South Florida Sun Sentinel Removes Offensive Poll Following GLAAD Outreach
March 18, 2010 by Daryl Hannah, GLAAD's Media Field Strategist
On Thursday, GLAAD was alerted to a Sun-Sentinel online poll that asked if gun owners made better adoptive parents than gays and lesbians. The question, featured in the Florida paper’s online Today’s Buzz, section asked: “Who would make a better adoptive parent: a gun owner or a gay?”
At the crux of the online poll is the fact that Florida is the only state that explicitly prohibits adoption on the basis of sexual orientation. But the problematic survey combined the adoption ban with this week’s decision by Florida’s House of Representatives unanimous approval of House Bill 315. The bill would ban adoption agencies from asking would-be adoptive parents whether they keep guns at home.
Community members reached out to GLAAD with concerns about the framing of the question and we asked the newspaper to take the poll down. The paper complied.
While the Sentinel’s unscientific poll casually asked a meaningless question, 35,000 eligible children languish in the state’s foster care system and are denied permanent homes. These children are left in an endless cycle of frequent relocation to foster homes, years in state care and worse yet – aging out of the system because they were denied a loving, forever home and caring parents. Florida’s blanket adoption law disregards what is in the best interest of children. Bottom line – this hurts them.
GLAAD will continue to spotlight the concrete harms of Florida’s adoption ban and criticize media outlets that miss the mark in their coverage.
You can read more about Florida’s adoption ban here and here.
Related Posts:National Media Follows the Latest on Proposed ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Repeal
March 18, 2010 by Anna Wipfler, GLAAD's Transgender Advocacy Fellow
This morning, the Senate Armed Services Committee held an informal hearing on ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ where they heard testimony from Former U.S. Navy Lieutenant Junior Grade Jenny Kopfstein and Air Force Major Mike Almy, both Iraq/Afghanistan veterans who explained the detrimental effect of the current law on the strength of their units and their own lives.
Servicemembers Legal Defense Network executive director Aubrey Sarvis stated in this morning’s press release, “Not only did they explain how the archaic ban is harming military preparedness, but they illustrated the generational divide on the issue” – referring to the opposing stance of some older members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
In testimony before the same committee just two days ago, however, General David Petraeus said “the time has come to consider a change” to the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy, according to CBS News. With these sentiments, Gen. Petraeus joins the ranks of Adm. Michael Mullen, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and Gen. Colin Powell calling for a thorough review of the policy.
On the Senate floor, the historic bill Military Readiness Enhancement Act authorizing the repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ introduced by Senators Joseph Lieberman and Carl Levin has picked up 25 cosponsors in two weeks.
Across town this afternoon, ABC News reported that Lieutenant Dan Choi and Captain James Pietrangelo II chained themselves to the front gate of the White House in protest of the policy, resulting in their arrest – which ABC News captured on video.
GLAAD will continue to keep you updated on mainstream media coverage of the push to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’.
Related Posts:Video of Sigourney Weaver Accepting an Award for Prayers for Bobby at the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards – New York
March 18, 2010 by Elliot Imse, Web Producer
Prayers for Bobby receives the GLAAD Media Awards for Outstanding TV Movie or Mini-Series at the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York on March 13, 2010. Sigourney Weaver and producers Daniel Sladek and Chris Taaffe accept the award on behalf of the cast and crew.
You can also watch the video on YouTube.
View a complete list of award recipients and photos from the event.
Honorees, award recipients and event photos can also be seen on an earlier post: Cynthia Nixon and Joy Behar Honored at the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York
To learn more about the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards, visit www.glaad.org/mediaawards.
Related Posts:Video of Hair’s Performance at the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards
March 18, 2010 by Elliot Imse, Web Producer
The cast of Hair performs “Let the Sunshine In” at the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York City on March 13, 2010. Broadway singer Gavin Creel accepted a GLAAD Special Recognition award on behalf of Hair.
You can also watch the video on YouTube.
View a complete list of award recipients and photos from the event.
Honorees, award recipients and event photos can also be seen on an earlier post: Cynthia Nixon and Joy Behar Honored at the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York
To learn more about the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards, visit www.glaad.org/mediaawards.
Related Posts:Our Families Count Encourages LGBT People and Allies to Participate in the Census
March 18, 2010 by Anna Wipfler, GLAAD's Transgender Advocacy Fellow
“The Census counts, and so do I” is the primary message of the new video “We All Count!” produced by Our Families Count, a public education campaign to increase the visibility of LGBT people on the 2010 U.S. Census.
As Census forms are delivered to households across the country during the month of March, Our Families Count is working hard to ensure that LGBT Americans understand the importance of filling them out, as statistics gathered from each Census guides vital government decisions, from redistricting to funding allocations for social services.
While this year’s Census records only five identity areas (age, sex, race/ethnicity, relationship, tenure of stay in your home), under Relationship same-sex couples have the opportunity to be counted as either “unmarried partners” or as husband/wife.”
In an interview with GayPolitics.com, Our Families Count coordinator Che Ruddell-Tabisola explained, “What is different for the LGBT community…is that the Census will count same-sex couples as we define ourselves – whether as unmarried, same-sex adult partners (as in 2000), or as married same-sex husbands or wives.”
On their website, Our Families Count details:
“In order to be counted as a same-sex couple, one of the partners must be listed as ‘Person 1’ (since the Census asks each household member to list how he/she is related to Person 1). Same-sex couples who have been legally married or consider themselves to be spouses should identify the other person as a ‘husband or wife’.” Our Families Count does acknowledge that “those terms fit some – but certainly not all – LGBT households.”
While this Census will not record information about an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity, Our Families Count encourages those “who are living with a spouse or partner [to] indicate that relationship by checking either the ‘husband/wife’ or ‘unmarried partner’ box” while advocates continue to push for congressional legislation to expand the identity categories recorded by the Census.
Although this means that transgender people cannot officially identify as such, Our Families Count notes that “the census asks each of us to tell the truth as we understand it. Check the box on the census form that most closely reflects your current gender identity.”
For further resources regarding the U.S. Census, check out the U.S. Census Bureau Toolkit for LGBT Communities.
GLAAD is a proud partner of Our Families Count and encourages all LGBT people and allies to fill out your Census and send it back to ensure our community’s full visibility.
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