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Sister Radio in sex sounds row

What kind of sounds do women make during sex? Do they differ from country to country, from man to woman, from heterosexual to homosexual? Sister Radio (FM105.7) is being fined by the Government Information Office (GIO) for exploring this question.

The GIO has fined the station for violating programming content decency regulations during its February fourteenth airing of the radio program Lez Radio (拉子三缺一).

Sister Radio, the only radio station in Taiwan focusing on women's issues, held a press conference yesterday to protest the fine.

"This warning is a blow against progressive thinking in Taiwan," said Wang Li-ping (王麗萍), chair and founder of the station.

The program in question talked about the use of condoms in lesbian sex, with a two-minute section in which that night's host, "Wei Wei," imitated sexual noises made by actresses in foreign and local movies.

That section of the show, said Wei Wei, was meant to help debunk the myth that lesbian sex must be silent. Because homosexual sex is still a taboo subject in society, many misconceptions exist about homosexual lovemaking, even among homosexuals, she explained.

Growing up as a lesbian in Taiwan, she said, she learned about homosexuality by trial and error, without knowing how sex between same-sex partners worked, let alone what safe sex was all about.

"Our show is the only one out there that talks about lesbian issues, from how lesbians are perceived to how we love each other, including expressions of that love, even in sex," she said.

Originally, the station was issued a warning on March 8 for violating government restrictions and guidelines on television and radio programming content. The warning stated that the content of the Valentine's Day program was under review for being too explicit in its description of how to use regular condoms during lesbian sex. After the station protested, it received an official document of administrative punishment on April 14th, in which the station was accused of having "adversely affected good social customs" with its imitation of sexual noises.

The fact that the GIO dropped its focus on the program's general content means they support frank sexual education, said Denise Liang (梁瓊丹), the manager of the station's programming division.

However, the GIO fine for the two-minute segment on sexual noises was unfair, station representatives said.

They said the GIO was applying double standards, as sexual acts and noises are common in public television shows and in movies.

The station plans to appeal against the punishment tomorrow.

Wang vowed to fight to the end and she promised that the warning would not affect future programming content, despite the fact that 12 such warnings will prevent the station from being able to renew its operating license when it expires in two years.

Sister Radio broadcasts to audiences in Yunlin, Chiayi and Tainan counties.

Lez Radio is broadcast on Saturday nights from 11-12pm.
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