Bravo's Real Housewives Sends Troubling Message With Anti-Gay Slurs [ watch ]

January 26, 2007 — Amid widespread public discussion about the use of anti-gay epithets, one would think that media would be especially sensitive to how and whether they used such slurs in their programming.  But the disturbing and repeated use of the "F-word" and other anti-gay insults on the Jan. 23, 2007, episode of Bravo's popular unscripted show The Real Housewives of Orange County has left many people deeply troubled.

The episode shows a fight between Colton, age 14, and his 20-year-old brother, Shane.  In the scene after Shane tells Colton to go get his "gaypron," Shane pours a bottle of liquid over Colton's head.  Colton then shouts three anti-gay epithets and other obscenities at his brother, while their mother haltingly objects to the altercation that ensues. To view the incident in its entirety, click on the video to the right.

"What we saw on Bravo this week sends a troubling message," said GLAAD Entertainment Media Director Damon Romine.  "Had these dehumanizing slurs been addressed or challenged by someone on the show, I think Bravo could make a case for why it was important to air them. But as actually aired, the scene gives viewers tacit permission to downplay this as nothing more than crude misbehavior, and nothing could be further from the truth."

Romine observed that other obscenities during the altercation had been edited out – just not the anti-gay ones. He also discovered that Bravo had been using this scene and its anti-gay epithets as part of its week-long promotion for the show.

On the day after the episode aired, GLAAD reached out to Bravo Senior Vice President of Production and Programming Andy Cohen and called on the network to edit the anti-gay slurs out of subsequent airings and future distribution, and to immediately cease using the slurs as part of its advertising.  While Bravo refused to edit the scene in the show, they did remove the epithets from the show's ads and promos.

"If ugly anti-gay slurs are suddenly not appropriate content for the show's advertising, then I'm not sure why Bravo thinks they're acceptable for airing during the show itself," Romine said. 

Cohen has posted a blog entry at bravotv.com addressing the Real Housewives episode. The blog also contains a number of reader comments supporting and opposed to Bravo's decision to air the epithets on the show.

GLAAD is urging members to view the online clip and contact Bravo to share their opinions.  Please contact Bravo at: andysblog@nbcuni.com