CBS Needs to Improve on Inclusion of LGBT People
January 31, 2010 by Cindi Creager, GLAAD's Director of National News
On Friday GLAAD called on CBS to address an apparent bias in its Super Bowl advertising decisions after CBS declined to air a commercial with gay content during the Super Bowl because the “creative is not within the Network’s Broadcast Standards for Super bowl Sunday.”
“CBS has a problem when they do something like this at the same time as they allow an anti-gay group like Focus on the Family to place ads during the Super Bowl,” said GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios. “This network should come clean to the public about what’s going on because this seems to be a homophobic double standard.”
Earlier in the week, GLAAD released a Call to Action for community members and allies to speak out when CBS allowed the anti-gay group Focus on the Family to advertise during the Super Bowl after having unfairly denied that ability to the LGBT-inclusive United Church of Christ in previous years.
Adam Lambert Performing at the American Music Awards in 2009
This latest controversy is not the first time that CBS has been called out for failing to be LGBT inclusive. In November 2009, GLAAD released a statement calling out another double standard when CBS The Early Show blurred Adam Lambert’s same-sex kiss in a news segment showing his appearance at the American Music Awards.
“I would have hoped CBS would provide the same treatment for images of gay and lesbian people and not create an unfair double standard that treats our community differently,” said GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios at the time. “CBS regularly shows kisses throughout every daypart. The kiss was not blurred on ABC nor in news coverage on other networks. While we continue to applaud The Early Show for featuring Adam Lambert today, we have reached out to the show’s producers to express our concerns about their decision and offer ways they can make their coverage of gay and transgender people more fair.”
CBS The Early Show last year also came under fire from GLAAD and Media Matters for America after they hosted anti-gay commentator Ann Coulter and gave her a platform to promote her latest book.
CBS’ fictional programming is equally as controversial when it comes to LGBT inclusion. In GLAAD’s Network Responsibility Index, an annual report that maps the quantity, quality and diversity of images of LGBT people on television, CBS received a “failing” rating last year. CBS was the only broadcast network to post a significant decline, having received an Adequate rating the previous year.
CBS saw the greatest decline among the broadcast networks, dropping to last place among broadcast networks with 60 hours (5%) of LGBT-inclusive content, out of 1,148 total hours of primetime programming. As in the past, the bulk of CBS’ LGBT impressions (72%) came from its alternative and reality programming.
CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler acknowledged her network’s deficit in LGBT representation and pledged to work toward greater inclusion. However, CBS continues to disappoint with zero LGBT series regular characters and only one recurring LGBT character this season.
But CBS does know how to include LGBT people in news and entertainment programming in a fair and accurate way. The New Adventures of Old Christine featured the wedding between Christine and her best friend Barb in 2008 and raised important awareness about the legal and social problems that LGBT couples face. This storyline resulted in the show receiving the GLAAD Media Award last year for Outstanding Individual Episode – in a Series without a Regular LGBT Character. Also, CBS The Early Show featured an interview with transgender Methodist minister David Weekly and his wife in 2009, providing viewers an important window into the lives of transgender people of faith. The segment is nominated for a GLAAD Media Award.
But CBS’ recent decisions regarding advertisements for the Super Bowl clearly demonstrate that the network needs to have a candid conversation with the LGBT community about what is going on and do more to include stories and images of our lives. GLAAD will be requesting meetings with executives at CBS to address the apparent double standards and advocate for greater LGBT inclusion.
Sorry GLAAD, not with you on this one. Your tactics here seem like bullying to me. From other sources I’ve read CBS said they’ve changed their standards for acceptance and that the former ads from United Church of Christ would be aired under the new standards. CBS isn’t without blame for lack of LGBT inclusion, just not this time. The ManCrunch ad is atrocious and would do more to defame LGBT people than promote diversity. You may have gotten a lot of people to talk about this, but isn’t that kind of what ManCrunch did with their ad? Keep up the GOOD work you do and forget these paper tigers.
Um, did anyone over at GLAAD actually watch the commercial and then realize what a blessing it was that it will not be aired? It’s the most ridiculing, homophobic representation of gay men that I still have trouble believing it is actually real.
GLAAD should call for a 24/7 boycott of the network. How much homophobic hate from CBS will GLAAD go along with?
Whose side is GLAAD on, CBS’ or the LGBT community’s?
I don’t think the ad was offensive at all. In fact, it was clever to play on the perceived hyper-masculinity of a Super Bowl audience by setting the commercial up as something that would typically run during a football game. It’s similar to a lot of beer commercials, yet the ad’s creators turn everything around by having the guys make out right after getting worked up over a touchdown. It also attacks the stereotype of gay men not liking sports. If the ad featured two women in the same scene to sell beer instead, then I bet it would air.
Don’t state laws prohibiting discrimination based upon sexual orientation apply to broadcasters? I would think that if CBS were discriminating in their choice of ads based upon sexual orientation, they or their affiliates would be liable in states such as California, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, etc.
CBS has every right to broadcast whatever ad they decide. If what they are running offends you then don’t watch. The gay movement seem to think people owe them something. Every time any thing remotely seem anti-gay they get all up in arms and call for boycott or want someone fired. So what if Ann Coulter is a guest on a show? If a gay person is on you don’t see any anti gay or traditional family person protesting that visit. I am as open minded as they come but you gays are really beginning to bug the hell out of me. The revolution you are seeking will come in time, just not on your timetable. You can’t force people to change their minds and their thinking just because you want them to do so immediately. You are your own worst enemy. That is why there are no national leaders in your movement except for some shallow celebrities and one asanine gossip columnist. Try and focus your attention on building agendas for the future rather than complaining about moronic ads.
[...] the gay community this latest controversy is not the first time that CBS has been under fire. CBS received a “failing” grade in the annual GLAAD Network Responsibility Index as the only broadcast network to post a significant decline in its primetime depictions of LGBT [...]