A Love/Hate Relationship with the Media

One can easily argue the movement for LGBT rights maintains a tenuous love/hate relationship with both mainstream and LGBT media. Newspapers, radio and television stations, on-line media and other outlets provide activists and organizations a very efficient opportunity to get their respective messages out to their various target audiences and constituencies. These same activists and organizations, on the other hand, bite the proverbial hand that feeds them if reporters document less than flattering news about their activism, misquotes them or commit other journalistic digressions.

Friends Andres Duque and Pedro Julio Serrano, president of Puerto Rico Para Tod@s, blogged earlier this week about homophobic statements El Nuevo Dia reporter Jaime Torres falsely attributed to popular Puerto Rican singer Melina Leon. Another Boy in Bushwick reader expressed concern about an article the Sun-Sentinel published which questioned whether Fort Lauderdale LGBT activists actually support the addition of gender identity and expression to Broward County's anti-discrimination statutes. He discounted the South Florida newspaper's account as "very misleading and actually false in many of its statements." He further assured readers that local activists remain committed to the inclusion of transgender people in its collective advocacy.

These two cases certainly highlight this contentious relationship to which I can attest as a journalist and a former activist who has worked within and outside the movement for LGBT rights for more than four years. The media remains a crucial tool which activists and organizations continue to use. It has a responsibility, however, to report LGBT-related stories accurately without sensationalism or interjection of personal perspectives and feelings. One can easily conclude this theory sometimes does not manifest itself in how media professionals choose to report on these issues.

Isaiah Washington Announces PSA With GLAAD and GLSEN

A litany of celebrities continue to partake in that all too predictable cycle of using racist, sexist, homophobic or transphobic slurs, quickly apologizing for their offensive comments and doing damage control to deflect attention away from any potential damage the backlash may have done to their carefully choreographed careers. Grey's Anatomy's co-star Isaiah Washington is among these public figures.

He sparked outrage earlier this year among the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network and other LGBT activists and organizations with his use of a homophobic slur during an interview with reporters after the Golden Globes. Washington quickly apologized for the slur. He met with GLAAD President Neil Giuliano and GLSEN Executive Director Kevin Jennings and soon afterwards announced he had entered a treatment facility to rectify his own homophobia. Many activists remained highly skeptical of what they perceived to be a high-profile PR campaign designed to deflect attention away from Washington's perceived homophobia. But his publicist's announcement yesterday the actor will appear in a PSA with GLAAD and GLSEN could begin to change these perceptions.

This blogger remains highly skeptical of PR campaigns and the repeated attempts at damage control in which high profile figures continue to engage. Washington's announcement, however, comes as a hopeful development he took the criticism from earlier this year to heart. It remains to be seen whether the actor will stay true to this apparent new found course. But his recent announcement remains a positive step forward.

Don Imus May Sue CBS

Former shock jock Don Imus has made headlines once again with reports he plans to sue CBS Radio for wrongful breach of his contract after the network fired him last month. CNN reported Imus had $40 million left on his contract with CBS. Documents provided to CNN Legal Analyst Jeffrey Toobin further indicate the network also encouraged Imus to remain "irreverent" and "controversial" on his program.

"Company (CBS Radio) acknowledges that Artist's (Imus') services to be rendered hereunder are a unique, extraordinary, irreverent, intellectual, topical, controversial and personal character and that programs of the same general type and nature containing these components are desired by Company and are consistent with Company rules and policies," the contract stated.

CBS fired Imus last month after he used racist epithets to describe the Rutgers University women's basketball team. Imus had a long and documented history of using racist, homophobic and sexist statements during his decades long career. Activists on both sides will almost certainly continue to debate the post-Imus termination fallout as he seeks to redefine his role. CBS' decision, however, remains a strong and long overdue statement against hate speech that has reignited the debate over its continued presence in the media.

Dina Matos McGreevey Talks to Oprah

There comes a time where it is necessary for a journalist to ask the perhaps obvious question: Is this story actually important to my readers? Dina Matos McGreevey's appearance on Oprah yesterday prompted this blogger to repeatedly ask that question.

Matos McGreevey appeared on the talk show to discuss her new book "Silent Partner: A Memoir of My Marriage." It chronicles her relationship with former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey, her reaction to his disclosure of an affair with a former aid and his subsequent resignation in 2004. The talk show host, not surprisingly, peppered Matos McGreevey with questions about her sex life with the now openly gay former governor and other topics of interest to her and to the millions of women who watch her everyday. Matos McGreevey, for better or worse, came across as a naive and somewhat bitter soon-to-be-ex-wife as she methodically discussed her book.

The former New Jersey first lady certainly suffered greatly from the governor's resignation and the very public scandal that ensued. Both Matos McGreevey and McGreevey, however, continue to engage in a very public PR campaign as their contentious divorce plays out in the media. The New York Post, for example, reported late last month Matos McGreevey strongly objected to a nude photograph McGreevey and his partner Mark O'Donnell had placed in their home. She confirmed her position to Oprah.

"It's another example of his poor judgement," Matos McGreevey said. "It's not Michelangelo. It is a 55 by 60 photograph of a nude male."

Matos McGreevey certainly has every right to tell her side of the story. But her book tour, combined with the release of McGreevey's own account last September and the former couple's public divorce, raises questions about intent. These developments certainly provide journalists and editors with an endless supply of sensational headlines. But the question remains as to the personal necessity to generate such headlines at the expense of other stories that most may argue are more important to cover.

LA Times Sports Writer Announces Transition

The LGBT rights movement contains an untold number of unsung heroes who continue to push its collective agenda forward in their own way. They are not the 'paid gays' who regularly appear on CNN or in the New York Times as talking heads, the porn stars who make token appearances at organizational fundraisers and benefits, or those who live in Chelsea, West Hollywood or in the Castro who continue to insulate themselves from the realities with which the vast majority of LGBT Americans continue to live. These unsung heroes are those who advance the movement at great personal or professional risk.

Los Angeles Times sports reporter Christine Daniels is one of these unsung heroes. The veteran reporter and columnist, known to readers as Mike Penner, announced in a column yesterday she will transition into a woman.

"Today I leave for a few weeks' vacation, and when I return, I will come back in yet another incarnation... as Christine," Daniels wrote.

Daniels' disclosure is not newsworthy in an ideal world but sports remains an entity plagued by homophobia and transphobia. Daniels' reporting, however, provided her a unique opportunity to discuss her own transition -- and challenge these pervasive attitudes head-on that have compelled countless other LGBT people to remain in the closet. Daniels shows true courage many may claim the broader LGBT movement lacks in its current incarnation.

Outing in 2007: Media Coverage of Glass Closets

My article, see below, appears in today's New York Blade. This issue remains quite contentious among activists and journalists alike.


Out Magazine’s May issue reignited and redirected the debate on outing celebrities and public figures. “The Glass Closet: Why the stars won’t come out and play” reads the cover line. The provocative image portrays two models holding masks of actress Jodie Foster and CNN personality Anderson Cooper.

In the feature story, Village Voice gossip columnist Michael Musto examines the reasons celebrities choose not to openly discuss their sexual orientation—specifically, those celebrities who seemingly live an openly gay life on many counts but who refuse to divulge the details in the press. Hence, the term “glass closet.”

The issue of Out also includes a story called “The Power 50,” which lists the most powerful gay men and women in America. (The top five: David Geffen, Anderson Cooper, Ellen DeGeneres, Tim Gill and Barney Frank.)

Before the issue hit the stands, it was a hot topic among bloggers and activists. Many praised the magazine; others went on the attack.

Musto himself was quick to defend the article, saying he has a right to report on celebrities’ personal lives. “As an entertainment reporter, I cover celebs’ lives,” Musto said. “When these people are acting out same-sex love affairs, often in public, it’s not even outing. It’s simply reporting.”

The openly gay columnist has written extensively about Rosie O’Donnell, Ellen DeGeneres and other lesbian and gay celebrities, at times reporting on them before they came out in the media.

Musto labeled potential critics of his reporting as hypocrites. “No one ever complains when the reports are about Paris Hilton’s boyfriends or Lindsay Lohan’s partying,” Musto said. “Most of the people who are so outraged at the [Out] piece gobble up all kinds of personal gossip all day long, but suddenly become pious when gay sex comes up.”

In a New York Daily News article, Chris Ciompi, editorial director of Genre magazine, which is affiliated with the Blade, criticized Out Magazine editor Aaron Hickin for putting likenesses of Foster and Cooper on the cover. Ciompi described the stunt as a ploy to sell magazines. “Your right to privacy is a constitutional right,” Ciompi said. “Maybe Jodie and Anderson would prefer to be known for their work, not their sexuality. The climate of the United States today still would not allow that to occur. With Anderson, many people would perceive his credibility to be undermined.”

Hicklin defended the article. He, like Musto, suggested celebrities remain in the closet to protect and advance their careers. Hicklin challenged them to come out as a way to decrease media speculation.

“It takes people like Jodie Foster and Anderson Cooper to acknowledge their sexuality to stop [this story from] being intrinsically interesting to the media,” he said. “None of these are new arguments. There’s enough information out there, and we were just stating the obvious.”

Sirius Satellite Radio host Michelangelo Signorile has outed late publishing tycoon Malcolm Forbes and other public figures throughout his journalism career. He agreed with Hicklin’s defense of Musto’s article.

“Journalists are not in the business of helping people’s careers with lies—or at least, they’re not supposed to be—or being worried about the well-being of public figures to the point of keeping facts out of stories,” he said. “They’re supposed to be in the business of telling the truth.”

The abrupt resignation of former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley [R-Fla.] last September after ABC News broadcast sexually explicit e-mails he sent to a former Congressional page and other recent scandals, such as claims former pastor Ted Haggard had sex with a former male prostitute, highlight the difficulty national LGBT organizations face in addressing outing. The Human Rights Campaign and other organizations quickly issued statements that condemned the former Congressman’s alleged conduct.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, on the other hand, remained silent for several weeks despite several conservative commentators who attempted to link homosexuality and pedophilia after Foley came out.

GLAAD President Neil Giuliano told the Washington Blade in an interview last November his organization worked behind the scenes with journalists to focus their coverage of the scandal away from the former Congressman’s sexual orientation. He told the Blade his organization does not support outing. Signorile quickly dismissed this position.

“They articulate a very simplistic and often offensive response to the issue,” he said. “They know why this is relevant, why it should often be reported on and why it’s not wrong.”

Giuliano conceded the public remains interested in celebrities’ private lives. He further added that public figures whom come out increase understanding of LGBT people.

“When more people from all walks of life choose to live openly, the more accepting and understanding society will become toward LGBT Americans,” Giuliano said.

National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association President Eric Hegedus agreed. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, Jennifer Anniston and Vince Vaughan and other high-profile couples and romances have dominated gossip columns. But Hegedus concluded the media, as a whole, fails to report on gay and lesbian celebrities in the same way it continues to report on the private lives of their heterosexual counterparts.

“The public certainly has an interest in who is LGBT,” he said. “But the news media still treats LGBT individuals differently by not attempting to approach the subject of their personal lives.”This question continues to pose difficult ethical questions for journalists. Kelly McBride of the Poynter Institute said they should weigh whether a person’s sexual orientation is relevant to their story before they write about their personal life. But she noted Musto’s article for Out Magazine contains potentially damaging speculation that readers could conclude is true.

“In this case, you’re not dealing with fact—you’re dealing with innuendo and rumor,” McBride said. “That’s very dangerous because innuendo can become fact in public perception if we don’t give it the proper treatment.”

Musto said he will continue to report these issues. “The debate will always rage on,” he said. “I will always find a way to simply state to the public that many of our idols are gay and leading gay lives. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

Post-Imus Termination Debate Continues

Media pundits, social commentators, politicians and average Americans continue to weigh in on the fallout from former radio talk show host Don Imus' comments against the Rutgers University women's basketball team. The decision to terminate Imus came as a welcome development among the groups that had urged MSNBC and CBS to remove him from the air. It has sparked a long-overdue national conversation about hate speech but several questions remain unanswered.

"Washington Week" host and former New York Times reporter Gwen Ifill posed one of the most obvious questions yesterday during a rountable on NBC's "Meet the Press." She correctly asked host Tim Russert and Times columnist David Brooks to explain their repeated appearances on Imus' program despite his long history of racist, sexist and homopobic comments. Russert, rather uncomfortably, deplored Imus' comments but also expressed sadness for the former talk show host and his family. He also candidly admitted Imus' program generated "political discussions you don't hear anywhere else." Imus clearly provided an attractive forum for many politicians -- former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani, U.S. Sen. John McCain and former Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry have all appeared on his show -- celebrities and others. But the question remains as to why these public figures seemed to overlook Imus' history of irresponsible comments for their own personal or political gain.

Imus once categorized Ifill as a 'cleaning lady' during an on-air commentary. Yet she rightfully challenged her colleagues to explain their passive support of his comments each time they appeared on his show. These questions are certainly uncomfortable to answer. Yet, answers to these queries are an essential part of the national conversation on the continued tolerance of racism, sexism and homophobia that must continue to take place in light of Imus' comments and his termination.

CBS Fires Don Imus

The inevitable second shoe finally dropped late yesterday afternoon with CBS Radio's decision to fire Don Imus. CBS President and Chief Executive Officer Leslie Moonves said in his statement that announced the shock jock's termination that 'there has been much discussion of the effect language like [that used by Imus to describe the Rutgers University women's basketball team] has on our young people, particularly young women of color trying to make their way in this society' among CBS employees, fellow media professionals and others across the country.

This controversy was never really about the former radio personality. Coach C. Vivian Stringer herself told the New York Times his comments 'are indicative of greater ills in our culture.' Imus should be held accountable for his appauling comments. But the fact remains that his listeners and, to a broader extent, society as a whole should be held equally accountable for their support of such blatant hate speech. Imus is only indicative of the broader society which supports him and his termination will remain that -- his termination -- if the broader issues raised during this past week are not addressed.

Don Imus Sparks More Outrage

Don Imus is at it again! The outspoken radio talk show host sparked his latest outrage last week with his racially insensitive categorization of the Rutgers University women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos." Imus has repeatedly apologized for his comments but both NBC News and CBS Radio yesterday suspended his show for two-weeks.

This man has a long and documented history of charged comments against underrepresented groups. He famously joked the New York Times had let 'the cleaning lady cover the White House' in a pointed reference to now "The News Hour with Jim Lehrer" Senior Correspondent Gwen Ifill. Imus also sparked outrage among lesbian and gay advocacy organizations last year with his description of "Brokeback Mountain" as "Fudgepack Mountain" during an on-air exchange with MSNBC personality Chris Matthews. These sophomoric attempts at humor, and others like them, only serve to generate attention for themselves along the same vein upon which conservative commentator Ann Coulter and others have built their careers. NBC News and CBS Radio are correct to suspend Imus but his latest insult plays into a much broader phenomenon.

Imus is only the latest of a laundry list of commentators, politicians and celebrities -- former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Grey's Anatomy co-star Isaiah Washington and others -- whose comments have sparked controversy. These public figures apologized almost immediately afterwards in a self-serving attempt to quell outrage and condemnation in an exercise of personal repentance. The real issue this phenomenon raises, however, is the fact these comments are a reflection upon the society that continues incubates these racist, sexist and homophobic attitudes in the first place. Imus' comments are certainly not a surprise to those who have been in his comedic cross hairs throughout his career. He should certainly be held to account. But the real challenge is how society can use this incident as an opportunity to remedy its long-held prejudices. This work will certainly take much more effort than a self-serving statement of repentance.