Do LGBTQ films get harsher content ratings?

The new queer-themed romance films Red, White & Royal Blue and Passages respectively received R and NC-17 ratings from the Motion Picture Association. CBC News correspondent Jenna Benchetrit explains why films about queer romance have historically been held to a different, more restrictive standard by ratings boards. Plus, culture critic Stacy Lee Kong and romance author Farah Heron talk about what happened when an NHL hockey team welcomed attention from BookTok for its real life players, and how to thirst responsibly on the internet.

Do LGBTQ films get more harsh content ratings?

Two new&nbsp;queer-themed romance films, 

, respectively received R and NC-17 ratings from the Motion Picture Association (MPA).

, CBC News correspondent Jenna Benchetrit joins guest host Amil Niazi to talk about whether these ratings have revealed a lingering anti-LGBTQ bias in the Hollywood studio system, and explains how&nbsp;queer romance films have&nbsp;historically been held to a different, more restrictive standard.

Two LGBTQ films were slapped with R and NC-17 ratings. Critics say queer sex scenes are treated differently

The directors behind the movies Red, White & Royal Blue and Passages say the don't agree with the R and NC-17 ratings their films received, alleging that the Motion Picture Association, which is responsible for film classification in the U.S., is discriminating against LGBTQ films.

Two men sit on a velvet couch in an opulent room and hold hands.

Taylor Zakhar Perez, left, and Nicholas Galitzine are shown in a scene from Red, White & Royal Blue. The film received an R-rating from the Motion Picture Association, leading its director Matthew Lopez to wonder if a film featuring a heterosexual couple would have gotten the same treatment.

Film - Red, White & Royal Blue

Taylor Zakhar Perez, left, and Nicholas Galitzine are shown in a scene from Red, White & Royal Blue. The film received an R-rating from the Motion Picture Association, leading its director Matthew Lopez to wonder if a film featuring a heterosexual couple would have gotten the same treatment. 

Interview with Jenna Benchetrit&nbsp;produced by Stuart Berman

Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Henry and Taylor Zakhar Perez as Alex Claremont-Diaz in Prime Video's Red, White & Royal Blue.

Do LGBTQ films get harsher content ratings?

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