“How To Get Away with Murder,” the American legal thriller created by Shonda Rhimes, premiered in Italy Friday night on the network Rai 2, but there were scenes missing. The kiss between two male characters, Connor and Oliver, was conspicuously absent, and on Twitter Saturday the hashtag #Raiomofoba was trending. None of the “hot” hetero scenes were censored.
Jack Falahee, who plays Connor, took up the cause on Twitter. “Do you really believe that audiences in Italia aren’t ‘ready’ for real life? Even Vatican has begun to open its eyes,” he replied to an Italian user. Screenwriter Pete Nowalk spoke out, and the show’s Italian Facebook page expressed disapproval and linked to a Change.org petition demanding an apology. Italian NGOs sought intervention by state authorities, and a democratic representative announced he would insert the issue as a point of order.
By Saturday, Rai 2 had backed down. “An excess of modesty made us wrong and we apologize,” the network wrote on its Facebook page, pledging to run the original version of the show on Sunday night. “How To Get Away with Murder” shared the post, calling the apology “pretty ridiculous.” But Falahee was satisfied. “WE ended censorship in this case,” he tweeted. “YOU ALL inspire me. Thank you for your voices! #loveislove.”
