Channel Surfing

Television Previews by Bruce Christian

GLBT community more media savvy

This should come as no surprise, but a new Harris Interactive survey shows members of the GLBT community are more likely to be involved in new media and social networking such as blogs, FaceBook, Twitter, etc.

The Harris Interactive study found that 55 percent of GLBT adults read some kind of blog, compared to 38 percent of adult heterosexuals. Interviewed were 3,000 U.S. adults, of whom 404 identified themselves as members of the GLBT community.

Similarly, 55 percent of the gay and lesbian respondents admitted to having a Facebook page, compared to 46 percent of the straight respondents. A larger gap existed when asked about MySpace, with 43 percent of the gay and lesbian adults acknowledging having one, compared to only 30 percent of the straight interviewees.

“In several years capturing trends, we see again that gays and lesbians are not only looking to stay well informed but also to expand their key social, professional and personal connections online”, said Bob Witeck, CEO of Witeck-Combs Communications. “As companies work to make the most of their advertising budgets in the current economic climate, blogs and social networking sites are an even more powerful cross-section of opportunities today when reaching out to this market.”

Speaking of ads

A Sacramento, Calif., morning radio team found out the hard way how what they say on the air can affect the station’s bottom line.

Bank of America, Verizon, Chipotle and nine other companies pulled their advertising from the Rob, Arnie & Dawn morning show on KRXQ, after the hosts referred to transgender people as “freaks” with mental disorders.

The show aired May 28. The hosts were discussing the gay marriage debate in California, and the discussion turned to transgender people.

“If my son, God forbid, if my son put on a pair of high heels, I would probably hit him with one of my shoes. I would throw a shoe at him,” Arnie States said on the air.

Rob Williams then suggested transgender people suffered from a mental disorder. “They are freaks. They are abnormal,” he said. “Not because they’re girls trapped in boys bodies, but because they have a mental disorder that needs to be somehow gotten out of them.”

Williams added that he would tell a boy he was “a little idiot” if he asked to wear a dress. Dawn Rossi, the third host, tried to defend transgender people from her co-host’s remarks.

The statements caught the attention of transgender advocates and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), which intervened quickly and got apologies within a couple of days.

“Our issue here is that Rob and Arnie advocated violence against children because of whom they are and have failed to take responsibility for their dehumanizing and defamatory words,” said Rashad Robinson, senior director of programs at GLAAD.

On June 3, the radio personalities, responding to the outcry discussed it again, but never actually apologized, GLAAD points out. During the show, States insisted they never advocated abuse and the comments were meant only as a joke, according to The Sacramento Bee.

GLAAD continued to put on pressure, which prompted the show to issue a statement on its Web site telling its listeners it had crossed the line, failed them and that no new episodes would air until June 11.

When they returned to the air, the mea culpas were there too:

“Our audience made it clear that we had actually made it seem as though we endorse or allow, or in a worst case scenario from some of the comments I've heard from our fans, encourage the harming and abuse of children, the bullying and vilifying of those who are different and singling out of transgenders for harm and/or mocking,” Williams said. “And for that, for the education that our audience has supplied to me, I want you to very clearly understand that I proudly and fully apologize, apologize for those comments completely. I'm sorry that this show in any way made it sound like we would ever tolerate any of those things that I described.

“I didn't realize that my words could really affect and hurt as bad and as negatively as they did — not only to the transgender community but also to our audience — our listeners, our backbone, if you will. My ignorance prevented me from understanding how hard a transgender's life is day to day. I never understood that and I'm very sorry for that. I ignorantly thought that name-calling was just that —name-calling. And due to my ignorance, I was wrong about that."

States added, "If you hurt a child in any way, if you joke about hurting a child in any way, if you advocate or tolerate hurting a child in any way, the Rob, Arnie and Dawn show has always and will continue to stand against you.

"I'm not here to change people's minds on things, I'm here to entertain people, and I didn't do that. I hurt people. And that wasn't my goal. I stupidly tried to think that I was entertaining people by the things that I said and I hurt people in the process."

The show also devoted two and a half hours of the program with transgender advocate Autumn Sandeen and Executive Director of TransYouth Family Allies Kim Pearson (a recent honoree of the annual Equality Arizona awards). Hosts Williams, States and Dawn Rossi asked numerous questions, took listener calls and oversaw a robust discussion about transgender people and issues.

After the show, GLAAD spoke with Pearson and Sandeen about the program.

“It’s not up to me to grant forgiveness or absolution, and people are going to hold their feet to the fire,” said Pearson. “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.”

Sandee added, “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.”

Change slower elsewhere

Although former Miss California USA Carrie Prejean, the queen of mean regarding gay marriage, was fired and can no longer represent the state, her replacement’s views on the topic are about the same.

Because Prejean is still gathering headlines, the new titleholder, Tami Farrell acknowledged during an interview that she agrees that marriage should be between one man and one woman. The only reason she probably is not getting the headlines for it, is that she adds the caveat: "But I don't think I have the right or anybody has the right to tell somebody who they can or can't love."


GM in Detroit

That’s GM as in gay male. Former TV anchor and reporter Charles Pugh came out to the city’s Fox television affiliates five years ago. The result was that his popularity grew, and he became one of the most popular TV journalists in the city. Now he is banking on that popularity to put him on the city council.

Pugh announced he would run to become Detroit’s first openly gay city council members.

"I'm focused on bringing a level of class and dignity and respect for the job that Detroiters want,” he said.

He resigned earlier this year from WJBK-TV and WJLB-FM, where he hosted and co-hosted talk shows.

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