Z90 radio morning show hosts Chino and Tati found themselves at the center of a storm of controversy March 22 after featuring two gay men on the station’s “Morning After” segment.

The show, which invites daters to recount stories about good and bad aspects of their dates, was flooded with calls from angry listeners who objected to Z90 having hosted the two gay men.

The segment usually goes smoothly, Chino said. Both the man and woman describe their date, their reaction to the other person and whether or not they would like to go on another date together. Depending on how the date went and the personalities involved, the segment can be fun and cute, or biting and vicious, or anywhere in between. And afterwards the audience chimes in with comments and advice, he said.

It was a different story when Z90 broadcast two gay men’s stories.

Although the show has previously hosted two lesbian couples, and although the segment was no different in format from previous “Morning After” shows, listeners complained about both language and subject matter, Chino said.

When the show featured lesbians, “It wasn’t dramatic. They confronted each other on the phone, they fought for a couple minutes and that was it,” Chino said.

“[But] what happened when we got these two guys on the air, was that the more effeminate of the two said, ‘Hey, the date was great and I want to know what happened because it’s been a week and we haven’t talked.’ So we called the guy up, and he sounds like just your normal everyday dude on the phone, and his complaint was that he wanted a ‘man’ and he referred to the other guy as a ‘bitch’. Then he said, ‘I don’t mean bitch as in bitch, I’m not looking to be with a juicyfruit. I want to be with a man. I want to be with someone I can relate to, someone I can talk sports with and just be a regular person. I’m gay and I’m openly gay, but I don’t walk around prancing.’”

That’s when the phones began to light up.

“The first phone call was from a guy who was pissed off that there were two guys on the radio talking about their relationship. He said his 12-year-old daughter was in the backseat, and he said, ‘I can’t believe that you guys made me have to explain what this is to my daughter now,’” Chino said.

“I said, ‘Well, I’m not going to teach you how to be a parent, but I have a son who is 10 months old, and I’m going to have that conversation with him someday, and I’m going to have it before he’s 12.’”

The caller also complained that the subject didn’t belong on what he called a “family station,” so Chino asked him why he hadn’t called to complain when lesbians were on the show. “He said, ‘Oh, I wasn’t paying attention.’ He really put himself out there to appear uncomfortable with two guys talking about their relationship,” Chino said.

The negative audience response also sparked a flood of phone calls defending the gay men and the show. Chino estimated that about 70 percent of the calls were defending the gay community. “It amazes me how much support we have in the gay community,” he said. “It snowballed into such a big deal. I grew up with a gay uncle, and it never bothered me; it never bothered my family. So me talking about it on the radio is just natural. That’s people’s lives, whatever!”