‘Brokeback’ ban is protested

A Bahamian government board’s decision to ban the movie “Brokeback Mountain” has prompted charges of discrimination and censorship in the island chain.

Gay rights groups and others have called on the Plays and Films Control Board to reverse its decision prohibiting theaters from showing the award-winning movie about a troubled love affair between two cowboys.

“You have a group of people who are telling grown men and women what they can and cannot watch,” said Philip Burrows, a theater director in the island chain. “I cannot understand denying people the right to make their own choices.”

The Control Board chose to ban the film “because it shows extreme homosexuality, nudity and profanity, and we feel that it has no value for the Bahamian public,” said the board’s liaison officer, Chavasse Turnquest-Liriano.

“Brokeback Mountain,” which won critical acclaim and three Oscars, including best director for Ang Lee, has also been banned in mainland China. Turkey has restricted viewing to viewers over 18.