Brazil Airs First Primetime Gay Male Kiss

The first primetime gay male kiss in Brazil's history aired on Friday night when Félix and Niko, of Globo network's popular telenovela Amor à Vida, shared a kiss in the show's final episode.

The first primetime gay male kiss in Brazil's history aired on Friday night when Félix and Niko, of Globo network's popular telenovela Amor à Vida, shared a kiss in the show's final episode.

To understand what a big deal this is, you have to know Brazil's history with televised same sex kissing (or lack thereof). Globo has backed down on plans to show gay people kissing at least five times in the past, cutting an already filmed scene in 2005 just before broadcast. It's so taboo that, in 2011, Globo cut a scene from The Simpsons that featured Homer kissing Moe, even though both characters are: a. straight; and b. cartoons. Another channel, the lesser-watched SBT, aired a lesbian kiss in May 2011. But men were a no-go until now.

The kiss was preceded by a big social media push, helped along by Jean Wyllys, the first openly gay member of Brazil's Parliament (and Big Brother Brasil winner!), though the show's writer said the kiss was planned before that. The BBC reports that the reception to the kiss has been largely positive.

It's been three days since the kiss and the Earth hasn't opened up and swallowed Brazil into the pits of Hell, so it looks like gay male kissing on television is just fine.