CBS Needs to Improve on Inclusion of LGBT People
January 31, 2010
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.
Ann Coulter Serves Her “Tea” With Homophobic Innuendo
April 22, 2009
In her most recent syndicated column entitled ”Obama’s recipe for change not my cup of tea,” Ann Coulter once again takes the low road. In the column, which has been widely published across conservative media, she uses Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) to make a joke with a homophobic subtext:
…no one is calling the tea parties “tea bagging” — except Olbermann and Maddow. Republicans call them “tea parties.”
But if the Republicans were calling them “tea bagging parties,” the MSNBC hosts would have a fantastically hilarious segment for viewers in San Francisco and in the West Village and not anyplace else in the rest of the country. On the other hand, they’re not called “tea-bagging parties.” (That of course refers to the cocktail hour at Barney Frank’s condo in Georgetown.)
This is a needless jab at Congressman Frank whose mention in her piece is totally unrelated to the content of her column.
h/t to Media Matters for America.
Huckabee Parrots Coulter’s Defamatory Phrase “pro-sodomy” on Fox
January 12, 2009
The caustic author Ann Coulter stopped by the Fox News Channel as she continued to peddle her new book, Guilty: Liberal “Victims” and their Assault on America. She started her press expedition on CBS News and NBC News the week of January 5.
Her latest appearance was on Huckabee, the show featuring former Arkansas Governor and GOP presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee. In a ridiculous exchange captured by Media Matters for America, Huckabee tried to assure Coulter that he is conservative enough to get her vote should he decide to throw his hat into future presidential races.
In trying to disprove Coulter’s notion that the former governor is not, in Coulter’s words, “pro-sodomy” and “pro-gay,” Huckabee told Coulter. “I am definitely not pro-sodomy. I promise. Scout’s honor.”
Huckabee was apparently responding to Coulter’s column from December 2007, when she questioned Huckabee’s statements supporting the Supreme Court decision in Lawrence v. Texas, which decriminalized being gay in all 50 states:
“Huckabee claims he opposes gay marriage and says Scalia is his favorite justice, but he supports a Supreme Court decision denounced by Scalia for paving the way to a ‘constitutional right’ to gay marriage. I guess Huckabee is one of those pro-sodomy, pro-gay marriage, pro-evolution evangelical Christians. No wonder Huckabee is the evangelical liberals like.”
It’s unfortunate that Mike Huckabee felt it necessary to dredge up old defamatory remarks by Coulter and feature them on his new Fox News Channel media platform. Should mainstream media ever consider painting Huckabee as moderate in future reports, they would do well to keep this item on hand.
CBS News Gives Ann Coulter Airtime in the New Year
January 6, 2009
The notoriously provocative author Ann Coulter is back in the mainstream media this week promoting her new book. This time CBS News The Early Show chose to give Coulter a platform to tout her latest work, entitled, Guilty: Liberal “Victims” and their Assault on America.
Although Coulter did non discuss any gay issues during her January 6 appearance on CBS News The Early Show, she did have a tense discussion with host Harry Smith, who before the interview questioned whether he should have invited her on in the first place.
“Ann Coulter is in the studio this morning. She has a brand new book. It’s called Guilty: Liberal “Victims” and Their Assault on America, and in it, she says that I am certifiably insane. Perhaps I am, for having her –- on the program this morning.”
In December Media Matters for America put NBC News on notice about a potential January 6 appearance by Coulter on NBC’s The Today Show. We at GLAAD also called NBC Universal executives with our concerns about Coulter’s past anti-gay defamation on NBC Programs. As Reuters reported yesterday NBC cancelled Coulter’s January 6 appearance due to an apparent scheduling conflict, but seemed to indicate the door is wide open for future appearances by Coulter:
“We’ve had Ann Coulter on ‘Today’ many times, but because of the news in Washington and the Middle East, we decided to cancel her appearance tomorrow,” NBC News said in a statement Monday. “Understanding the media as well as she does, we are sure she knows this happens from time to time. We look forward to welcoming her back in the future.”
We urge NBC, CBS and all mainstream outlets to carefully consider the wide range of inflammatory rhetoric Coulter has spouted over the years including numerous anti-gay outbursts. We applaud Media Matters for America for continually speaking out about Coulter and sharing all of her past vitriolic statements. GLAAD will also continue to hold the media accountable for giving pundits like her a voice to promote intolerance.
Election Coverage Recap: Ann Coulter and the “F-word”
October 30, 2008
As we get closer to November 4, we here at glaadBLOG thought it would be appropriate to take a stroll down memory lane - reviewing and analyzing how the media have handled LGBT issues and covered supporters of pro-LGBT policies and how they have reported on the positions of the candidates throughout the campaign. We’ll also recap hot button stories that caused firestorms throughout this election cycle.
One of those hot button stories was the controversy begun by Ann Coulter at the American Conservative Union’s Political Action Conference in March of 2007.
In a speech given to conference attendees, Coulter said:
Oh, and I was going to have a few comments on the other Democratic presidential candidate, John Edwards. But it turns out that you have to go into rehab if you use the word “f**got,” so I’m — so I’m kind of at an impasse, can’t really talk about Edwards. So I think I’ll just conclude here and take your questions.
The crowd laughed and applauded her anti-gay slur.
After hearing this statement, there was immediate pushback from progressive and LGBT organizations. GLAAD issued a statement and called on news outlets to stop associating themselves with her bigotry:
“Our nation’s media have done an admirable job this year holding celebrities accountable for their use of anti-gay slurs,” Giuliano said. “But they have a heightened responsibility to do so when the person using the slur is a leading face and voice of an anti-gay industry that continues to harm, exploit and dehumanize gay and lesbian people and our families for political gain.”
“In light of her repeated defamatory attacks over the past year, no credible news organization should be associating itself with Coulter or anyone else who trades in on-air anti-gay slurs,” Giuliano said, noting that Coulter is frequently featured on CNBC and appears on other NBC News platforms. “NBC News in particular has a responsibility to consider whether it wants to continue offering a platform to someone who repeatedly engages in on-air expressions of bigotry.”
The blog Think Progress, part of the Center for American Progress, posted the video with this reminder:
Previously, Coulter has put “even money” on Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) “[c]oming out of the closet,” said Bill Clinton shows “some level of latent homosexuality,” and called Vice President Al Gore a “total f*g.”
National media also reported on the incident. Three days later (March 5, 2007), CNN ran a segment in which they got reaction from Senator John Edwards and members of Congress. CNN.com also reported that advertisers were pulling out of Coulter’s site.
That same day Fox hosted National Review editor Rich Lowry and Young America’s Foundation spokesman Jason Mattera to discuss Coulter’s comments. Bothdefended her saying it was simply, “a joke”.
CNN was supposed to have Coulter on that evening to discuss her comments, but she decided to cancel. Coulter didn’t, however, cancel her interview with Fox News.
Meanwhile, on MSNBC, “Tucker Carlson claimed: “She called me one, too!” Carlson continued: “[U]nlike John Edwards, I’m not pretending I’m a victim or [that] I’ve been slurred, or I didn’t cry, actually, after she called me that,” adding: “I’m not [gay], by the way.” Later in the segment he also said, “And we’re always happy to have her on. She’s great TV.”
On the other hand, Carlson’s MSNBC colleague, Keith Olbermann, gave Coulter the gold in his nightly “Worst Person in the World.”
The next day, March 6th, Coulter appeared on far-right Sean Hannity’s nationally syndicated radio show. Was she sorry about her statement? Not in the least. She continued to contend it was a joke, but then added:
I don’t think there’s anything offensive about any variation of f**gy, f**gotry, f**got, f*g. It’s a schoolyard taunt. It means — it means wussy. It means, you know, Hillary giving a speech in a fake Southern drawl — that’s f**gy. A trial lawyer who weeps before juries is f**gy. Lifetime-type TV, f**gy.
GLAAD issued an action alert to all our members, urging people to contact NBC News, CNBC, MSNBC, CNN and Fox News Channel and asking the networks to publicly state that they will refuse to continue providing a platform for Ann Coulter’s vulgar anti-gay remarks.
As well as the advertisers pulling spots off her website, over the course of the next few weeks, many newspapers decided to drop Coulter’s syndicated column.
Months later, in June, Coulter began to promote her new book Godless and once again defended her statement. This is what she had to say while talking with Chris Coumo on Good Morning America on June 25th :
CUOMO: You say you were — you were joking.
COULTER: Oh yeah, I wouldn’t insult gays by comparing them to John Edwards. That would be mean. But about the same time — you know — Bill Maher was not joking and saying he wished Dick Cheney had been killed in a terrorist attack. So I’ve learned my lesson. If I’m going to say anything about John Edwards in the future, I’ll just wish he had been killed in a terrorist assassination plot.
And then two days later with CNN’s Glenn Beck on Headline News, justifying why it was ok to be homophobic at the conference:
COULTER: And by the way, I wasn’t saying it on TV. I was saying it at a right-wing political convention with 7,000 college Republicans. I didn’t put it on TV.
BECK: OK, well — but that doesn’t necessarily — I don’t want to get into that. Here’s — here’s what it –
COULTER: You don’t think it makes a difference what the venue is? There’s nothing you’d say in front of a group of college Republicans that you wouldn’t say on TV? I doubt that.
Keep in mind, the entire conference was being broadcasted on CSPN.
On the same broadcast, Coulter made fun of Beck and CNN for bleeping the word “f**got” by saying:
COULTER: — I like that you’re bleeping that now. Are you also bleeping “illegal alien” and “amnesty,” other words we’re not supposed to use?
BECK: Well, one is a –
COULTER: “Niggardly?”
BECK: One is a slur. One is a slur. Do you believe — do you believe that word is a slur?
COULTER: No.
It is clear to anyone watching television news programs that Ann Coulter’s appearances have decreased in the later half of the presidential election coverage. The response from the LGBT and allied community to her comments about John Edwards (as well as the response to her October 2007 statement that “we” Christians “just want Jews to be perfected”) have been primarily responsible for that decrease.
While Ann Coulter has the freedom to say what she likes, news outlets also have the freedom to not promote her hurtful and defamatory commentary. As for us, we have a responsibility to hold her and the news outlets that give her a platform accountable.
