
“We hope see even more shows follow Blind Date’s example by helping viewers across Britain gain a better understanding of the diversity of the LGBT community,” he said.
The popular dating show first aired in 1985 on the ITV network and was hosted by former singer Cilla Black, who died in 2015.
The new series was relaunched on Channel 5 last month and is now presented by English entertainer Paul O’Grady.
“We wanted to be inclusive with our contestants and having LGBT representation throughout the series was really important to us from the outset, alongside maintaining the spirit and warmth of the original and much-loved format,” a Channel 5 spokeswoman said. In the US, advocacy group GLAAD said sexual diversity on US television was at an alltime high in 2016, with nearly 5% of all characters identifying as LGBT.
The group added that some TV characters and storylines still portrayed the LGBT community in a negative or stereotypical way, but noted that television was far ahead of movies in terms of representation.