What the hell is wrong with people?

"Ellen" ad denied by Philadelphia affiliate

reprinted from Philadelphia Gay News

Philadelphia's WPVI-TV Channel 6 is one of seven ABC affiliates that will not air a Human Rights Campaign commercial during the "Ellen" coming-out episode. The ad was created to make people aware that job discrimination based on sexual orientation is legal in 41 states. "We simply have a general policy of not accepting issue-advertisements," said WPVI spokeswoman Valerie Staab. 'It's nothing against that particular ad. But we will cover the topic with our news shows as 'Ellen' brings it to a high level of discussion."

The ad features a woman who has just been fired from her job because of her sexual orientation. A conversation between her co-workers reveals that her firing is legal. HRC's phone number is then displayed for viewers to call for additional information. The ad was created by the Semans Co.

The ad will air in 29 markets nationwide.

Affiliates in Chicago, Houston, Knoxville, Tenn., Nashville, Tenn., New York and Wilmington, NC, also declined to air the ad. News conferences in each of the markets in which the ad has been placed, as well as in those declining to run it, are set to publicly unveil the ad one week before its air date, HRC offficials said.

- Scott A. Giordano

Nothing pisses me off more than censorship, especially censorship of ideas. Except maybe homophobia. And combining the two is enough to make me scream.

First of all, it is ridiculous that the firing of someone because of their sexual orientation is still legal in 41 states. Nowadays, with the number of employee vs employer lawsuits on the rise, you can barely fire someone at all, and you have to be careful about how you do it, with all your t's crossed and i's dotted. Yet, you can terminate an employee for no other reason except that they are gay. That's pitiful. Unless they're a hooker, someone's sexual orientation has no bearing on their job performance, no more than their race, gender, or religion does.

And yet, because we still live in a narrow-minded, homophobic society, this is perfectly legal in most of the country. This new "social conservatism" sweeping the nation is tearing the soul from our country. America was founded so that everyone could be free, and everyone could be equal. It took a long time for women and non-whites to realize any equality at all, and there's still a long way to go in that regard. However, this "family values" excuse for bigotry, championed by assholes like Newt Gingrich (who himself has a lesbian sister), is pathetic. Newt and other right-wing conservatives should just be honest and say, "Look. I hate everyone who isn't exactly like me." At least, we'd know their true feelings. But instead, they hide behind rhetoric and soapboxes, claiming that the "American family is in distress," and using the convienient scapegoats of "the media" and "Hollywood" as the culprits.

The American family isn't in distress. It's just changing. Sixty years ago, you wouldn't have found many two-worker families. You wouldn't have found many interracial couples raising children. You wouldn't have found gay and lesbian couples raising children. And yet, these new family units aren't going anywhere. They're here to stay. Pompous right-wingers like Ralph Reed would like to damn all of the "sinners" to hell, and return to an Ozzie and Harriet vision of the American family.

But that's a head in the sand approach. The only way to solve a disagreement is to face it head on and realize the true situation. Continuing to discriminate against homosexuals will not make them go away; it will just make them bitter and resentful towards this society, this supposed "land of equality."

That's why this decision by WPVI is so disappointing. From what I understand, Philadelphia has a large and active gay/lesbian community. People here need to be informed on this issue. My guess would be that the majority of Americans don't even realize that discrimination based on sexual orientation is legal. The HRC ad wasn't asking for "special rights," the buzzword so often used by anti-gay rights activists. Being protected from discrimination is not a special right -- it should be an inalienable right of every American. Is it so wrong to want your job performance to speak for itself, instead of being prejudged for who you are?

Apparently, WPVI thinks it is.