Brazil denied first gay TV kiss

Anticipation over Junior and Zeca's kiss had Brazil glued to the TV

Would they or wouldn't they?

Brazil came to a virtual standstill on Friday night to find out the answer to the question that had obsessed the country: Would the soap opera America deliver the country's first televised homosexual kiss?

In the event, it did not.

But in the wake of a TV programme that reportedly drew a larger audience than the last World Cup final, no-one is willing to take the blame for disappointing viewers.

"Marcos Schechtman [the director] and I made the scene - it was recorded," America screenwriter Gloria Perez told Globo newspaper.

"We fought for it and I cannot deny that I was frustrated that it wasn't shown. The actors also were [frustrated]. After all, they had staged it with much enthusiasm," she said.

Trading accusations

Ms Perez said the management of Globo TV had cut the scene.

"I do not want to be made responsible for this. When Marquinhos [Marcos Schechtman] and I decided that we would have the scene, the broadcaster said it would assume [responsibility]. It is an injustice to say that I didn't want to show the kiss."

Even heterosexual men, who tend to be more conservative, wanted the kiss - everyone wanted it Gloria Perez, America screenwriter

But Globo TV had denied having cut the scene, saying it had broadcast all the episodes it had received, the Diario de Sao Paulo reported.

Globo TV says there never was one with a gay kiss.

Ms Perez said she was surprised by how well the homosexual relationship between the two men, Junior and Zeca, had been received by the public.

"Even heterosexual men, who tend to be more conservative, wanted the kiss. Everyone wanted it. I was very happy about it because it showed that things were changing in Brazil," she said.

Brazilian media reported that Gloria Perez's web page was bombarded with messages, mostly expressing disappointment.

"What happened to the kiss? They lied to the viewers," one read.