FAMILY EQUALITY COUNCIL BLASTS TIVO FOR PARTNERING WITH FOCUS ON THE FAMILY by: Cathy Renna, OIA Newswire
BELOW IS THE TEXT OF A LETTER SENT TO TIVO THIS AFTERNOON BY THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE FAMILY EQUALITY COUNCIL
June 5, 2008
Dear Owners and Administrators of TiVo, Inc.:
My name is Jennifer Chrisler. I am the Executive Director of Family Equality Council, the national organization working to ensure equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) families by building community, changing hearts and minds, and advancing social justice for all families.
On behalf of LGBT families everywhere, I am incredibly disappointed to see that TiVo, a national corporation providing entertainment services to millions of families in this country, has decided to sponsor and endorse the "I Know a SuperDad Essay Contest" with Focus on the Family.
Focus on the Family is widely known as one of the largest right wing organizations in the United States. People for the American Way remind us that, in particular, "Focus on the Family works against 'special rights' for homosexuals and hate crime legislation, and supports 'reparative therapy' for homosexuality, which has been widely discredited and rejected by the vast majority of doctors and physicians."
Additionally, Focus on the Family's leader, James Dobson, routinely makes false claims about gay and lesbian parents. In his 2004 book Marriage Under Fire, Dobson wrote that "[m]ore than ten thousand studies" support mom-dad families as the best for children, an assertion now widely debunked both by Dobson's lack of citation and the fact that LGBT families can show 30 years of scientifically valid research demonstrating that our children do just as well as children raised by heterosexual parents in all key areas of childhood development (see www.familyequality.org/resources/research).
Dobson has also made such outrageous and offensive statements as: Same-sex marriage would lead to "marriage between daddies and little girls.between a man and his donkey," as well as the destruction of the family and Western civilization entirely.
Aligning yourselves with Focus on the Family for the "I Know a SuperDad Essay Contest" sends the message that you support anti-LGBT politics and the hate speech Focus on the Family regularly spreads. It furthermore says to the millions of LGBT parents, their family members and friends in this country that you do not think gay dads can be "Super Dads," an assertion we know from the very real experiences of our lives to be completely untrue.
I encourage you to recant your support of this contest, and want to inform you that despite the exclusive nature of this contest gay dads, their children and family members who love them from around the country will be submitting their nominations regardless of Focus on the Family's disavowal of their worth.
That being said, I am happy to meet with you in person to discuss this issue and share with you real facts about LGBT parents. Our families want what all other families want. Our parents are just as "super" as any other.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I, and the millions of LGBT families and supporters nationwide, look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Chrisler Executive Director, Family Equality Council
WASHINGTON – The Human Rights Campaign PAC, the federal political action committee of the nation’s largest gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, today announced the release of a comprehensive report – “Senator John McCain: A Record of Opposing the Interests of GLBT Americans.” As the general election nears, Sen. John McCain will tout his reputation as a maverick, an independent and a moderate, but a review of Sen. McCain’s record paints a different picture. The report provides an in-depth view of Sen. John McCain’s record on GLBT issues and the likelihood that a McCain presidency would be similar to that of President George W. Bush. The full report and a summary can be viewed online at www.hrc.org/McCain.
“We’ve witnessed President Bush over the last seven years repeatedly side with ultra-conservatives and the religious right at the expense of protections for GLBT Americans. Judging by his record, a McCain presidency would be another four years of more of the same,” said Human Rights Campaign Vice President David Smith. “Similar to Bush, Sen. John McCain opposes equal benefits for same-sex couples; opposes the Employment Non-Discrimination Act to prohibit discrimination against GLBT Americans in the workplace; opposes expanding the hate crimes act to include sexual orientation and gender identity, and supports the military’s discriminatory Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.”
“Sen. McCain voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would have rewritten discrimination into our Constitution, but his position on equality for same-sex couples is no different than that of President Bush and the conservative right,” said Arizona State Legislator Kyrsten Sinema, who serves on the HRC Arizona Steering Committee and previously directed Arizona Together, the group responsible for defeating the 2006 Arizona constitutional amendment against marriage equality. “The same year Sen. McCain voted against the FMA, he worked to oppose equal rights in his home state of Arizona by appearing in a television advertisement in support of a constitutional amendment that not only would have banned same-sex marriage, but also would have taken away existing benefits and legal protections for unmarried families.”
In 2006, voters in Arizona were faced with a vote on Proposition 107 - an amendment to the Arizona Constitution that prohibited any form of relationship recognition. To view the television advertisement showing McCain voicing support for the amendment, visit the HRC blog: www.HRCBackStory.org.
Highlights from “Senator John McCain: A Record of Opposing the Interests of GLBT Americans”: > Full Story. [6/4/2008]
An initiative to outlaw gay marriage in California has qualified for the November ballot. The measure would amend the state constitution to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. (June 3) > Full Story. [6/4/2008]
CALIFORNIA MARRIAGE DECISION TO BOOST STATE ECONOMY A recent study from UCLA predicts that marriages among gay and lesbian couples could provide $370 million to the state economy in the next three years. The study estimates that about half of California's 92,000 couples will have wedding ceremonies. > Full Story. [6/4/2008]
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom recently rejected proposed cuts to HIV/AIDS services in his fiscal year 2009 budget, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. According to the Chronicle, Newsom rejected a proposal by Mitch Katz, director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health, to cut $3 million of the $10 million the department allocates to 30 not-for-profit groups that provide HIV/AIDS services.
Katz made the recommendation in response to an order by Newsom earlier this month to reduce $11 million from the health department's budget to help alleviate an estimated $338 million city deficit. Katz recommended maintaining medical care and housing for people living with HIV/AIDS but reducing funds for food deliveries, legal services, support groups, acupuncture, massage and herbal therapy. The health department, which is projected to lose $54 million next year, already has made cuts and halted other programs. Although AIDS groups will "fare better than they'd feared," the city still plans to implement a 22% reduction in funds to all community programs, including AIDS groups that receive public health funds, the Chronicle reports. In addition, it is not clear how much federal funds the city will receive for HIV/AIDS programs next year.
Katz said he made the recommendations because the city does not have the "funds to provide these services to anyone else with chronic diseases -- people with cancer, people with neurological diseases." He added, "If the city is saying that complementary therapy is our priority, it would need to be the priority of all people who benefit." Newsom said, "I just couldn't in good conscience justify" the funding reductions. He added, "To the extent there are any cuts, they won't be at this magnitude -- not even close."
Some HIV/AIDS advocates praised Newsom for not implementing the reductions but said the city should be investing more money because there are more people living with HIV/AIDS in the city and the amount of federal funding to San Francisco is uncertain. According to state figures, there are 4,512 HIV-positive people and 8,973 people with AIDS living in San Francisco. In addition, 800 to 1,000 people are newly diagnosed annually, the Chronicle reports. Ayrick Broin -- communications director for Immune Enhancement Project, which receives city funding -- said, "Maybe [AIDS groups] have gotten some extra dollars, but we've also done more protesting." He added that HIV/AIDS groups have "been the most vocal in getting the public aware and realizing this isn't a problem that's going away."
Mark Cloutier, executive director of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, said, "In order for people [living with HIV/AIDS] to participate in primary care, they need these other services." He added, "For people to remain adherent to their treatment regimen, they have to have their mental health issues and substance abuse issues under control, and they need to be stably housed so their lives are not chaotic" (Knight, San Francisco Chronicle, 5/28).
JUNE 2008: PRIDE MONTH TELEVISION PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS June brings lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Pride celebrations to cities across the country, marking a time to reflect on the LGBT community's progress since Stonewall in 1969. As Pride festivities approach, GLAAD has compiled this guide to LGBT-interest television programming and specials scheduled for the month.
In addition, Friday, June 27 is the television premiere of the 19th Annual GLAAD Media Awards on Bravo (7 PM ET/PT). This will be the first televised airing of the celebration on a fully distributed cable network. "Thanks to our partnership with Bravo, the GLAAD Media Awards will be available to over 84 million homes, giving people across the country a chance to celebrate these media images and their creators," says GLAAD President Neil G. Giuliano. "Our community has made such incredible strides toward equality because our stories have been told in fair, accurate and inclusive ways - from journalism to TV storylines to film. Bravo's acclaimed programming has already shown that TV can portray gay and transgender people fairly and accurately with amazing success." Following the GLAAD Media Awards, Bravo will televise the basic cable premiere of Brokeback Mountain (9 PM ET/PT). > Full Story. [5/22/2008]
