Watchdog Won't Look at Antigay Interview

The U.K. broadcasting watchdog Ofcom said it would not investigate complaints about a BBC News interview in which Stephen Green, who has advocated for the execution of HIV-positive gay men, dismissed the new child of Elton John and David Furnish as a "designer baby."

According to Pink News, Ofcom said it could only examine the content of programs, not the editorial decisions, and the interview with Stephen Green appeared to be edited.

"The watchdog may asses the content of programmes but said Mr Green's segment did not contain 'aggressive incitement or derogatory language' and was clearly marked as his own opinion," reported Pink News.

Pink News reports that in the interview Green said, "This isn't just a designer baby for Sir Elton John, this is a designer accessory ... [cut] Now it seems like money can buy him anything, and so he has entered into this peculiar arrangement ... [cut] The baby is a product of it. A baby needs a mother and it seems an act of pure selfishness to deprive a baby of a mother."

Ofcom has received almost 100 complaints about the segment. The BBC also has received complaints and rejected them. However, viewers can still complain to the BBC Trust, which assesses not just content but the editorial decisions behind it.