One of Dan Levy's intentions when writing Schitt's Creek was to exclude any and all homophobia from the narrative.
Therefore, when Comedy Central India committed an active act of homophobia by censoring the kiss between David Rose (Levy) and Ted Mullens (Dustin Milligan) during a spin-the-bottle scene on the show, Levy was quick to call them out.
You showed the kiss between two women, you showed the kiss between a woman and a man, then removed the kiss between… https://t.co/1ancFqg4Fw— dan levy (@dan levy)1602004701.0
I thought I made this pretty clear but for those who are confused, this is about a channel in India. @ComedyCentral… https://t.co/dbKaZKMbTC— dan levy (@dan levy)1602024925.0
Immediately other fans of the series began calling for Comedy Central India to take responsibility for their homophobia.
@ComedyCentralIn @SchittsCreek Shame on Comedy Central India for this edit and missing the entire point of the show… https://t.co/BLNNoyyVSP— James Haddan (@James Haddan)1602005507.0
@ComedyCentralIn @SchittsCreek I'm sorry, @ComedyCentral, you censored the kiss between two men after showing both… https://t.co/U3ZonsRmBM— Abigail York (@Abigail York)1602039566.0
@ComedyCentralIn @SchittsCreek Looks like @ComedyCentralIn is still living under stone age trying to look cool by s… https://t.co/jD7rflY2Gc— Harshad Parnerkar (@Harshad Parnerkar)1602076973.0
@ComedyCentralIn @SchittsCreek Why have you done @danlevy dirty??? David and Patrick's romance is one of the defini… https://t.co/VZoXAaMlLW— JS (@JS)1602069664.0
The 6th and final season of Schitt's Creek ended with the wedding between David Rose & Patrick Brewer (Noah Reid), leading to questions of how much of that plotline Comedy Central India is planning to censor.
@danjlevy Some people really don’t like it when two men kiss. Or so I’m told...— Chasten Buttigieg (@Chasten Buttigieg)1602009731.0
@danjlevy I'm from India and I'm gay. India is a homophobic country, it always has been. I still believe that thing… https://t.co/JKMOjbmk1w— cardigan #13 (@cardigan #13)1602084730.0
@danjlevy dan, india is not exactly a country which has a lot of openly homosexual people. so its like canada in… https://t.co/vBsTsoSYWj— Chris De pallan (@Chris De pallan)1602062292.0
@danjlevy Ugh. Why is this still an issue? The censoring of a male-male kiss but not a female-female kiss is even m… https://t.co/1wTvJEaT2E— Mama Moon (@Mama Moon)1602045196.0
India's stance on LGBTQ+ rights is shaky, at best.
In 2018, the India Supreme Court struck down Section 377, a law that criminalized same-sex relationships in India, but harassment faced by LGBTQ+ people is still prevalent.
@danjlevy I feel sorry for the audience that won't get to see the full brilliance of this show. With censorship lik… https://t.co/NLGWWfiuOS— Aphrahannahbakes (@Aphrahannahbakes)1602011427.0
@danjlevy Dear Dan, Wht hppnd was really shameful n M sure no true Indian would be supportive of wht… https://t.co/KOdzj8rguL— nilanjana🌈 (@nilanjana🌈)1602093287.0
@danjlevy Well, season 6 should be interesting then. I envy David and Patrick's relationship. Some people are just ignorant— Serena Mercer (@Serena Mercer)1602006844.0
@danjlevy That’s wack. And exactly why I won’t watch on CC. Homophobic plus they cut out one the funniest parts of… https://t.co/pfjWAXqrBz— Jojo Biah (@Jojo Biah)1602006897.0
@danjlevy So is it censored every time you guys kiss on the show? The point of the show is love, period! It doesn’… https://t.co/jATP34Ui4e— Carol Cota (@Carol Cota)1602096518.0
Comedy Central India has not yet responded to Levy's call-out. But that doesn't mean his gesture has gone unnoticed.
Wrote one user:
"In one tweet, you just told Indian gay people they are seen, loved, and they matter."
"Your voice and your beautiful, amazing, hopeful and love filled show is shining blinding light into the darkest corners of India."
Here's hoping LGBTQ+ people in India can feel validated by Levy's work.