Gay media watchdog identifies top offenders of 2006

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) recently identified what it called the worst media and anti-gay voices in 2006. In releasing the list, GLAAD's President Neil G. Giuliano said the organization is putting the media on notice to stop all anti-gay rhetoric that he said has fed a climate of hatred and prejudice against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in the US. "Every day, LGBT people are viciously attacked and slandered by those who create and/or profit from anti-gay messages," said Giuliano. "Such expressions of intolerance clearly have an impact on how people treat members of our community." GLAAD works with reporters, editors, bookers and producers to ensure that their stories are fair and accurate, and speaks out publicly when homophobic remarks are made in the media. "The amazing and unprecedented visibility of our lives and the issues we face every day makes it imperative that GLAAD respond decisively to such blatant bigotry," said Giuliano. "Every day, we are on the front lines of the fight to change hearts and minds, in sometimes easy, sometimes heart-breaking circumstances. The media has a responsibility to make certain our voices are heard and our community is visible. This will be achieved when we convince those around us that our lives and our relationships deserve nothing less than full equality and respect." In one of the worst examples, GLAAD cites Time Magazine for publishing claims by Focus on the Family chair James Dobson about gay families. Following widespread media coverage of the announcement that Mary Cheney, daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney, is pregnant, Time magazine took the unusual misstep of inviting Dobson to contribute a column. Titled "Two Mommies Is One Too Many," GLAAD said it contained significant misrepresentations. The group also named the New York Post for publishing two anti-gay cartoons in a three week period in October 2006. The first depicted a man carrying a sheep wearing a bridal veil to a "New Jersey Marriage Licenses" window and the second featured former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey "comforting" former Rep. Mark Foley. On the Jan. 18, 2006 edition of "Imus in the Morning" on MSNBC, host Don Imus, and guest Chris Matthews (host of MSNBC's "Hardball with Chris Matthews" and NBC News' "The Chris Matthews Show") used an exchange about "Brokeback Mountain" to engage in what GLAAD called a sophomoric display of homophobia. GLAAD also named Ann Coulter to its list for remarks she made on Matthews show "Hardball." GLAAD said Matthews gave her a free pass to use a defamatory anti-gay slur. MSNBC host Tucker Carlson also made the list. On "The Situation with Tucker Carlson," Carlson made defamatory comments about Lily McBeth, a transgender New Jersey substitute teacher. In reporting on McBeth's story Carlson said: "I'm pretty tolerant of whatever people want to do, very tolerant, in their private lives. If men want to dress up like women that's fine. I think it's dorky, but you know, it doesn't hurt me. If a person voluntarily undergoes castration, that is totally different. That is an act of a crazy person. That's like setting your hair on fire or blinding yourself. You are unstable if you voluntarily castrate yourself simply because you feel uncomfortable in your own sex and I don't want a person that unstable teaching my kids." Reno's El Sol de Nevada newspaper made the list after running a column claiming that gays and lesbians get married to have access to heterosexual rights and to be less "tempted" to engage in pedophilia. Written by a reported psychologist, the column further described gays and lesbians as suffering from symptoms of neurosis, a direct result of neurotic relationships with family members. GLAAD also took aim at the newspaper Today, published in the Dutch resort of St. Maarten, which published an editorial that GLAAD said "glorified gay bashing, trivialized the assaults, and called gay people 'faggots' and 'homos.'"