GLAAD On the Ground In D.C. As Couples Prepare to Marry
March 3, 2010 by Anna Wipfler, GLAAD's Transgender Advocacy Fellow
Two of GLAAD’s media field strategists are in Washington, D.C. helping elevate the voices of numerous couples who are set to marry. By 9 am this morning, 60 same-sex couples had lined up outside the D.C. Superior Court to file their applications for marriage licenses, according to The Washington Post. Today marks the first day that the District of Columbia will accept same-sex applications, and the first couples will receive their licenses as soon as Tuesday, March 9th.
The Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009 passed the D.C. Council and was signed by D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty in December but then had to survive the mandatory congressional review period as well because Washington is a federal district. With the review period’s expiration on Tuesday and Supreme Court Justice Robert’s denial of a last-minute request by opponents to stay the new law, however, the marriage equality bill went into effect this morning, making D.C. the sixth location in the country to issue licenses to same-sex couples (joining Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont).
In preparation for the day, commemorative pens and celebratory cupcakes were on hand at the court. The Associated Press reported that the D.C. marriage bureau also changed the language of its applications and civil marriage ceremonies to be gender-neutral.
GLAAD media field strategists, Adam Bass and Daryl Hannah are on the ground in D.C. providing extensive media assistance to couples as they apply for their newly-legalized marriage licenses. GLAAD is proud to support loving couples who are making lifelong commitment to take care of and be responsible for one another. We’ll continue to keep you updated on all of the latest developments.
Related Posts:Five Gay and Lesbian Los Angeles Area Rabbis to Speak on Jewish Journal Panel
February 25, 2010 by Anna Wipfler, GLAAD's Transgender Advocacy Fellow
Zachary Shapiro (Temple Akiba) and Denise Eger (Kol Ami)
Dr. J.B. Sacks (Faculty, Academy for Jewish Religion)
On Tuesday, March 2, five gay and lesbian rabbis from the Los Angeles area will speak out during a panel sponsored by the Jewish Journal at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills, Calif., at 7:30 p.m. PST. Jewish leaders are increasingly progressive when it comes to LGBT inclusion. Reform, Conservative and Reconstruction Jewish traditions are on record for full inclusion of LGBT persons. As gay and lesbian rabbis in California, they know that the court challenge to Proposition 8 is just one of many efforts to let Californians and the country know that full and legal equality is the only fair and acceptable outcome.
Lisa Edwards (Beth Chayim Chadashim) and Jocee Hudson (Temple Israel of Hollywood)
With polls showing increasing support among diverse religious groups, it is clear that hearts and minds everywhere will be persuaded more quickly if progressive faith leaders speak out. To watch and listen through a live stream go to http://www.jewishjournal.com/live_broadcast.
Related Posts:Protests Reignite Media Storm Surrounding Anti-Gay Bill in Uganda
February 18, 2010 by Ann @ GLAAD
Passions over Uganda’s anti-gay law continue to roil. Reuters reported that a major anti-gay protest in Jinja, Uganda, had to be quelled by police. At the same time, a largely unpublicized pro-gay Unitarian-Universalist event allowed local Ugandan LGBT people to strategize together under the banner, “Standing on the Side of Love.”
An article in The Huffington Post details the “monstrous implications” of the Ugandan anti-gay bill:
The more controversial provisions of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill would sentence HIV-positive homosexuals to death for their sexual acts, make it illegal to publicly defend LGBT rights, or provide social and medical services to LGBT individuals, and turn Ugandan citizens into anti-homosexual informers…
…LGBT Ugandans endure verbal insults, physical and sexual harassment, arbitrary arrests and torture, and humiliating publicity. They are victims of correctional rape and other sexual abuse, blackmail, and arbitrary detention, and are denied health care, housing, education and other social services on account of their sexual orientation. Since the introduction of this bill in October, 2009, there have been reports of death threats against LGBT individuals and police have raided the offices of some human rights activists.
In a time of constant calamity and crisis fatigue, proposed legislation in Uganda to execute gays passes through the American consciousness with the impact of a weather report. Corrupt politicians count on the brevity of the American attention span, but certain items demand a tap of the pause button…
… A country where gays are routinely harassed, rounded up and incarcerated doesn’t need stoking by American fundamentalists on a mission from God.
With the horrific realities of this proposed law, it is was deeply shocking when Christianity Today reported that Ugandan Anglican bishops support everything but the death penalty or throwing priests and counselors in prison for not turning in gay people. Family members of gay people would still be required to turn in family members.
Around 35% of Ugandans are Anglican. 42% are Catholic. Bold individuals like Canon Gideon Byamugisha, a prominent member of Uganda’s Anglican Church, have called the bill “state-legislated genocide.” The Archbishop of Canterbury, head of the global Anglican Church, opposed the legislation saying, “Overall, the proposed legislation is of shocking severity and I cannot see how it could be supported by any Anglican….” More recently, he called the bill “infamous” and “repugnant” but has been very slow to speak. The Vatican has been mostly silent except for a little publicized statement in December at a United Nations panel—despite the fact that roughly 45% of Ugandan’s are Catholic.
The World Council of Churches published an open letter to President Museveni saying they are “saddened and distressed” by the proposed law. American World Jewish Service leaders organized an open letter to members of Congress and are emphasizing that people from within Uganda are speaking out and working against this legislation at great risk to themselves.
GLAAD continues to urge mainstream media to shine a light on Uganda’s virulently anti-gay measure and expose the potentially lethal injustices that gay and lesbian Ugandans could face simply by being who they are.
Updates can be found on GLAADblog.org
Related Posts:Gay Christian Singer Performs at Official Olympic Venue
February 12, 2010 by Ann @ GLAAD
He came out to his friends and family at 24 and decided to make music with a message: it’s OK to be who you are. A video of his up-beat song “Today” was played on the jumbo tron screen for Olympic audiences and David will play it live on an official Olympic stage this weekend to inspire both competitors and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people of faith.
Historic American Prayer Hour Focuses on Uganda Anti-Gay Legislation
February 4, 2010 by Ann @ GLAAD
GLAAD provided strategic planning, media assistance and co-sponsorship to the first American Prayer Hour, on February 4, in 17 cities nationwide, to pray for Uganda and all countries that criminalize gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. On the same day, President Obama attended The National Prayer Breakfast and called the anti-gay law in Uganda “odious” and ”unconscionable.” The National Prayer Breakfast gained notoriety this year because its sponsor, ”The Family,” an evangelical Christian group, has ties to MP Bahati who proposed Uganda’s anti-gay law. Bahati is “The Family’s” organizer in Uganda.
The American Prayer Hour opening press conference was held in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, February 2, and included Bishop Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in The Episcopal Church. Poignant remarks were made by Moses, a gay Ugandan man who is seeking asylum in the US.
Moses spoke at the National Press Club press conference with a bag over his head to avoid retribution, highlighting the serious impact of the proposed law. He shared his story of being raped by police and being too afraid to go to the hospital for treatment. He said, “It breaks my heart that I have to leave my family and loved ones to seek asylum in this country simply because I am gay. Even as I speak, gay people are being persecuted as a result of this proposed law against gay people. I can only imagine how bad it will be if the bill actually passes.”
The New York Times, Religion News Service, Christian Post and blogs covered the opening press conference in the nation’s Capital on Tuesday. Key American Prayer Hour gatherings were held on Thursday in Washington, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, Berkeley, Dallas, Boston, Anchorage and Atlanta.
GLAAD collaborated on the American Prayer Hour with the Human Rights Campaign, The National Gay & Lesbian Taskforce, the National Black Justice Coalition, Metropolitan Community Church, PFLAG, Progressive Christians Uniting, Truth Wins Out, Two Spirit Press Room, Arcus and Haas Jr.
GLAAD also worked to amplify the voices of these inclusive faith leaders by drafting press materials and earning media coverage.
Golden Globe Winner Mo’Nique Tells Black Gay Men, “God Loves You”
January 28, 2010 by Kellee Terrell, COAD Media Strategist @ GLAAD
On Jan 25th episode of BET’s variety show, The Mo’Nique Show, host and Mo’Nique along with her guest, soul singer Miki Howard discussed numerous topics including sexuality, acceptance and the black church.
Howard said to Mo’Nique:
“One good thing I want to talk about is the gay aspect to our church. We don’t talk about it in our community. I grew up in James Cleveland’s church in LA and it was gay back then, really gay. And we weren’t didn’t know that people thought was bad, that outsiders thought that was bad. So that’s one thing we talk in the church and explore, and how I came to be me.”
Mo’Nique responded by saying: 
I applaud you for addressing this …because people don’t want to talk about it and for not judging because most times we run from it. And for all of our gay brothas watching, we love you this is the no judgment zone. You are always welcome and you are always loved. If you’re in the church and you’re gay, God is not judging you. Be who you wanna be.”
In the beginning of the show, Mo’Nique, whose film Precious is nominated for a GLAAD Media Award this year, also made a comment about African-American lesbians.
She said:
“Sistahs, if you are laying next to your man right now give him a kiss. Or next to your woman.. no judgments here, as long as you got somebody.”
Watch the episode below (The segment begins at around the 27 minute mark of the show)
Rod McCullom, head blogger for Rod 2.0: Beta, praised this episode and expressed why this type of dialogue is necessary:
It’s about time someone mentioned on national television that the black church and black gospel music are “really gay” and they should not be ashamed. There are so many talented black gay men in the church and black gospel music. Unfortunately many are told otherwise and most believe they should remain (semi) closeted.
Given many of the struggles of acceptance that the black LGBT community faces in certain African-American churches, these types of conversations are much welcomed and needed. While GLAAD encourages people to sound off when the media gets it’s wrong, it is also important to praise those who get it right.
If you were touched by Mo’Nique and Miki Howard’s comments, please let The Mo’ Nique Show know by writing a letter to the following address:
The Mo’Nique Show
P.O Box 7868
Atlanta, GA
30357
Related Posts:Religion, Faith & Values Staff Speaks About Faith Leaders on In The Life Episode
January 13, 2010 by Anna Wipfler, GLAAD's Transgender Advocacy Fellow
The first 2010 episode of In The Life, scheduled to air in New York City on PBS Channel 13 on Sunday, January 17th, will document historic changes in the faith world. 
Daniel Karslake (For the Bible Tells Me So) interviews Emily Eastwood of Lutherans Concerned and Baptist Dr. Welton Gaddy. GLAAD Director of Religion, Faith and Values Ann Craig along with MSNBC commentator Rachel Maddow provided perspectives on these two important faith leaders for the episode.
GLAAD’s invitation to the In the Life episode stemmed from media work with Lutheran LGBT leaders as they pushed for the historic vote for full inclusion of LGBT partnered and married gay and lesbian ministers as well as GLAAD’s promotion of Dr. Welton Gaddy’s “white paper” that made marriage equality a priority for The Interfaith Alliance. Dr. Gaddy is a Southern Baptist who follows the Baptist tradition of freedom of religion.
GLAAD will continue to work with these two organizations to bring their message of acceptance and their historic moves towards inclusion from their religions to all Americans. These groups, and In the Life, are changing the media conversation from “Gays vs. God” to “Gay people are part of the changing face of religion.”
Related Posts:Rev. Mary Glasspool Becomes First Openly Lesbian Elected to Episcopal Assistant Bishop
December 14, 2009 by Tania Torres, GLAAD's Religion, Faith & Values
After a 2006 moratorium on electing gay bishops in the Episcopal Church was lifted in July, the Diocese of Los Angeles wasted no time in acting on the more inclusive policy by nominating two openly gay priests for assistant bishop positions. On Dec. 5 the diocese officially elected one of those priests, Rev. Mary Glasspool of Maryland.
If the decision is approved by the majority of bishops and standing committees of clergy and lay leaders in the Episcopal Church, Glasspool would be the first openly lesbian consecrated as bishop in all of the global Anglican Communion. Bishop V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire is currently the only openly gay Episcopal bishop.
Earlier this week the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams released a statement where he questioned the move and warned the Episcopal Church not to approve the decision because ordaining another gay bishop would impact the whole church. Thousands of Anglicans have since then urged him to retract his statement and to “exercise moral leadership to protect gays and lesbians.”
Glasspool, who grew up in New York and followed her father into the Episcopal priesthood when she was ordained in 1982, says that apart from Rowan’s reaction she has received nothing but statements of support from people all over the world. In an interview with the Baltimore Sun, Glasspool expressed her joy in the Diocese of Los Angeles’ decision: “I’m deeply grateful. I am profoundly moved by just about everything that’s going on… I’m excited about the future. I think this is a real hopeful sign to the world.”
Related Posts:“Black & Gay is Beautiful” Launches in NYC Newspaper
December 11, 2009 by Kellee Terrell, COAD Media Strategist @ GLAAD
Last month, at the Church God in Christ’s Holy Convocation Youth Service, gospel singer Donnie McClurkin said in a sermon (published on YouTube), “I see feminine men, feminine boys, everywhere I go. These young girls are just as bad as the boys in homosexuality, you don’t see it. They can hide … but there are some evil young hard butch girls.” He also spoke negatively about openly-gay gospel singer Tonex, calling him a “perversion” and referred to gay youth as “vampires.” To counter McClurkin’s homophobic rants, a full- page article titled “Black & Gay is Beautiful” was published on Friday, December 4th in the Metro New York.
The article written by Pastor Joseph Tolton of Rehoboth Temple ―which features actor Cornelius Jones; activist Sheldon DeSouza; Michael Whittaker; HIV activists Gaynel Sheffield and Pei Desrosiers; and openly gay R&B singer Nhoji― affirms LGBT black people while calling out the “hypocrisy in the pulpit” and “spiritual” violence that occurs in churches that express anti-gay rhetoric.
As gay black people―brothers and sisters alike―we are building strong families, strong churches, strong businesses and strong communities in ways we never dreamed possible. Be encouraged and again we say LIVE! There is no need to live disconnected and in isolation. There is a LIFE for us and it begins by US loving and supporting US.
Tolton also wrote:
For those of us in faith who have always loved the black church, the defining issue of our lives has been the churches damning stance on [being gay and lesbian]. As children, the condemnation broke our spirit. As adolescents, this ridicule broke our hearts. As young adults, this disdain has attempted to drive us to the brink. Spiritual violence is wrong and it kills the spirit. The black church must find new ways to talk about sex and sexuality.
In addition, the article personally addresses McClurkin and offers a few kind words:
We love you brother in ways that the traditional church cannot because we understand your pain…There is so much love in our community for you. We want to see you healed and whole. Whenever you are ready, come home and we will love you until it doesn’t hurt anymore.
Others in the black LGBT community have spoken out as well. Blogger Rod McCullom wrote on his blog rod 2.0:Beta that Bishop Yvette Flunder, the founder of the LGBT affirming City of Refuge Church, used her Facebook page to share her opinion:
Pastor Donnie knows like I know that Tonex’ is more the ‘rule’ than the exception to the rule. What makes Tonex’ unique is not that he is a Gay gospel music artist and Pastor but that he told the truth about his sexuality, while not claiming to be delivered. I believe that these public hateful words directed to the Same Gender Loving community come from the need to instill fear of public ridicule in the hearts of those who may be considering coming out and come from folks who felt they were denied the opportunity to be authentic in their sexuality AND remain successful in the mainline church. I am not worried about Tonex’. He will feel the pain of rejection for a time but he will rise up and answer the prophetic call to be a liberator to his generation. My deep concern is for those young people who are part of the COGIC and for their families who have now been driven deeper into the closet by experiences like this. The closet is a dangerous place, where theological, and physical self-abuse runs rampant.
These young people love the church and feel the only place they can go is underground. I am encouraging these young people to find their voices and not run to the shadows to live in fear like my generation has. Watch the signs, change is possible. God is greater than any denomination and bigger than the narrow theologies that seek to hold us hostage. I am excited about our future and I am determined to let folks know that there are safe places to land.
For The Grio, Kenyon Farrow, the executive director for Queers for Economic Justice, wrote that while McClurkin’s rants should be taken seriously, we must be as equally upset about the harms these attitudes have on our LGBT youth:
It’s not that I think McClurkin is a joke and shouldn’t be taken seriously, or that what he says doesn’t have real-life consequences. I know that the McClurkins of the world, and the families that are listening, are completely implicated in the thirty to forty percent of homeless youth – many of whom are made homeless by parents who kick them out and most of whom are black – who identify as LGBT. We know that black gay youth who come from supportive and affirming families and communities are less likely to contract HIV.
We know that due to employment discrimination, twenty five percent of LGBT youth do not have health insurance, and yet many LGBT organizations were slow to move on advocating for health care reform. It’s like the NAACP holding a symbolic funeral for the N word, but doing nothing for the prison system, AIDS, or many other problems which ensure that black people of whatever persuasion are still treated like the N word.
In the end, self-hating homophobes like McClurkin will be around for a long time. And he will sell snake oil promises in the guise of redemption as long as there are fools who will buy it. But his words would have a lot less power if we organized around the conditions that drive the disparities that black LGBT youth face.
This week, GLAAD met with Pastor Tolton to discuss working together to do outreach in African-American faith communities. GLAAD also worked with The Grio to bring McClurkin’s homophobic sermon to their attention, which prompted Farrow’s opinion piece. We will continue to monitor this story and provide any updates.
Related Posts:UPDATE: Uganda Reportedly Drops Death Penalty, Life Imprisonment from Anti-Gay Legislation
December 11, 2009 by Seth Adam, GLAAD's National News Fellow
Uganda’s minister of ethics and integrity James Nsaba Buturo announced on Wednesday that proposed anti-gay legislation in the country will no longer call for the execution or life-imprisonment of gay men.
To read about Uganda’s anti-gay bill, click here.
Buturo told Bloomberg that the legislation will instead prescribe a more “refined set of punishments,” though what exactly that entails is unclear. Buturo also alluded to so-called ‘reparative therapy’ which the government will promote to “attract errant people to acceptable sexual orientation.”
However, The American Psychological Association denounced the “treatment” of homosexuality in a 2009 report and noted that the APA “concludes that there is insufficient evidence to support the use of psychological interventions to change sexual orientation” and that “distress and depression were exacerbated” in some individuals who undergo so-called ‘reparative therapy’. Numerous other medical, psychiatric, and psychological organizations have also condemned the practice.
MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow recently lambasted author and so-called ‘ex-gay’ advocate Richard Cohen on her program The Rachel Maddow Show after it came to light that Cohen’s book Coming Out Straight has been used to justify Uganda’s anti-gay legislative efforts:
Your teaching and your activism have been used for a political purpose which is to promote this bill… You have told them, particularly in your book, Coming Out Straight, which I understood you donated multiple copies of to this organization that’s promoting this bill. You’re telling them exactly what they need to hear in order to justify the ‘kill the gays’ bill.
The American Evangelical Christian minister Rick Warren had also been sharply criticized recently for his reported link to anti-gay Ugandan legislators. Warren had remained silent on the issue, but finally released a video statement on Thursday in which he addresses Ugandan pastors and states that he “completely oppose[s] and vigorously condemn[s] the bill.” Warren goes on to say the “terrible bill” is “unjust, it’s extreme, and it’s un-Christian.”
But The Huffington Post published an article on Friday that exposed the efforts by some conservative Christian leaders, including Warren, to advance anti-LGBT sentiments throughout Africa and specifically in “more authoritarian countries,” like Uganda:
[Rick] Warren is especially influential on the continent, enjoying close ties to African religious and political leaders. They quote him to justify discrimination against LGBT people, and to support their challenge to U.S. mainline Protestants liberalizing their policies around gay ordination. “Homosexuality is not a natural way of life and thus not a human right,” Warren said during a March-April 2008 visit with African religious and political leaders in Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya. That quote has reverberated ever since.
It is important to note, however, that other faith leaders have taken a strong stand against the Ugandan legislation. For example, hundreds of faith leaders signed onto a letter from the Unitarian Universalist United Nations office that urged Uganda Minister of Ethics and Integrity Buturo to oppose the Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009 and end discrimination directed toward LGBT people. Also, the group Faith In Public Life organized prominent Catholic and Protestant leaders to sign a statement that condemned the vicious legislation in Uganda:
Our Christian faith recognizes violence, harassment and unjust treatment of any human being as a betrayal of Jesus’ commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves. As followers of the teachings of Christ, we must express profound dismay at a bill currently before the Parliament in Uganda…
Regardless of the diverse theological views of our religious traditions regarding the morality of homosexuality, in our churches, communities and families, we seek to embrace our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters as God’s children worthy of respect and love. Yet we are painfully aware that in our country gays and lesbians still face hostility and violence. We recognize that such treatment degrades the human family, threatens the common good and defies the teachings of our Lord — wherever it occurs.
GLAAD continues to urge mainstream media to shine a light on the horrific anti-gay legislation that is currently pending in Uganda and expose the potentially lethal injustices that gay and lesbian Ugandans could face simply by being who they are.
Updates will be provided on GLAADblog.org as they become available.
Related Posts:GLAAD Urges Media to Cover LGBT Human Rights as Part of International Human Rights Day
December 10, 2009 by Ann @ GLAAD
As part of the International Human Rights Day on December 10, 2009, GLAAD urges Media to cover human rights injustices against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons in the United States and throughout the world.
In Uganda, fundamental rights to life and liberty for gay people are at risk as a proposed bill would reportedly apply the death penalty to gay people and imprison those who do not turn in gay people for prosecution. Several countries besides Uganda have the death penalty in place for gay people and dozens of countries have harsh laws against people who are gay and media should also cover these laws as well.
GLAAD stands by all those who speak out for human and civil rights.
Related Posts:
Uganda Considers Brutal Anti-Gay Legislation; GLAAD Urges Mainstream Media to Take Notice
December 7, 2009 by Seth Adam, GLAAD's National News Fellow
Uganda is on the brink of passing a law that would allow the execution of gay people who are so-called “repeat offenders.” The proposed law would also call for the imprisonment of gay rights advocates and Ugandans living in other countries could even be extradited if they are thought to be gay. Under already existing laws, gay Ugandans can be sentenced to life-imprisonment.
(Full text of the proposed law can be found here)
“Homosexuality is not part of the human rights we believe in,” said the bill’s author, Ugandan lawmaker David Bahati.
But the increasingly draconian proposal in Uganda is gaining international attention and seems to reveal that conservative U.S. religious leaders have had a hand in fomenting anti-gay sentiments.
Political Research Associates — a Boston-based think tank devoted to supporting movements that build a more just and inclusive democratic society – recently published a report titled Globalizing the Culture War: U.S. Conservatives, African Churches & Homophobia which notes that the American Evangelical Christian, Rick Warren, continues to promote an anti-gay message in Uganda. Similarly, the publication Box Turtle Bulletin has connected Warren and other Evangelicals to anti-gay Ugandan Pastor Peter Martin Sempa; Sempa and other church leaders went on record in support of the proposed legislation at the Ugandan Parliament on April 29. Pastor Sempa has also appeared in Warren’s Saddleback Church and has a long history of anti-gay activism.
Warren is being pressed to speak out against the proposed law but in a Nov. 29 Meet the Press interview, Warren said that “it is not [his] personal calling as a pastor in America to comment or interfere in the political process of other nations.”
The Archbiship of Canterbury, head of the global Anglican Church, has also remained silent on the proposed Ugandan law. The LGBT publication Pink News reported on Monday that private discussions between the Archbishop and the Ugandan Anglican Church are said to be underway. Canon Gideon Byamugisha, a prominent member of Uganda’s Anglican Church recently described the bill as “state-legislated genocide.”
Church groups in the United States are beginning to speak out against the brutal proposal, however. The United Church of Christ Global Ministries Department sent a letter to Uganda’s government leader that “shares [the church’s] concern about the proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009.” The United Reform Church even went so far as to call the legislation “morally repugnant.” And Episcopal Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori issued a statement on Friday that opposes the Ugandan legislation and “call[s] on all Episcopalians to seek their own conversion toward an ability to see the image of God in the face of every neighbor, of whatever race, gender, sexual orientation, theological position, or creed.”
PepsiCo also came under fire this week after the Uganda-based independent newspaper The Daily Monitor reported that Pepsi sponsored a concert in Uganda last Saturday that featured the anti-gay performer Beenie Man. During his performance, Beenie Man is quoted as singing “In my family, we don’t have any gay person but if you’re gay, my brother that’s not my fault.” That song reportedly goes on to say that the singer wishes he could “cut the throats” of all gay men.
GLAAD contacted PepsiCo and asked for clarification about the company’s reported sponsorship of the Beenie Man concert that advocated the killing of Uganda’s gay population.
After hearing GLAAD’s concerns, a PepsiCo spokesperson issued this encouraging statement:
Much like you, we are appalled by the performer’s lyrics and find them repugnant. We are not associated with him in any way. Our bottling partner in Uganda was not aware of the performer’s views and never would have sponsored the concert with this knowledge. Moving forward, we will work closely with our bottling partners to be more vigilant about the events associated with our brands.
Meanwhile, Swedish officials have threatened to stop financial aid to Uganda and an Afrika article reported that both the Canadian and British Prime Ministers have urged Uganda’s President Museveni to drop the proposed legislation. President Barack Obama has yet to speak out on the issue.
GLAAD urges mainstream media to shine a light on the horrific anti-gay legislation that is currently pending in Uganda and expose the potentially lethal injustices that gay and lesbian Ugandans could face simply by being who they are.
Ann Craig, GLAAD’s Director of Religion, Faith and Values, contributed to this report.
Related Posts:Uganda Considers Brutal Anti-Gay Legislation; GLAAD Urges Mainstream Media to Take Notice
December 7, 2009 by Seth Adam, GLAAD's National News Fellow
This post is now located here:
Related Posts:Washington Post Misses the Mark With One-Sided Profile on Anti-Gay Bishop Harry Jackson
November 18, 2009 by Kellee Terrell, COAD Media Strategist @ GLAAD
In the November 18 edition of the Washington Post, staff writer Wil Haygood wrote a lengthy profile of Bishop Harry Jackson’s opposition to gay rights and to the current bill being considered by the Washington D.C. council that would extend marriage protections to same-sex couples.
GLAAD encourages media outlets to live up to the standards of fair and balanced reporting. Haygood’s article was neither. The bitter impact of Jackson’s work is trivialized by the opening line, “This is how Bishop Jackson spent his summer vacation.” The article positions Jackson as a crusader against marriage and is not at all against gay people.
Yet, it was not long ago that Jackson spearheaded the “Muzzling the Pulpit” campaign against basic legal protections for LGBT people. In the Post article he calls marriage for gay and lesbian couples, an ”oxymoron.” And, denying that he blames gay people for society’s problems or that he is homophobic, he says, “I’m looking at the extinction of marriage. And black culture is in a free fall.”
The story lacked any voices from pro-gay African-American clergy and African-American gay and lesbians. In the D.C. area alone, there are a number of African-Americans that could have been tapped: Dr. Sylvia Rhue of the National Black Justice Coalition; Aisha Mills, a black lesbian who testified at the D.C. hearings on marriage; The Maryland Black Family Alliance and the group, Clergy United for Marriage Equality, founded by Black clergy which now has 200 members listed on its website.
Although the article mentioned that Bishop Jackson has critics, the author only mentioned hate notes and body guards during worship services, implying that Jackson’s critics are violent extremists. Where were the credible critics who can speak to the harm done to loving couples, to gay young people and parents of gay people who go to church and are afraid to tell the truth because they are told they or their loved ones are rejected by God?
In addition, the lack of diverse voices in such a lengthy piece, reinforces the false notion that the African-American community and Black churches share Jackson’s anti-gay views. It plays on the belief that only white people are for gay and transgender equality and sets up the black community to be scapegoated when pro-LGBT legislation does not pass.
Haywood also showed his own bias when he used the term “alternative lifestyle.” Both the Associated Press and The New York Times have set guidelines against using that phrase because it denigrates the LGBT community and suggest that sexual orientation is a choice and therefore can and should be cured.
GLAAD has reached out to Haywood to discuss our issues with his story.
We urge you to write Wil Haygood at haygoodw@washpost.com to air your opinions about his piece. And now is the time. Hours after Haywood’s story was published, it was announced that Jackson filed suit against the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics over its refusal to allow an initiative to ban same-sex marriage. The board ruled that doing such would violate the city’s 1977 Human Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination.
Jackson’s lawsuit comes one week after D.C.’s City Council voted in favor of a bill that would allow for gay and lesbian couples to be legally married. A final vote is set to take place on December 1.
Related Posts:Mormons Voice Support for Salt Lake City Anti-discrimination Law
November 13, 2009 by Ann @ GLAAD
As a prelude to Salt Lake City becoming the first city in Utah to enact an LGBT-inclusive employment and housing non-discrimination ordinance, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) made the stunning announcement that it supported the measure.
LDS top leaders negotiated behind the scenes with LGBT organizations in Salt Lake City, before making the pronouncement. In the mean time, pro-gay Mormons provided the back drop of repeated public protests over church meddling in legislation and harmful anti-gay teachings.
Straight allies from the Foundation for Reconciliation accessed GLAAD media assistance and garnered media coverage of their meeting with the governor of Utah and their symbolic five mile trek with a pioneer handcart carrying more than 2,000 petition signatures, letters from religious leaders, and memorials for gay LDS suicide victims.
Affirmation Mormons also used GLAAD’s media assistance to garner local Fox News coverage of the high rate of homelessness among Mormon gay youth and launched “Keep them and Love Them,” a web site to help Mormon families with LGBT members.
This week, in response to the LDS support of housing and employment protection, Affirmation’s Executive Director David Melson said,
“Discrimination based on a person’s identity, including race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability, has always been wrong. It is commendable that the LDS Church is taking a step toward living up to its own teachings of valuing of all humanity. It is a vital first step…we await the second.”
Tuesday night, Michael Otterson, LDS director of public affairs, told the Salt Lake City Council “In essence, the Church agrees with the approach which Mayor Becker is taking on this matter. In drafting these ordinances, the city has granted common sense rights that should be available to everyone, while safeguarding the crucial rights of religious organizations, for example, in their hiring of people whose lives are in harmony with their tenets, or when providing housing for their university students and others that preserve religious requirements.”
According to The New York Times, the ordinance most likely already had the support of the seven-member Salt Lake city council as it passed unanimously. However, the Church statement is viewed by many as a breakthrough. While the Church issued a statement in 2008 saying that it did not condone abuse toward gay people, this is the first time it backed an actual ordinance to protect gay rights. Will Carson, manager of public policy for Equality Utah, told the NY Times,
Related Posts:“It’s the most progressive and inclusive statement that the church has made on these issues.”
