Italian gay rights groups were up in arms on Tuesday after state broadcaster RAI censored several key scenes in a late-night showing of Ang Lee's 2005 Oscar-winning gay cowboy epic Brokeback Mountain.
Two scenes - one showing a kiss between the protagonists, played by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, and one alluding to the first sexual relations between the pair - were cut from the film when it went out on RAI's second channel, RAI Due, at 22.45 on Monday evening.
Arcigay president Aurelio Mancuso demanded an immediate public apology from the broadcaster and called for RAI's parliamentary watchdog to intervene in the matter.
''Public service television cannot in any way support the homophobia rampant in this country,'' he said.
Franco Grilini, president of Gaynet, said the cuts had made the film ''incomprehensible'' and called for RAI to show it again in its entirety.
''What was so touching about that film were the scenes of affection that RAI Due brutally cut, distorting the sense of the film and transforming a great homosexual love story into a simple friendship between men,'' Grillini said.
Grillini also pointed out that the film won the top Golden Lion prize at the Venice Film Festival in 2005, where it was given its world premiere.
''That state television, a public service, would censor a film that won a state festival is in itself absurd,'' he said.
The Mario Mieli Association joined calls for a public apology from the channel.
''RAI Due has shown its bigoted spirit, transforming a delicate film about love and passion between two men - which was not vulgar and was unfortunately very harsh in its epilogue - into a sanctimonious family film,'' the association said.
It also pointed out that neither of the scenes cut were explicit or contained even partial nudity.
Consumer rights association Aduc joined in the criticism, saying the cuts amounted to ''disgraceful, if no longer surprising, censorship which offends not only cinematographic art and people who believe in civil rights, but all license-fee payers''.
Scenes of explicit heterosexual sex and violence were not tampered with in Monday's showing.
Brokeback Mountain came out in Italian cinemas in January 2006 with an under-14 ban that was later revoked.
After winning the Golden Lion in Venice it went on to garner three Oscars, including best director, and four Golden Globes.
