'Queer as Folk' Sanitized

By Stephen M. Silverman

10/14/1997 at 12:00 AM EDT

More than 20 cuts have been made in an attempt to launder "Queer as Folk," the new drama series from Showtime about the lives of gay men and women, reports The Washington Post. (The series' 22 weekly episodes begin airing this Sunday.) The Post says that the cable network submitted and then resubmitted the first six hours of the show to the Motion Picture Association of America, which is meant to rate only movies that go into theatrical release. Showtime programming chief Jerry Offsay admitted to the Post that the network had "no obligation" to submit the show to the MPAA, nor any obligation to make the cuts once the MPAA proposed them. Though made they were, says The Post, which points out, rather sarcastically, that Showtime's sales slogan to viewers is "No limits."