Peppa Pig's lesbian family scene faces censorship in Italy

The first same-sex family in the children's animated series Peppa Pig has sparked a political controversy in Italy. In episode 41 of season 7, titled "Famiglie", aired on September 6, 2022 on Channel 5 in the UK, the character Penny Polar Bear presents her family with two mothers: one a doctor, the other an excellent spaghetti cook. The introduction of the first homosexual family in the series followed a 2019 petition signed by over 23,000 supporters. In Italy, Giorgia Meloni, leader of the far-right party Fratelli d'Italia, and Federico Mollicone, the party's culture officer, have supported the request by the Pro Vita Famiglia onlus to prevent state broadcaster Rai from airing the episode. The controversy also targets other animated films, such as Pixar's Lightyear, which features a same-sex couple. Peppa Pig is broadcast in over 180 countries and translated into 40 languages.