GLAAD CONDEMNS FOX STATION’S “IS TV TOO GAY?” DISCUSSION

GLAAD, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, has come to the defense of Fox’s hit Glee after the show was attacked by the anti-gay activist Bryan Fischer on the Fox-owned TV station in Houston. During a segment titled “Is TV Too Gay?” of the KRIV newscast that followed a Glee episode dealing with bullying, Fox anchorwoman Damali Keith asked Fischer what he thought of “the homosexuality storylines that we’re having in more shows now?” Fischer reply that “what these television programs are doing is glamorizing homosexual behavior. … This is conduct that carries enormous psychological and physical risks to those who engage in it.” Keith then compared the gay-themed stories to “product placement,” remarking, “You throw a soda in a movie and within a few seconds later everyone in the theater is thirsty for that particular brand.” In a statement on Tuesday, GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios said that the Fox station “should not only apologize and correct the misinformation in this segment, but needs to think twice before elevating hurtful messages and anti-gay attitudes.” The segment also featured Houston gay activist Ray Hill. Replying to a question about whether it was appropriate to air such a program at a time when children would be watching, Hill remarked indirectly, “This is a program that people want to see. … If it attracts an audience, advertisers are going to clamor to be on it. It’s the rule of economics which I used to think was a conservative principle.”