Following concerns by African viewers over the reality show, “I Am Cait”, which portrays the lifestyle of transgendered celebrity Caitlyn Jenner, South African broadcasting giant Multichoice says it would no longer air the show on DSTV, BBC reports.
Jenner, who was formerly known as gold medal-winning male Olympic athlete Bruce Jenner, announced his identity as a transgendered woman in April 2015. Jenner’s own fame combined with being stepparent to the Kardashians turned the announcement into a controversial media spectacle. A few months later, “I Am Cait” debuted in the American reality TV market.
Reports from Nigeria however show that concerned parents have been pushing for the closure of the program, citing issues of morality and indecency. These criticisms follow earlier opposition to a similar program,”I am Jazz”, which also centered on the life of a transgender woman.
Ultimately, their concerns led the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission to file a request with Multichoice to discontinue the show. As a result, “I Am Cait” will not only be discontinued for Multichoice’s Nigerian customers but for the millions of African viewers across the continent who subscribe to DSTV. It is feared as well that restricting content of interest to the LGBT community could impact the company’s fiscal returns and its viewership across conservative African states.
The opposition Nigerian viewers put up to Jenner’s show can be likened to the strict laws of the Federal State which condemn and criminalize the LGBT community. Similar to Nigeria, Uganda and Kenya have openly resisted both persuasive and punitive measures by Western countries to get them to relax their opposition to gay rights.
