“The Dr. Oz Show” Raises the Bar for Transgender Talk Show Coverage
February 18, 2010
This afternoon the highly anticipated Dr. Oz Show episode featuring transgender children and their families aired, exhibiting some of the best nationally televised conversations about gender identity, despite some missteps in promotional materials and on-screen visuals.
In the introductory segment of his hour-long health show, Dr. Mehmet Oz hosted two transgender children and their families to discuss their process of realizing and embracing their respective identities. Eight-year-old Josie and her mother Vanessia, members of the organization Trans Youth Family Allies, who some may recognize from their recent appearance on “The Tyra Show,” talked about first learning the word transgender and how drastically Josie’s life improved once she stopped being forced into a masculine identity that did not fit her. Next, fifteen-year old Isaac and his parents Arturo and Monica explained how they decided that taking hormone blockers and undergoing a double-mastectomy would be best for him. While references to surgery and anatomy did come up, Dr. Oz did not focus on those aspects of their stories. Instead, the producers refreshingly included footage of Isaac stating that while the hormones and surgery helped, “I’ve always been me.”
While talking with each family, Dr. Oz consulted guest expert Dr. Robert Garofalo, a pediatrician who advises hundreds of children and their families about gender transitions, allowing the audience to hear probably the healthiest medical opinion of transgender identity ever broadcast. After Dr. Oz presented the phrase “Gender Identity Disorder” and let it linger on the screen behind his transgender guest, Dr. Garofalo was quick to calmly emphasize that the term disorder is not broadly accepted by transgender community members and allies. While Dr. Garofalo acknowledged that the prescription of hormone blockers is relatively new – and therefore under-researched, he stressed that the decision should lie primarily with the children and their families rather than medical professionals.
Alongside this groundbreaking content, however, sensationalized portrayals of the topic remained in the promotional videos for the episode, and even in the episode’s open-ended title, “Transgender Kids: Too Young To Decide?”, which also hovered in the background throughout the segment.
Though the show certainly left room for improvement in its promotional methods and on-screen images, GLAAD applauds Dr. Oz and his producers for providing an exemplary discussion of gender identity, unprecedented in its refrain from an intrusive focus on anatomy.
Take Action to Thank the Dr. Oz Producers for Their Coverage of Transgender Children:
We encourage all viewers, advocates, and allies to write letters of thanks to Dr. Oz and his producers to let them know how much their segment has improved the standard for media presentations of transgender-related topics.
Please send emails to susan@zoco.com. If you would like to sign a model thank you letter we have drafted, please click here. Help us generate future episodes of equal or greater caliber.
Related Posts:“The Tyra Show” Features Transgender Children and Their Families
January 28, 2010
On Wednesday afternoon, The CW Network aired an episode of The Tyra Show focusing on transgender children and their families, titled “We’re 7 & 8 Years Old and Know We Are Transgender.” Four young transgender people and three of their families appeared on the show to discuss their identities and their families’ experiences in raising them as their true selves. 
While the show, overall, did a laudable job of presenting the rarely-discussed topic of transgender children and their families to a mainstream audience using correct terminology and asking respectful questions, there was still some room for improvement.
Tyra first spoke with the family of Josie, an eight-year-old transgender girl, whose mother shared how she first learned about the word transgender and realized that the female identity Josie had always expressed was something she and her husband needed to embrace. As Josie talked with Tyra, she shared her favorite activities and various aspects of her personality.
However, at points the conversation shifted problematically to focus on Josie’s body and anatomy, with questions about her self-described “birth defect” and her level of comfort in bathing suits and getting dressed in the morning – though it does appear that the show’s producers may have edited out some of the most problematic questions that GLAAD witnessed at the live taping.
Unfortunately, with every transgender guest on the remainder of the show, Tyra’s focus in one way or another returned to issues of anatomy, surgery, menstruation, or body hair rather than highlighting the more important stories from their life experiences. Mainstream America’s tendency to reduce transgender people to their anatomy and operative status is never acceptable, but in the context of young children, such conversations become even more inappropriate.
Additionally, the end of the show featured “a heated debate” over the acceptability of parents’ decisions to allow their children to live as a gender different from their sex at birth. Dr. Marci Bowers, a transgender surgeon specializing in sex reassignment surgery, and Kim Pearson, Executive Director of TransYouth Family Allies rebutted arguments made by a professor who said that all children should be discouraged from transitioning and made to feel comfortable living as their birth sex. This segment brought an unnecessary source of friction to an issue that did not need to be framed as a debate.
Again, GLAAD thanks The Tyra Show and its producers for bringing the topic of transgender children to daytime TV in a mostly fair and respectful manner. We hope that this constructive criticism will serve to inform future episodes on transgender-related topics.
Related Posts:UPDATE: Dr. Phil Show Agrees to Pull Problematic Segment on Transgender Children
July 28, 2009
Yesterday, we posted about how the Dr. Phil Show had planned to re-air a problematic segment about transgender children and asked that you reach out to the show. GLAAD also reached out to the producers to voice concerns and ask them not to air the show.
Monday evening we heard back from the Dr. Phil Show producers. They told us they were pulling the show titled, “Gender Confused Kids” and instead reairing their other program on transgender children. That show, which originally aired in January, includes our GLAAD trained spokesperson, Dr. Michele Angello, an expert on transgender children.
As you’ll see if you watch the show, Dr. Angello eloquently counters the misinformation put forth by Focus on the Family and the so-called “ex-gay” activist, Joseph Nicolosi. We appreciate The Dr. Phil Show listening to our concerns and making this decision to pull the original program.
The Dr. Phil website indicates the show is airing an unrelated program this Wednesday, July 29 so it is not entirely clear they are running the follow-up show on transgender children this week. Regardless, we are still pleased they pulled the highly problematic first program.
Related Posts:Dr. Phil to Re-Air Problematic Transgender Episode
July 27, 2009
**UPDATE: Dr. Phil Show Agrees to Pull Problematic Segment. Read more here.**
—————————————-
The Dr. Phil program plans to re-air an October 2008 episode that misrepresents transgender children and features the biased view of an anti-LGBT activist.
On the October 29, 2008 episode of Dr. Phil titled “Gender-Confused Kids,” Dr. Phil McGraw interviewed transgender children and their parents. The show featured two guests, Dr. Dan Siegel from UCLA who specializes in pediatrics and transgender issues, as well as Glenn Stanton, research fellow for the anti-LGBT organization Focus on the Family.
While Dr. Siegel offered credible insight on transgender issues, backed by research and medical experience, Stanton baselessly asserted that children develop transgender identities after parents fail to enforce gender roles. The program’s choice to present Stanton’s biased and unreliable perspective as a professional counterpart to Dr. Siegel’s medical expertise earned the episode a place in GLAAD’s October 2008 edition of Best and Worst of National News Coverage.
Several viewers wrote Dr. Phil in response to the problematic episode to voice concern about the platform the Dr. Phil program afforded to the anti-LGBT organization Focus on the Family (FOF) and which allowed FOF to perpetuate misinformation about transgender children.
As a result, Dr. Phil producers reached out to GLAAD and asked for better resources for future coverage and worked with GLAAD to prepare a follow-up show that featured Dr. Michele Angello, a specialist in transgender issues. Dr. Angello joined Dr. Siegel as another insightful commentator on that show. The episode, however, again featured anti-LGBT activist Glenn Stanton, as well as Joseph Nicolosi, a so-called “ex-gay” activist from the discredited fringe organization NARTH (National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality.
You can read about so-called “ex-gay” activists here.
As noted in GLAAD’s critique of the follow-up episode, there are still no modern peer-reviewed studies that support so-called “ex gay” groups nor are there studies that lend credibility to their outdated and long-abandoned theories about the nature of sexual orientation or gender identity. Dr. Phil once again manufactured controversy by featuring the two unqualified and prejudiced anti-LGBT activists who detracted from the valuable opportunity to more substantively educate the American public on the topic of transgender issues.
Dr. Phil is now scheduled to re-air the original episode, “Gender-Confused Kids” on Wednesday, July 29, despite the numerous complaints the program received after its original air date.
GLAAD has reached out to Dr. Phil producers and asked them to pull the episode titled “Gender-Confused Kids.”
GLAAD urges you to contact the Dr. Phil show as well and voice your concern about the problematic segment. Tell producers that featuring Glenn Stanton of Focus on the Family only serves to misrepresent transgender children and helps create a climate that contributes to putting them in harm’s way.
CONTACT:
Carla Pennington Stewart, Executive Producer
(323) 956-4051
Phil McGraw, Host
(323) 956-3300
Stephanie Granader, Senior Producer
(323) 956-3387
UPDATE: National Media Coverage of KRXQ Hosts’ Apologies
June 12, 2009
Two weeks after mobilizing GLAAD supporters, Sacramento radio hosts Rob Williams and Arnie States apologized yesterday for their disparaging, anti-transgender remarks that promoted the abuse of transgender children.
Audio of the apologies can be found here.
Following Thursday’s broadcast, Vice President of Entercom Entertainment Sacramento, John Geary, released a statement describing the anti-transgender remarks as “hurtful” and “unacceptable.”
Geary went on to explain his hopes that KRXQ “can foster a greater level of tolerance and understanding by people on both sides of the [transgender] issue.”
Rob Williams also released a statement following yesterday’s broadcast in which he thanked his listeners:
Thank you for having the courage to stand by us and to keep the show in check. It was through the loyal listeners of the Rob, Arnie and Dawn show that Arnie and I were dragged, kicking and screaming, to the reality that we had gone too far and crossed a line in the eyes of OUR audience. It is still a point of sadness and frustration that it took us so long to acknowledge our mistake, believe our audience, and begin making things right. The show of Thursday, June 11 serves to set things in forward motion.
Additionally, several media outlets highlighted the KRXQ apology, such as the AP, the Advocate, the Sacramento Bee, and local television news stations, among others.
As noted in its Thursday press release, GLAAD will continue to monitor the show daily to ensure it stays within the bounds of fair, accurate and inclusive coverage. GLAAD will also continue promoting the stories of transgender people to the show and advising the hosts on covering transgender people with respect and dignity.
Related Posts:GLAAD Update on Today’s KRXQ Broadcast
June 11, 2009
Since June 1st, GLAAD has been actively mobilizing its supporters to take action against a highly offensive segment of the “Rob, Arnie and Dawn in the Morning” show, which aired on May 28th. For the past 10 days we have been working collaboratively with like minded organizations and community members on this issue. You can about this joint effort here.
Today, the “Rob, Arnie and Dawn in the Morning” show returned to airwaves with a special broadcast that included two transgender advocates. I was updating my Twitter feed live throughout the entire show.
After the broadcast, GLAAD released a statement on the show, which you can find here.
In our statement, we include quotes from Pam’s House Blend contributor and transgender advocate Autumn Sandeen and Trans Youth Familiy Allies Executive Director Kim Pearson who were featured on the 2.5 hour radio broadcast, without any commercial breaks.
In our statement, Autumn relayed:
I think this is the way we make change – and we don’t mean as individuals, but as a community. Humanity won the day. I think that’s what worked – we all became humans in the same room instead of stereotypes.
Kim also shared the following statement:
It’s not up to me to grant forgiveness or absolution, and people are going to hold their feet to the fire. I think this was a good thing, it was a good forum, it was productive, it was good for everyone listening – but time will tell. It was a good first step, but actions speak louder than words.
After the show, the “Rob, Arnie and Dawn in the Morning” website provided an update with links to both Pam’s House Blend and Trans Youth Family Allies. The broadcast is available for listeners to download here.
Local media outlets in Sacramento have consistently reported on the developments surrounding KRXQ with the most recent stories on today’s show featured in FOX40, The Sacramento Press and The Sacramento Bee.
GLAAD would like to thank new media reporters Autumn Sandeen and Michael Rowe for their crucial coverage on KRXQ, which brought the situation to new audiences and helped it become an educational moment for many.
A larger recap will be prepared tomorrow so please check back later for more updates on this story and others followed by GLAAD.
Have an update to share with GLAAD? Send us a tweet on our Twitter account @glaad.
KRXQ UPDATE: Tomorrow’s Show and More Advertiser Statements
June 10, 2009
As many know already from reading our previous update, the “Rob, Arnie and Dawn in the Morning” show will begin re-airing on Thursday, June 11. GLAAD will be listening to the show that begins at 10:30AM EST/7:30AM PST. We will be paying close attention to the broadcast.
We have a few more breaking updates to share with you about what to expect tomorrow morning and the ongoing developments with advertisers pulling from the radio station.
People can tune in here to listen to tomorrow’s show featuring Pam’s House Blend contributor and transgender advocate Autumn Sandeen and Trans Youth Families Allies Executive Director Kim Pearson.
Please note the following information:
- The live broadcast will last for 2.5 hours
- There will be no commercial breaks whatsoever during the radio show
- People may call in during the show at the following number: 916-766-1044
- You can follow GLAAD Senior Media Strategist Andy Marra on Twitter during the broadcast @Andy_Marra
- GLAAD will be releasing our statement on GLAADblog.org and GLAAD.org soon after the show
GLAAD reminds its readers to be respectful and civil when calling into the radio station and expressing your views.
In anticipation of tomorrow’s show, GLAAD spoke with its sister organization, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). The national organization advocating for safer schools recently released a report titled Harsh Realities that documented the experiences of transgender students in the classroom.
GLSEN wanted us to share their statement that reads:
GLSEN is horrified and outraged by the hateful comments directed at transgender youth made on the ‘Rob, Arnie and Dawn in the Morning Show.’ Such comments are even more reprehensible in light of the fact that more than half of transgender students experience physical harassment in school based on their sexual orientation or gender identity/expression and more than a quarter experience physical assault. We can only hope that Thursday’s show will shed light on the need to make sure that transgender youth are safe in every school.
The Transgender Law Center also issued a statement about tomorrow’s morning that you can find here.
Earlier this afternoon, a GLAAD supporter also provided a tip about UC Davis Health Systems ending their relationship with the “Rob, Arnie and Dawn in the Morning” show. The university’s medical institution released a statement that you can find here and here.
In the statement, UC Davis announced their decision to pull all advertising from the station. They also ended their partnership with the station that annually raises charitable dollars for the Children’s Miracle Network. The Sacramento Bee reported on the latest development immediately following the announcement.
GLAAD also received a statement from Home Depot clarifying their involvement with KRXQ. 
The statement reads:
The Home Depot is neither a sponsor nor has it committed advertising to this program. However, our ads are occasionally heard on KRXQ as part of a national radio buy. We have shared your feedback about the morning program with the network and the station directly, and have asked them to look more closely at where our ads are running to ensure they are in accordance with our standards.
We have strict guidelines in place to ensure the programs we support reflect the quality of our brand. Our advertising campaigns have one simple objective — to communicate with audiences in the most effective way possible. Feedback from customers like you plays a large role in helping us to maintain these standards.
Thank you for your interest in The Home Depot.
Local advertisers like Sleep Train and Guitar Center issued statements that you can find here and here. The LGBT community in Sacramento has been very active in leading efforts to contact local advertisers and urge them to pull their advertising contracts from KRXQ. The Sacramento LGBTQI Leadership Coalition, a local alliance of 15+ organizations has been coordinating on-the-ground efforts related to the radio station.
The coalition provided GLAAD with the following statement about their reasons for mobilizing the community:
The hateful remarks against transgender youth made by two primetime Sacramento radio hosts was shocking and hurtful to members of our city’s vibrant and diverse LGBT community. Gay and transgender youth are at high risk of depression, alcohol and drug abuse and suicide due to homophobic discrimination and abusive environments many face in their schools, homes and among their peers. All in our community feel a deep commitment to doing our best to shelter our LGBT youth to the greatest extent possible from these destructive societal pressures. No child should have to be afraid of being hurt or harassed for simply expressing his or her identity.
Please stay tuned for more details. Please check back with us for updates on this developing story.
Have an update to share with GLAAD? Send us a tweet on our Twitter account @glaad.
UPDATE: Sleep Train and Others Clarify Record on KRXQ Advertising
June 9, 2009
GLAAD has received a few updates about KRXQ and their advertisers. Our extensive coverage on advertisers either pulling or not renewing contracts can be found here.
This update comes after GLAAD spoke with KRXQ yesterday, which you can read about here.
Sleep Train provided GLAAD with the following statement to share with its readers:
Thank you for taking the time to write us regarding the comments made on the Rob, Arnie and Dawn show on KRXQ. Rob, Arnie and Dawn have done a good job endorsing for us for many years. However, this time they went too far. We do not condone their comments in any way and we have made it clear to KRXQ’s management, Rob, Arnie and Dawn that their conduct was unacceptable.
Sleep Train is proud of our history of diversity and the inclusion of all the communities we serve. As a result, we have pulled our ads off of KRXQ until further notice.
We have also received other statements from Red Bull, Hawaiian Airlines and State Farm.
Red Bull sent us a statement addressing their advertising relationship with KRXQ:
Red Bull is not an advertiser on KRQX. Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.
We also were provided with a statement from Hawaiian Airlines who reportedly received a number of emails this past weekend. The airline states:
Hawaiian Airlines is not an advertiser on the station.
State Farm had a similar statement as Red Bull and Hawaiian Airlines. The company writes:
Thank you for your comments regarding State Farm running advertisements on station KRXQ in Sacramento. We have read your concerns and those of others with similar concerns. We take very seriously each comment we receive.
State Farm has not advertised on KRXQ in 2009. Once this particular show ran, we discovered that the station had not removed our company logo from their website and that mistake has been rectified.
Please stay tuned for more details. Please check back with us for updates on this developing story.
Have an update to share with GLAAD? Send us a tweet on our Twitter account @glaad.
UPDATE: GLAAD Speaks with KRXQ Management
June 8, 2009
For those just now learning about this issue, please go here to read more about this evolving controversy.
At 11:45am EST, Cindi Creager, GLAAD’s Director of National News, and I spoke with the station manager at KRXQ. GLAAD successfully made the case for a transgender person and a parent of a transgender child to appear on the Rob, Arnie and Dawn show. We are right now in the process of securing Trans Youth Family Allies Executive Director Kim Pearson and Pam’s House Blend contributor and transgender advocate Autumn Sandeen for the broadcast.
As yesterday’s statement noted, KRXQ will be airing a special show on Thursday, June 11 at 7:30am PST.
It should be noted that Autumn was one of the very first reporters to shine attention on the May 28th segment alongside Huffington Post blogger Michael Rowe.
KRXQ has assured us that the June 11th follow-up show will be conducted in a “frank and positive manner.” It was explicitly stated to us that we will hear an apology from the radio hosts and listeners will be able to call in. As always, we remind everyone to be respectful and civil when calling into the show.
GLAAD has additionally suggested a transgender media training with our community partners. KRXQ was receptive to the suggestion and we will further discuss this following Thursday’s radio broadcast.
Media have been continuing to follow the story, garnering national coverage. Local media outlets in Sacramento have been especially helpful in covering this story – including The Sacramento Press, FOX40 and The Sacramento Bee. Community blogs have also been extremely effective in sharing updates on this issue and mobilizing readers to take action.
Finally, it should be noted that yet another advertiser has dropped their contract with the station. Guitar Center Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Norman Hajjar, directly reached out to GLAAD following emails from concerned community members.
Norman has provided us with this statement to share with our readers:
Last Thursday, I asked our media agency to speak to KRXQ about the outrageous comments made by their morning on-air team. I wasn’t satisfied with the station’s response. So we decided to pull our dollars from the station.
It’s simple: wrong is wrong. We don’t want our brand associated with such epic insensitivity.
Guitar Center now becomes the 11th confirmed advertiser to pull their contract from KRXQ. You can read more about the others here and here.
Please stay tuned for more details. Please check back with us for updates on this developing story.
Have an update to share with GLAAD? Send us a tweet on our Twitter account @glaad.
UPDATE: KRXQ Radio Host Rob Williams Declares Failure
June 7, 2009
I received a tip from a GLAADblog follower about a statement posted by KRXQ radio host Rob Williams who owns the “Rob, Arnie and Dawn in the Morning” show. At 11:50am PST, Williams issued a statement about their May 28 segment where Rob and Arnie made offensive remarks against transgender children. They refused to apologize on a follow-up show.
The statement comes after a week of turmoil for the radio station. On June 1, GLAAD issued a Call to Action that mobilized hundreds of people to contact the radion station and voice their concerns. You can read more about that here and here.
Huffington Post blogger Michael Rowe and Pam’s House Blend contributor Autumn Sandeen were key reporters regularly following the issue. Their crucial coverage and GLAAD’s Call to Action resulted in a flurry of media pick-up. Concerned community members also began to contact companies and urge them to pull their advertising contracts from KRXQ. I then ended up fielding emails and calls from companies who wanted GLAAD to post and distribute their statements to either pull or not renew advertising on the radio station due to the offensive broadcast. You can read more about that here.
GLAAD received an email on Friday, June 5 at 5:28pm EST from KRXQ station management indicating a desire to speak with us about a possible resolution for their defamatory and dehumanizing remarks. We were told that KRXQ would call us on Monday, June 8 to hear their proposal. Then radio host Rob posts a statement on the incident.
GLAAD looks forward to hearing from KRXQ management and their proposal of concrete assurances that will rectify their previous coverage on transgender children. GLAAD will continue to consult with our partners on this issue to ensure the community is well-represented when speaking to KRXQ.
Stay tuned for more details. Please check back with us for updates on this developing story.
Have an update to share with GLAAD? Send us a tweet on our Twitter account @glaad.
Rob Williams Statement:
UPDATED JUNE 7TH, 2009, 11:50AM
TO OUR LOYAL ROB, ARNIE AND DAWN FOLLOWERS,
WE HAVE FAILED YOU. AS A SHOW, AS PEOPLE, AS BROADCASTERS, WE HAVE SIMPLY FAILED ON ALMOST EVERY LEVEL.
WE PRESENTED OUR OPINIONS ON A VERY SENSITIVE SUBJECT IN A HATEFUL, CHILDISH AND CRUDE FASHION; AND THEN, GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO RETRACT THOSE REMARKS, WE DEFENDED THEM.
SINCE THEN, YOU, OUR LOYAL LISTENERS, HAVE MADE IT CLEAR TO US THAT WE WENT TOO FAR. THE RESPONSE HAS BEEN OVERWHELMING. NONE OF YOU SAID THAT WE COULDN’T HAVE OPINIONS, YET SO MANY OF YOU SAID THAT THE WAY WE GAVE THEM CROSSED THE LINE. FURTHER, YOU SAID THAT OUR ATTEMPT TO MASK OUR COMMENTS AS “JOKES THAT WOULD BE UNDERSTOOD BY OUR AUDIENCE,” WAS UNACCEPTABLE. I WOULD SAY NOW THAT IT WAS WORSE THAN THAT, IT WAS COWARDLY. YOU HAVE MADE THAT CLEAR.
WE HAVE REACHED OUT TO VARIOUS GROUPS AND ASKED FOR A CHANCE TO MAKE THIS RIGHT; TO RESPOND, WITH THEIR PARTICIPATION, TO THE EDUCATION THAT OUR AUDIENCE HAS PROVIDED US. THAT OPPORTUNITY HAS BEEN GRACIOUSLY GRANTED THIS THURSDAY MORNING, JUNE 11TH. AT 7:30 A.M.
THE WORD APOLOGY APPEARS NO WHERE IN THIS LETTER FOR A REASON. WE ALREADY HID FROM DOING THE RIGHT THING ONCE AND WE’RE NOT GOING TO MAKE THAT MISTAKE AGAIN. APOLOGIZING IN A WRITTEN, POSTED STATEMENT IS A FORM OF COWARDICE. WE WILL SAY WHAT NEEDS TO BE SAID THIS THURSDAY.
ON A FINAL, PERSONAL NOTE, AS THE LEADER AND OWNER OF THE SHOW, I HAVE MADE THE DECISION THAT WE NEED TO REFRAIN FROM BROADCASTING NEW EPISODES UNTIL WE CAN ADDRESS THIS ON THURSDAY . WE WILL RETURN TO THE AIR AT 7:30 A.M. JUNE 11TH.
ROB WILLIAMS
ROB, ARNIE AND DAWN
UPDATE: McDonald’s Is 10th Company to Pull KRXQ Advertising
June 5, 2009
GLAAD just posted a recap of its activity relating to KRXQ and its offensive comments against transgender children. The summary also included a statement from AT&T announcing their decision to pull its advertising from the radio station. You can find all of that plus recent media coverage here.
Minutes after posting our recap, I received an email from McDonald’s at 9:17pm EST. Soon after I spoke with a member of the McDonald’s Public Relations team who wanted us to post and distribute their statement.
McDonald’s wrote:
McDonald’s has a proud legacy of diversity and inclusion. The views expressed by the hosts are not consistent with our core values.
As such, we are in the process of withdrawing advertising from KRXQ until further notice.
McDonald’s USA LLC, Pacific Sierra Region
The global fast food chain now becomes the tenth company to either retract or to not renew its advertising contract with KRXQ.
The entire listing of companies include:
- Chipotle
- Snapple
- Sonic
- Bank of America
- Verizon
- Carl’s Jr (CKE Restaurants)
- Wells Fargo
- Nissan North America
- AT&T
- McDonald’s
We continue urging people to voice their concerns with the radio station. Information can be found here.
Stay tuned for more details. Please check back with us for updates on this developing story.
Have an update to share with GLAAD? Send us a tweet on our Twitter account @glaad.
UPDATE: KRXQ Confronted By Advertisers, Media and Community
June 5, 2009
On May 28, the “Rob, Arnie and Dawn in the Morning” show aired a highly offensive segment that caused a lot of shock and disgust. GLAAD sprung into action and has been working full force on this incident. I thought a recap would be in order for those interested in the story’s evolution.
Radio hosts Rob Williams and Arnie States spent more than 30 minutes making crude and dehumanizing comments promoting child abuse against transgender children. It began when they discussed a story about an Omaha family supporting their transgender child and her transition.
Put off like we were? You can directly voice your concerns to the radio hosts by following this link.
The radio station finally called us back after we issued our first Call to Action. According to the station, hundreds of letters poured in from all throughout the country and even around the world. The station promised Rob and Arnie would respond to their offensive segment.
Dawn Rossi
GLAAD also spoke with with radio host Dawn Rossi who defended transgender people on the highly problematic segment.
On their follow-up show (scroll down on their site), Rob and Arnie failed to apologize for their remarks. GLAAD re-issued our Call to Action (which currently remains active, with constituents still writing in).
That’s when media started to take notice. Outlets like The Huffington Post, PerezHilton.com, The Sacramento Bee, FOX40, Instinct (here and here) and many more started to take a closer look at the show.
So did lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocates. Constituents frustrated over the segment and the hosts’ failure to apologize took it upon themselves to make their voices heard. Social networking tools like Facebook were – and still are – being used to contact KRXQ advertisers.
Chipotle announced it had pulled its advertising contract, and Snapple and Sonic followed suit. You can read more about that here.
But today, on June 5, we fielded a massive amount of communication between advertisers and media.
First, Bank of America contacted us to announce they were withdrawing all advertising and provided us with their statement explaning their reasons why. Verizon and the Carl’s Jr. restaurant chain were soon to follow – you can find their statements here.
This afternoon, we received phone calls and emails from Wells Fargo and Nissan. Both companies had statements they wanted GLAAD to distribute.
At 7:29pm EST, we received yet another statement to distribute.
This time it came from AT&T.
AT&T wrote:
The matter was brought to our attention and we have pulled our advertising from the station.
As I write this post, nine companies have now sent GLAAD statements. And all of them have either announced a decision to completely withdraw or not renew advertising contracts with KXRQ because of their offensive radio segment.
Because of GLAAD urging people to contact the station and those who have taken action by contacting advertisers, media have also extensively covered this developing story. The Associated Press, The Advocate, The Sacramento Bee, FOX 40 and others have reported on advertisers withdrawing support from the radio station.
The pressure seems to have caused a stir at the radio station. Today at 5:28pm EST, we received an email from the General Manager promising a phone call this Monday with a possible resolution.
Until then, we continue urging people to voice their concerns with the radio station.
Stay tuned for more details. Please check back with us for updates on this developing story.
Have an update to share with GLAAD? Send us a tweet on our Twitter account @glaad.
UPDATE: Nissan Won’t Renew KRXQ Advertising Contract
June 5, 2009
On May 28, KRXQ radio hosts Rob Williams and Arnie States spent more than 30 minutes making dehumanizing and defamatory comments against transgender children. You can listen to the original broadcast here since it appears the audio is no longer available on radio show’s website.
Seven companies have confirmed they pulled their advertising contracts with KRXQ or will not renew in the future as a result of offensive comments made by the two shock jocks. Another company has decided to step forward and release a statement on the incident.
At 5:10pm, I received a phone call from Nissan North America. I spoke with the Director of Corporate Communications who wanted to provide GLAAD with the following statement on their advertising with KRXQ.
Nissan North America’s statement reads:
Nissan does not support the views expressed during the May 28th broadcast on the Rob, Arnie and Dawn in the Morning show on KRXQ.
Our advertising purchase with this show ended June 1 and we will not renew it.
Currently the list of companies no longer advertising on KRXQ includes:
- Chipotle
- Snapple
- Sonic
- Bank of America
- Verizon
- Carl’s Jr (CKE Restaurants)
- Wells Fargo
- Nissan North America
Please check back with us for more developments on this story.
Have an update to share with GLAAD? Send us a tweet on our Twitter account @glaad.
UPDATE: Wells Fargo Stands By Transgender Community
June 5, 2009
Today, GLAAD has received confirmations from three different companies pulling their advertising contracts from KRXQ. Bank of America, Verizon and Carl’s Jr have all publicly issued statements (here and here) that announced the pulling of their advertisements on the radio station as a result of the offensive comments made by radio hosts Rob Williams and Arnie States.
At 4:51pm EST, Wells Fargo reached out to GLAAD about KRXQ. Apparently, the radio station had placed Wells Fargo’s logo on their website leading people to believe they were current KRXQ advertisers.
Wells Fargo provided the following statement to GLAAD on the issue:
Thank you for your message. We appreciate your feedback and take such matters seriously.
We are strongly committed to equality for all and we do not tolerate discrimination. When we learned of the inappropriate comments made during the May 28th KXRQ broadcast we immediately removed our logo from the radio station’s Web site.
Wells Fargo was not an advertiser on the May 28 broadcast, is not currently advertising with KXRQ, and has not done so for more than a year.
We’re proud of our commitment of supporting many organizations that serve our diverse communities – which is consistent with our company values.
We very much appreciate your comments.
Diversity is at the core of Wells Fargo’s vision and values and Wells Fargo is honored to be on DiversityInc Magazine’s Top 50 list for 2009.
Thank you for taking the time to bring this matter to our attention.
Wells Fargo Communications
The list of companies no longer advertising on KRXQ includes:
- Chipotle
- Snapple
- Sonic
- Bank of America
- Verizon
- Carl’s Jr (CKE Restaurants)
- Wells Fargo
Please check back with us for more developments on this story.
Have an update to share with GLAAD? Send us a tweet on our Twitter account @glaad.
UPDATE: Verizon and Carl’s Jr Pull KRXQ Advertising
June 5, 2009
Two more companies have pulled their advertising as a result of the offensive comments made by KRXQ radio hosts Rob Williams and Arnie States.
At 2:33pm EST, I received a statement from Verizon. The company provides phone, Internet, TV, wireless and service bundles to residential, business, government and wholesale clients.
In a one-sentence statement, Verizon wrote:
We have no plans to advertise on KRXQ.
Additionally at 3:40pm EST, I spoke with the Public Relations department at Carl’s Jr. They confirmed the restaurant chain withdrew all of their advertising.
Carl’s Jr wrote:
We have pulled all of our ads from KXRQ. We did this as soon as the matter was brought to our attention. We appreciate your concern and thank you for contacting CKE Restaurants on this matter.
Regards,
CKE, Public Relations
Guest Response Line: (877) 799-7827
The list of companies no longer advertising on KRXQ includes:
- Chipotle
- Snapple
- Sonic
- Bank of America
- Verizon
- Carl’s Jr (CKE Restaurants)
Please check back with us for more developments on this story.
Have an update to share with GLAAD? Send us a tweet on our Twitter account @glaad.
