OTTAWA – Comments broadcast about men’s figure skating during the 2010 Winter Olympics went too far after hosts used "derisive and denigrating" terms for homosexuals, the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) has determined.
The CBSC released two decisions relating to discussions of the sport and an American figure skater in particular. The first concerned the Olympic morning information program Le réveil olympique broadcast on both Réseau des sports (RDS) and V. Host Claude Mailhot and guest analyst Alain Goldberg discussed men’s figure skating and commented on the style and costume of American competitor Johnny Weir, who had worn lipstick and a black and pink outfit for his short programme. They expressed concerns that Weir was perpetuating the stereotype of men’s figure skating as an effeminate sport. They acknowledged that their statements might not be viewed as “politically correct” and joked that Weir should undergo gender testing. They also remarked, however, that Weir had the right to dress and act however he wished. After this conversation generated a public outcry, the two men apologized for their comments on-air two days later.
The CBSC received 119 complaints about the broadcast, but only the Quebec Council of Gays and Lesbians (QCGL) and one other individual viewer requested that the CBSC investigate further. The complainants alleged that the comments were discriminatory towards homosexuals.
In its decision, the CBSC’s Quebec Regional Panel noted that “There would certainly have been better, safer, more tasteful ways for the broadcasters to have had their discussion on that subject [Weir’s costume and performance],” but the Panel concluded that the comments were not particularly negative and certainly not abusive on the basis of sexual orientation, as would be required to breach the Human Rights Clauses of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ (CAB) Code of Ethics and Equitable Portrayal Code. The Panel also observed that the list of identifiable groups in those clauses does not extend to sports figures or athletes.
The Panel reached a different conclusion with respect to comments made on Dupont le midi, a talk show broadcast on CHOI-FM (Radio X, Quebec City). On February 19, 2010, host Stéphane Dupont said that he could not understand why Mailhot and Goldberg’s comments had generated so much controversy because they had merely pointed out that there was [translation] “a queer in a sport for queers” [“un fif dans un sport de fifs”]. Dupont repeatedly used the words “fif” and “tapette” [“queer” and “fag”] to describe homosexuals in a derogatory tone throughout the discussion.
The CBSC again received a complaint from the QCGL and a different individual audience member, both alleging that the comments were discriminatory. The Quebec Panel found a violation of the Human Rights Clauses in this case because “the words and phrases and the tone of the host in enunciating them were scornful, derisive and denigrating.”
