ACT NOW! Stop Anti-Gay Art Censorship at the Smithsonian

From GLAAD

CALL TO ACTION:

Tell The Board of the Smithsonian That Anti-LGBT Bias Has No Place in America's Museum

We at GLAAD are adding our voices to the chorus of others who have strongly and rightfully criticized the Smithsonian's decision to hide a piece of LGBT-themed artwork from the public.

Most of us know the story by now. Following a brief series of high profile, far-right attacks-- and despite having not received a single complaint from the public-- the Smithsonian Museum pulled the piece "A Fire in My Belly" from an exhibition titled Hide/Seek at the National Portrait Gallery a few weeks ago.

The work in question is a 10-second video that shows ants crawling on a cross. The work is meant to illustrate the suffering of an AIDS victim in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The artist of the piece is David Wojnarowicz, who died of AIDS-related complications in 1992, at the age of 37.

This piece was considered important and valuable to the Hide/Seek collection when it was curated and when it opened in October. What changed on November 30, when the piece was taken out of the display? Whose voices did the board of the Smithsonian place above its own professional judgment?

As it happens, they were listening to people like Bill Donohue, Glenn Beck and John Boehner, who were once again using gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people for social division – and of course, fundraising. These are the same people who have been fighting tooth and nail against employment protections for LGBT people. These are the same people who didn't want the LGBT community added to hate crimes protections. These are the same people who are trying to keep the men and women of our military in the closet - and now they're throwing works of art in there with them.

Anti-gay activists and politicians are now setting their sights on the entire LGBT exhibit and the Smithsonian itself. Opponents of the Hide/Seek exhibit have since also shared their disgust at images in the exhibit that feature men kissing.

Throughout the course of history, art has served to provoke thought and challenge opinion. This work is a powerful statement about a critical period in the history of America's LGBT community, which should not be hidden from public view because of the grandstanding of a few disingenuous critics and politicians.

Several weeks ago, GLAAD placed an op-ed in the Washington Post by a faculty member of Yale's Divinity School who said, "The truly blasphemous abomination is the church's initial reluctance, even refusal to care for, speak out about, and show dignity to literal bodies of real people with HIV/AIDS." Patrick Evans wrote, "The religious and political leaders who used World AIDS Day in this holy season of Advent to cultivate political power and raise money by focusing on 11 seconds of an artistic work by a man who died of AIDS in 1992 would do well to remember the clear and unequivocal words of the savior whose wounds they are so quick to save from crawling insects."

But we all need to do more and raise our voices even louder. Tell the Smithsonian that anti-LGBT bias and political opportunism have no business in our treasured institutions.

Thank you for your time -- together, we can make a real difference.

Great Hate: Anti-LGBT Violence Tops Bias Crimes. Also, Big Homophobes Classified As Official Hate Groups

Both the FBI and the Southern Poverty Law Study recently released data on hate crimes for last year.

The Southern Poverty Law Center reported that gays are far more likely to be victims of violent hate crime than any other minority group. Its conclusion are based on 14 years of FBI hate crime data covering 1995-2008.

The center said that gays or those perceived to be gay are:

• more than twice as likely to be attacked in a violent hate crime as Jews or blacks
• more than four times as likely as Muslims
• 14 times more likely as Latinos.

The FBI's data is here. The FBI notes that "The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr., Hate Crime Prevention Act adds two new categories to our list of biases — actual or perceived gender and gender identity. Our Uniform Crime Reporting Program staff continues to work toward expanding its training for state and local law enforcement on reporting these new categories of biases, and then on incorporating them into our future publications."

In other words, they'll have much more comprehensive and accurate data on anti-gay hate crimes going forward. Still, even before being mandated to collect this data, they found anti-gay crimes to be 18% of all hate crimes (and again, this was before they were actively collecting this data). Of anti-LGBT bias crimes, the vast majority were motivated by bias specifically against gay males.

In other related news, the Southern Poverty Law Center, a long-respected authority on hate groups in America, has added some big homophobic names to their official list of hate groups.

These are noted for "their propagation of known falsehoods — claims about LGBT people that have been thoroughly discredited by scientific authorities — and repeated, groundless name-calling." Just being anti-gay isn't enough — hate groups have to be known to actively and maliciously lie and distort the truth.

Take a look at some of these newly-classified folks. These big names have long tried to argue that they're not about hate, but with their new hate status, they can no longer even pretend to be about anything more than bigotry. They include:

• American Family Association
• Concerned Women for America
• Family Research Council
• Family Research Institute
• Liberty Counsel (affiliate of Liberty University Law School)
• National Organization for Marriage
• Traditional Values Coalition

Take a look at the full list of 18 antigay bigoted intuitions and specific reasons for this classification.

It's good to know where information comes from, as well as who can be trusted, and in this case, 18 groups who simply cannot. Lies can be repeated, but the truth does ultimately out. We gays now have pride, and those homophobes now have, officially, shame.

Being Heard

Thanks to Equality NC supporter and volunteer, Tim, for this personal experience.

"I want to relate a recent success story for equality here in North Carolina.

It happened last Tuesday as a result of NOM's marriage discrimination tour stop in Raleigh. That evening I was watching News Channel 14, the Time Warner Cable 24 hours news channel, and they had a "teaser" for the upcoming coverage of the event. I left the channel on in order to see the news coverage.

Overall the news coverage was both fair and positive. The reporter highlighted the fact that there were more than double the number of pro-equality supporters at the event as there were people supporting NOM's anti-equality position.

But, the reporter used the terms "homosexual marriage" and "homosexuals" during the coverage instead of the acceptable terms of "marriage equality," "same-sex marriage," "LGBT," or "gays and lesbians." I was offended by this, so I took action. I immediately contacted News Channel 14 by email through their web site. I asked them to please stop using the offensive language, explained why the language was offensive, explained what terms were acceptable, and referred them to the AP Style Guide for further advice.

News Channel 14 responded positively to me within an hour. They apologized to me, explained that they knew it was wrong, said that it was against their existing policy and was a mistake, said they were already in the process of correcting it, and said they planned to use the incident as a "teachable moment" for their entire staff.

News Channel 14 did the right thing. In fact they thanked me for bringing the issue to their attention and did everything they could to make corrections as swiftly as possible and take the appropriate steps to stop this from happening in the future. I made sure to thank them for their positive response as well.

Moral of the story? One person can make a difference. You just have to believe you can and make the effort."


Thanks to Tim for taking the time and effort to do this and for telling the tale. One person's efforts can result in a positive change that's seen by hundreds or thousands. There's no telling how far-reaching a single positive action will be.

(If something about reporting on an equality issue or LGBT-related story catches your attention, in addition to the standard AP Style Guide, GLAAD has a great Media Reference Guide for gay-positive and affirming language standards, and the Movement Advancement Project offers guides on talking about all kinds of LGBT issues, including relationship recognition and marriage.)

The Kids Really Are All Right

(Thanks to ENC Communication Intern Matthew McGibney.)

I’m going to start by admitting that I haven’t seen the new film The Kids Are All Right yet, though everyone keeps telling me I should. I’ve heard good and bad things about how it portrays lesbian couples and their children, but obviously I can’t yet pass a judgment on that.

Either way, I’m sure the film will start a dialogue about gay folks adopting kids, and start some fear-mongering from the radical right about how it (equal adoption rights, not Julianne Moore’s acting) is a threat to children. At the same time, the National Organization for Marriage is on its summer marriage inequality tour, doing its best to spread misinformation about gay couples.

So I thought it might be interesting to see what the, you know, facts are about gay adoption. Luckily for us, researchers at the University of Virginia recently released a new study on that very subject. So here’s the question: How do kids with gay parents compare to other kids? Is being gay a legitimate reason to deny a couple equal adoption rights?

I don’t think the answers will surprise you.

"We found that children adopted by lesbian and gay couples are thriving," said Charlotte J. Patterson, a leader of the study, to the Virginia-based News Reader. "Our results provide no justification for denying lesbian or gay prospective adoptive parents the opportunity to adopt children. With thousands of children in need of permanent homes in the United States alone, our findings suggest that outreach to lesbian and gay prospective adoptive parents might benefit children who are in need."

Let’s just hope those in-need children don’t live in Florida, Mississippi, or Utah, where it’s illegal for gay people to adopt.

The study found that approaches to parenting, parenting stress and the strength of the couple’s relationship had the biggest effect on the child’s well-being, irrespective of whether the parents were gay or not. In fact, the study found that the children of gay couples were just as well-adjusted as those adopted by straight couples.

This report joins a growing body of work on this subject, with studies like this one in the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, saying that the 17-year-old daughters and sons of lesbian mothers turned out significantly better than the average 17-year-old.

The children of gay couples are not disadvantaged growing up, and we can point to solid, scientific studies to support that claim. Equal adoption is not a “historically unprecedented and unproven social experiment with our children,” as Glenn Stanton of Focus on the Family put it, but rather an option in the best interests of children.

If the choice for a foster child is no parents or gay parents, it’s a pretty easy decision for child-care workers to make. We need to remove state laws that take this choice away because of prejudice and lies.

And I need to get to the movies (sorry, Julianne, for making fun of your acting).

ACT NOW: Call on NBC to Open Today Show Wedding Contest! Marriage Equality and Family Fairness

UPDATE, 7/9/10 - Today Show reverses course, opens contest to LGBT couples. SUCCESS! Thanks to everyone who acted!


(Thanks to ENC Communication Intern Matthew McGibney.)

The “Modern Day Wedding Contest” on NBC’s Today Show wants to throw the perfect wedding for a pair of contestants … as long as the couple is straight. Not very modern! (Especially when you consider that the Today Show welcomed gay couples in their past “Hometown Wedding Contest.”)

The Today Show is accepting applications for its contest until this Friday, July 9. The winning couple’s wedding will be broadcast live in October, and their honeymoon will be paid for by the show. That sounds like a ton of fun, but it’s only for people who can enter “bride” and “groom” separately on the website.

Good As You noticed this quirk and brought it to the attention of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). When GLAAD contacted the show for an explanation, they got this response:

“For the TODAY show wedding, the couple must be able to be legally married in New York, which is where the wedding will take place."

As you might have realized, New York hasn't established marriage equality. But as GLAAD points out, the show is looking to award a wedding ceremony, not a marriage certificate. New York State recognizes marriage certificates from other states, including those with equal marriage laws.

Here is the problem in The Today Show's reasoning in GLAAD’s own words:

“NBC is mistakenly equating the marriage license with the wedding celebration. Same-sex weddings are entirely legal in New York State. As long as the marriage license is conferred upon the same-sex couple by another state, New York State recognizes the marriage as a fully valid and legal one. NBC’s exclusion of same-sex couples from its contest is not motivated by the law, but bias against these couples.”

GLAAD started an action campaign against the show’s actions. You can find more information on the campaign here: http://www.glaad.org/2010/calltoaction/todayshow

Back here in North Carolina, Equality NC is gearing up to counter the myths spun by the Summer Marriage Inequality Tour (as we’ve taken to calling it) by the National Organization for Marriage, whom you might remember for their role in the passage of Prop 8 in California. The tour, which pushes for heterosexual-only marriage, will pass through Raleigh in August.

We’ll be starting a blog this summer with stories from LGBT and allied couples about their marriages, relationships, and families. Bigotry is based on ignorance, and by sharing the stories of our families, both biological and of-choice, we can show the reality of diversity and starkly show the unfairness of discrimination and how it affects us, our loved ones, and our children.

If you have a story about your family or relationship, we very much encourage you to share it with us. There are two ways you can do this:

1. You can write your story and e-mail it to matthew@equalitync.org. Include a photo of your family, too!

2. You can record a video (with your webcam or video camera), upload it to YouTube, and then e-mail us the link. Or if you prefer, you can skip the uploading and e-mail us the video file and we'll upload it for you.

Stay tuned for more ....

Our Own Private IDAHo (International Day Against Homophobia); also TAKE ACTION against "proud homophobe" in the Executive Administration

Way back in 1990, the World Health Organization removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders. This happened on May 17, which in 2004 became known as IDAHo (sometimes IDAHO), the International Day Against Homophobia.

Here's a handy list of 17 FAQs on May 17.

(And here's a handy PDF of the handy list of 17 FAQs on May 17!)

This year, the focus is on ending discrimination in sports by having people support this declaration:

No form of discrimination is welcome in the sports world.

Being an athlete is not only about
reaching higher and higher physically.

It’s also about the values of justice, equality,
team unity, respect, and dignity.

Plus, it’s fighting any form of discrimination,
including discrimination based on sexual orientation.

That’s why I lend my support to
the International Day Against Homophobia.

Across the pond in Europe, for the first time ever, the President of the European Council, the President of the European Parliament, and the European Commissioner for Fundamental Rights have issued statements affirming the EU's commitment against discrimination on any grounds as a statement of solidarity for LGBT folks.

	Read the statement from Herman van Rompuy, President of the European Council here.
	Watch a video message from Jerzy Buzek, President of the European Parliament here.
	Watch a video message with transcript from Viviane Reding, European Commissioner for Fundamental Rights at Pam's House Blend here.

President Herman van Rompuy concluded his statement with the following:

"We are inspired by the sense for human dignity and the uniqueness of each person. Everyone deserves equal chances in life.

For somebody of my generation, this consecrates a remarkable evolution of public attitudes. It represents European values at their best:

accepting difference, not fearing it,

living with diversity, not fleeing it,

defending rights and responsibilities, not ignoring them.

Of course, much still needs to be done, both in Europe and other parts of the world, to ensure that these mean more than empty words. We must and shall persevere in this task."

Sadly, here in America the president just appointed a vocal, self-proclaimed "proud homophobe," Jonathan I. Katz, to a panel working with BP on how to deal with the Gulf Oil spill.

On his personal website at the Washington University physics department, Katz posted an essay "In Defense of Homophobia."

Feel free to take a look at his essay, but please be warned that it's pretty awful. He blames gays for all AIDS deaths, says discrimination and homophobia are rational reactions, and likens members of the equality movement to the KKK.

President Obama would never appoint a "proud racist" or a "proud anti-Semite" to a panel of experts in order to showcase him as one of the best minds in our country, and he shouldn't appoint a proud homophobe either.

If you would like to sign a public letter against this appointment, you can do so here.

One day homophobis will be the hate that dare not speak its name. In the meantime, happy IDAHo!

April Fools?

There've been several stories in North Carolina news recently in need of a punchline. They may seem funny, but sadly the homophobia around them is no joke.

Did you hear the one about ...

Jesse Helms, Gay Activist and Civil Rights Champion?

The Jesse Helms Center, curator of "Senator No"'s legacy, are trying to touch up our most infamous antigay senator's legacy.

In the wake of the end to the HIV travel band, the center, located in Wingate, is challenging the idea that Helms was a homophobe or obstructive in the AIDS fight.

“It was Senator Helms who worked most tirelessly to protect the very principles of freedom that homosexuals are denied in many other nations.”

John Dodd, president of the Jesse Helms Center Foundation, disputed an editorial in the British newspaper The Guardian that vilified Mr. Helms for his role in the HIV travel ban. Mr. Dodd said that “two million Africans were alive” because of the senator’s work fighting HIV/AIDS.

For a bit of historical context, let's consider some of Senator Helms' own words:

• "There is not one single case of AIDS in this country that cannot be traced in origin to sodomy." - States News Service, May 1988
• "Homosexuals are weak, morally sick wretches." - 1995 radio broadcast
• "I despise the use of the once beautiful word 'gay.' They are not gay; they are repulsive." - Senate floor, February 20, 1992
• "I may be the most radical person you've talked to about AIDS ... somewhere along the line we're going to have to quarantine it if we are really going to contain this disease. We did it back with syphilis. We did it with other diseases and nobody even raised a question about it." - Raleigh News & Observer, June 15, 1987

His history of homophobia is pretty unimpeachable. With friends like that, who needs friends?

He wasn't the first antigay public official, however, nor will he be the last (unfortunately) ...

Morgan and Blake and Boles, Oh My!

Former House Republican Speaker Richard Morgan, who is running for a Senate seat now, attacked Rep. Jamie Boles in an open letter for voting for the antibullying bill that passed last year, protecting all students from harassment in school.

The letter, paid for and distributed by the Richard Morgan Campaign Committee, includes the line "... and up in Raleigh you’re the only Republican in the House voting with the Democrats to pass gay rights legislation."

Including gay students in antibullying protections is now gay rights? And the irony is that Boles didn't vote for final passage of the School Violence Prevention Act.

It's not news that the LGBT community continues to be an easy target for bigoted politicians to use in seeking power and raising money. Consider ...

The Forrester for the Trees ...

Remember back in February when state Sen. Jim Forrester spoke to the Iredell County Young Republicans? He told them that "Slick city lawyers and homosexual lobbies and African American lobbies are running Raleigh."

You'd think this was a setup for some satire on North Carolina's bigoted past, but sadly he was as sincere as could be.

Ironically, if what he said were true, there's no way he would have been able to say it or get away with it.


The sadness and humor of bigotry and ignorance are nothing new, but they serve as a constant reminder of the work we need to do. LGBT North Carolinians have come a long way in our struggle for fair and equal treatment, but there's still work to do.

To support Equality NC's work for equality for LGBT North Carolinians, please click here.

Three Cool Bits About Marriage Equality

1)
With all of our struggles towards marriage equality, have you ever wondered how the world would look if you mapped out marriage equality, separate but equal laws, no recognition of gay relationships, and criminalization of LGBT folks?

If so, then wonder no more! Behold, from Wikipedia, the marriage equality map.

Though it lacks the obvious credibility of a moderated, authoritative source, this Wikipedia entry presents a ton of data and citations so you judge its validity and accuracy for yourself.

(From a quick overview of the things I know are true, this map is spot-on.)

It presents an interesting picture and gives a broader perspective. Sadly, the most interesting parts are Africa and the Middle East, where several countries have homoicidally antigay tendencies, and Asia, which is mostly blank.

In fairness, let's also give a shout-out to our northern neighbors, who often seem to be a benign (albeit cold!) alternative version of America. Oh, Canada!

2)
You may have already heard that Massachusetts, the first state with marriage equality, has, by far, the lowest divorce rates.

You may also have heard that the divorce rate has fallen every year since marriage equality occured. Now, post facto doesn't mean ipso facto. However, we now have more evidence of a correlation. Take a look:

Divorce Rates Higher in States with Gay Marriage Bans

Here's an excerpt of the first paragraph:

"Over the past decade or so, divorce has gradually become more uncommon in the United States. Since 2003, however, the decline in divorce rates has been largely confined to states which have not passed a state constitutional ban on gay marriage. These states saw their divorce rates decrease by an average of 8 percent between 2003 and 2008. States which had passed a same-sex marriage ban as of January 1, 2008, however, saw their divorce rates rise by about 1 percent over the same period."


3)
Lastly, take a look at:
The Conservative Case for Gay Marriage: Why same-sex marriage is an American value. by Ted Olson from Newsweek. Ted Olson is a conservative Name, being a lifelong Republican and part of the Reagan and Bush I administrations.

Take Action and Be Kevin Jennings' Friend

Kevin Jennings is a hometown boy made good.

Though Kevin wasn't born here, he grew up in Winston-Salem. He went on to found the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and is currently the Assistant Deputy Secretary for the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools at the U.S. Department of Education.

He's written six books on gay rights and education, and he won the Lambda Literary Award in the Children's/Young Adult category for his book Telling Tales Out of School.

In 2004, Kevin received the National Education Association (NEA)'s Virginia Uribe Award for Creative Leadership in Human Rights.

Of course, now that he's an openly gay man in a leadership position in the current executive administration of the country, anti-equality groups are slandering him something fierce. He's been accused of everything from child molestation to advocating murder. A few of them have apologized for some of the lies, but more of them are still propagating misinformation as part of political character assassination.

The mainstream press and gay bloggers have come to his defense, and now you can, too. Become his Facebook friend, or at least a member of the Support Kevin Jennings Facebook Group.

Kevin is a great educator and advocate for the LGBT community, and the opposition against him is nothing more than homophobia.

All it takes is a couple of clicks to show your support, and your virtual connection will make a real difference.

Support For - and Against - Marriage Equality

While Durham's city resolution last month to support marriage equality was a breath of fresh air, one of NC's local anti-equality groups reminds us that this is the exception rather than the rule.

Here's an excerpt from the discriminatory NC4Marriage website, which seeks to deny equal rights for LGBT North Carolinians by amending the state constitution:

==========
County Commissioners in the following counties have passed Resolutions calling for the General Assembly to approve legislation submitting a proposal to the qualified voters of the State for adoption of an Amendment to the North Carolina Constitution stating: "Marriage between a man and a woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or enforceable in this State."

• Alexander
  
• Ashe
  
• Avery
  
• Craven
• Dare *new as of 4-6-09
  
• Davidson
  
• Davie *new as of 4-06-09
• Gaston
  
• Graham
  
• Madison
  
• Moore
  
• Pasquotank
  
• Rowan
  
• Transylvania
• Union *new as of 4-06-09

The following towns have passed the Resolution:

• Town of Cedar Point

==========

Admittedly, we don't need much reminding that we're fighting an uphill battle against prejudice - we all experience antigay bigotry every day of our lives.

Still, it's important to realize the reality of the situation, and the reality is that things are changing for the better.

Earlier this year, Elon University released a poll that included data on support for marriage equality and support for a discriminatory constitutional amendment (starting on page 10 of the report). Almost half of the respondents supported extending rights for same-sex couples (though only a quarter supported full marriage equality) and just over half opposed altering the constitution. Clearly, a majority of the public believes in America's promise of equality.

We have a ways to go, sure, and it's good to be aware of the distance to the peak, but it's also important to see how far we've come, and celebrate our current climbing success.

(And of course, we always encourage you to support Equality NC's efforts to achieve equality for LGBT North Carolinians!)

APA Repudiates Reparative Therapy ... Finally!

A couple of weeks ago, the American Psychological Association officially announced that mental health professionals should not tell gay clients they can become straight through therapy or other treatments. These are mainstays of the antigay industry, which tries to treat sexual orientation as a choice or a sickness.

Now, this is certainly great news and a worthwhile announcement. However, what took them so long? I mean, it was decades ago, back in 1973, when they declared that being gay wasn't a mental disorder. How come it took them so much longer to acknowledge the damage so-called reparative therapy does to people?

I remember almost 10 years ago when I was diagnosed with stomach cancer, I was chatting with my gastronenterologist, and we ended up talking about current celebrities who were in the news for having affairs. One of them was gay - I don't remember who it was - but the first thing my doctor said was "He should get reparative therapy so he could have a normal relationship with a woman and not cheat on guys."

Now, she knew I was gay and in a relationship. There we were talking about having my stomach surgically removed, and she just casually mentions that a gay guy needs therapy to become straight.

In fairness to her, her comment was a knee-jerk reaction, and she had no actual issues with gay folks. She was simply parroting something she'd heard, out of ignorance. When the situation was turned around - "That straight guy needs therapy so he can be a in a normal relationship with another guy and not cheat on girls" - she immediately realized her faux pas.

Even now, though, years later, I remember the shock and discomfort I felt at her statement. When you're seeing a doctor, you're already feeling vulnerable and unwell, and there's an immediate power-differential between you and this authority figure.

I cannot imagine how I'd feel if that doctor were telling me I needed treatment to change something so basic with myself as who I was attracted to. It was bad enough to catch it as an indirect, offhand comment. How devastating to have it be a direct attack on your sexual identity.

Not only did the APA refute, nearly unanimously, reparative therapy, but they also urged therapists to advise clients whose sexual orientation and religious faith conflicted
to consider multiple alternative options, ranging from celibacy to switching churches.

Their declaration is a great thing without question. Hopefully future advances for equality will be more timely (and more strongly worded would be nice, too).

Charlotte Area -- Take Action! Don't Be Left 'Speechless'

I recently spoke with one of ENC's supporters - a straight ally, yay, you rock! - about the recent airing of a misleading, antigay infomercial that was shown in the Charlotte TV market a couple of days ago.

"Speechless: Silencing the Christians," was produced by the American Family Association (one of those groups who give Christians a bad, bad, bad name) and it's chock full of venom and lies against LGBT folk.

You can see the whole awful, inflammatory, defamatory video over on Pam's House Blend.

glaadBLOG also caught this and has some great information on it.

If you live in an area served by WJZY, the CW affiliate for the Charlotte area, then I urge you to contact them to complain about the show. (Obviously it's better if you've seen some of it!) It was broadcast this past Saturday night from 9-10 pm.

WJZY-TV (The CW)- Charlotte, North Carolina

Joe Heaton, Programming Manager
(704) 944-3340
jheaton@wjzy.com

Will Davis
Vice President and General Manager
(704) 944-3305

The company's standard line is "It's a paid airtime slot, and groups with a different viewpoint are welcome to produce their own video and buy airtime." (Of course, if this video talked about Jews, or Muslims, or African-Americans the same way it talks about gay folks, I daresay the TV station wouldn't be quite as sanguine about it. The fact that it's a screed against a segment of their viewers should be enough.)

When you contact them, be polite but firm. Let them know that you object to their programming choice because it's hatemongering and that you are concerned that an out-of-state group is trying to foster an environment of hostility and fear in your community. Your opinion will be noted.

Then let them know you plan to share your POV and concerns with some of their advertisers.

And then do it.

And then write a letter to the editor of your local paper.

It's all about the benjamins. If you create any kind of stir around their ad revenues, they'll think twice before showing programs that attack a portion of their viewing populace.

Anti-LGBT Group "Feeling the Pinch"

In December, the anti-LGBT Christian Action League announced it's $15,000 in the red, and fighting Equality NC's efforts appears to be one of the reasons. According to their website, Rev. Mark Creech blamed the shortfall on fighting "egregious forms of legislation that would have passed in the last session of the North Carolina General Assembly." Given how much time I saw Rev. Creech spending making sure gay and transgender kids don't have clear and effective protection from bullying, I'm betting he's talking about fighting us.

A little background: the Christian Action League is one of two right-wing groups that have lobbyists at the legislature working against equal rights every day. (The other is the NC Family Policy Council.)

The League's Creech and his friends at NCFPC are truly dedicated to their work.

I know these guys. We talk in the halls and in the cafeteria. Once in a blue moon we even find ourselves in coalition together (supporting lobbying reform, for example).

The thing that always amazes me is the way they can smile and be so friendly when a centerpiece of their agenda is to ensure that it's legal to discriminate against me.

So, although I don't wish anyone ill in these tough economic times—we're bracing ourselves for a tough year at Equality NC too—it's a little bit nice to know we're making enough progress to make them spend more on defence.

The article also outlines some of their agenda for 2009:

At its recent Western, Central and Eastern Conventions, the Christian Action League reported on some of the legislation it expects to have to address in 2009:

• Legislation giving special rights to homosexuals
• Replacing abstinence only based sex education with comprehensive sex education, which essentially promotes the use of condoms
• Legislation that would use taxpayer money to study the merits of legalizing medicinal marijuana in the Tar Heel state
• Modifications to the current ABC system

Yep, we're at the top of the list again. No surprise. The anti-gay industry knows that scary homosexuals are the best fundraising tool they've got.

But, let's look at that agenda again, and here's what it amounts to:

• Keeping a whole segment of North Carolinians from being treated equally
• Ensuring schools continue to lie to kids about sex despite all the evidence that "abstinence only" sex education doesn't work
• Denying funding to a medical study they don't like, and
• Making it difficult for folks to have a drink

They can dress it all up in carefully crafted language. But when you get down to what they really mean, their agenda is far outside the mainstream of what most North Carolinians believe.

I bet their supporters will come through for them, and Rev. Creech will be back in those halls smiling at me on January 28. I just hope we can keep him on the defensive in 2009.

-Ian Palmquist