Gay-themed TV adverts dominate ‘most complaints’ list

Gay-themed adverts dominate the list of those that attracted the most complaints last year.

The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority released a list of the 10 adverts which received the most complaints from the public.

Three ads with LGBT themes made the top 10 this year.

Clocking in at number eight, with 125 complaints is an ad from mobile phone brand O2, which featured two men kissing – and one of them breaking their phone’s screen as they are pressed into a table.

The ASA said: “Many felt the scene was too sexually explicit and scheduled inappropriately at times when children were likely to be watching. Some also felt the portrayal of a same-sex relationship was offensive to their religious beliefs.

“We noted that the scene in question was brief and did not contain any graphic or overly sexual imagery. We ruled that it did not require a scheduling restriction and the depiction of a gay couple would not cause serious or widespread offence.”

Meanwhile an ad for Match.com featuring a number of couples passionately kissing attracted 293 complaints over the inclusion of a lesbian couple – enough to place it fourth on the list.

The ASA said: “We received similar complaints [in 2016], when it was number three on our list, about whether the ad was too sexually explicit for children to see.

• Dec 01

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