Christian Right issues fatwa against CBS

[Damien]

A few months ago there were pictures floating around the Internet of two beautiful teenage boys in Iran being hanged for the crime of being gay. It was up there with pictures of lynched black people in the South as the saddest, most awful images I'v ever seen.

[Penelope]

I know, I know, just some sarcasm, but intolerance, bigotry and hate leading to the murder of young men and boys, all in the name of any religion, whether sanctioned by the government or not, should be condemned.

[Sonic Youth]

I don't mean to be a prig, but fatwas are very serious. All this is is a protest, and not a fatwa or a pogrom or a lynching. I'm emphasizing this because I just read a distressing story about how killings of homosexuals in the free and democratic nation of Iraq are on an upswing. The Independent reported on Iraqi police (or fundamentalists wearing police uniforms) visiting a 14 year old boy accused of being gay, and shooting him dead on his doorstep. And this is happening due to a REAL fatwah issued by Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

That said, the request for equal time by the Traditional Values Coalition is doomed to fail, and they have Ronald Reagan to thank for that because he repealed the Fairness Doctrine. Television is under no law or requirement to provide equal time to both sides of an issue. Though maybe Moonves should consider airing the TVC's PSA if the fundie's Christian Broadcasting Network agrees to air GLAAD PSAs.

[Penelope]

Good As You responds with humor:

TVC seeking equal time to challenge GLAAD PSA; too bad both viewpoints aren't equal

In response to GLAAD's partnering with the CBS soap opera "As The World Turns" to produce a PSA encouraging gay acceptance, the folks at the Traditional Values Coalition are requesting that the network provide them with equal time to present their anti-gay views. From TVC:

TVC Urges CBS To Provide Equal Time
Traditional Values Coalition Chairman Rev. Louis P. Sheldon has written a letter of concern to Mr. Leslie Mooves, President and CEO of CBS asking that he provide TVC with equal time to respond to GLAAD’s PSA.

Rev. Sheldon told Moonves: “Most major religions denominations consider homosexuality a sinful and disordered behavior. GLAAD calls these Americans discriminatory and hateful because of their religious beliefs."

“At the very least, I believe CBS should apply an equal time standard to this sort of activity. My organization, Traditional Values Coalition, would be willing to discuss some sort of message which would provide the balance lacking from GLAAD’s anti-religious attacks.”

Relatedly, we hear Mr. Sheldon is also pitching his own show to the Eye net, "Are We Sure The World Turns?" wherein he will challenge science, logical thought, and widely accepted realities with his own interpretations of morality and truth.

Should be good TV, that.

We'll have to wait and see how Les Moonves responds to TVC's request to go on the air and plead for non-acceptance. We do know, however, that if we were network execs, our own consideration of Sheldon's proposal would snarkily begin with, "Well, we do allow douche ads..."

[Penelope]

I must admit, the tortured, hypocritical "logic" is amazing, almost Orwellean: intolerence is tolerence.

TVC Urges CBS Affiliates Not To Run GLAAD PSAs

May 4, 2006 - Washington, DC – “I am calling upon TVC supporters to contact their local CBS affiliates to ask that they refuse to air any public service announcements by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) next week during ‘As The World Turns,’” said Traditional Values Coalition Executive Director Andrea Lafferty today. “The underlying message of GLAAD’s PSA is that anyone who opposes homosexual conduct is prejudiced or intolerant. This is propaganda, not accurate information.”

Lafferty is responding to news that CBS has joined with GLAAD to place a PSA in “As The World Turns” to reinforce the message in the show about a boy who tells his parents he’s a homosexual. “GLAAD is using free advertising to push a message about homosexuality that is not true,” said Lafferty. “The homosexual condition is not in-born or unchangeable. Thousands of ex-homosexuals can attest to this fact and their testimonies are well documented by Exodus International.

GLAAD, says Lafferty is seriously misleading the American people about the nature of homosexuality and using its influence to censor what Americans read and see on TV and in movies about homosexuality. “GLAAD brags on its web site about the influence it has over Hollywood screenwriters and has even published a media guide to tell journalists how to report on homosexuality. They also tell journalists how to avoid giving a fair and balanced view of the other side on this issue. Ex-homosexual groups, psychological groups like the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality, and organizations like TVC are to be debunked, marginalized or ignored,” said Lafferty.

“GLAAD’s message in its PSA will be to stigmatize any person who thinks that homosexual conduct is immoral or abnormal,” said Lafferty. “The fact is that most people of faith believe that homosexuality is a sinful behavior and that it can be healed. GLAAD is telling Americans that their religious beliefs are wrong—when there is a wealth of scientific evidence that homosexual conduct is dangerous physically and emotionally to the individual.”

“The underlying anti-religious bigotry of GLAAD must be rejected by all Americans and CBS affiliates should refuse to run their inaccurate PSAs next week,” said Lafferty.