Sorry for the hysterical headline, but it took everything I had to not write "GAY HATE", so this is subtle for me.
ABC has had an increasing amount of ties to anti-gay talking points and organizations. Most (in)famous was the 20/20 special which attempted to rewrite the tragedy of Matthew Shephard's murder and give sympathy to his killers. Next came last spring's accepting a primetime ad for extremist theocrat group Focus on the Family even though earlier in the year the network refused to air a pro-gay ad from the United Church or Christ. In August, daytime talk show "The View" had a lengthy interview with ex-gays from Exodus International, a major lobbying group which has strong ties to Focus on the Family. And now the popular series Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is featuring Focus on the Family in their October 2 episode. In FotF's own words:
In addition to its participation in the October 2 episode, Focus hosted the Barrett family yesterday at its Colorado Springs campus for a special visit. The highlight of the day was a meeting with Focus founder and chairman Dr. James Dobson. The Peyton, Colorado family of eight also enjoyed a VIP tour of the Focus on the Family campus, lunch with the staff, a visit with Focus on the Family president and CEO Jim Daly, a trip to the broadcasting studios for a behind-the-scenes look at the popular Adventures in Odyssey children’s radio program, and interviews with the Brio and Breakaway teen magazine staffs.
“There is nothing more rewarding than helping others, and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is a great example of this principle in action,” says Jim Daly, President and CEO of Focus on the Family. “We at Focus on the Family are honored to participate in such a worthy cause.”
ABC seems to want stronger and stronger ties to a group that has declared war against "tolerance" and "diversity". If you want to ask Endemol, which produces Extreme Makeover Home Edition, why they want to associate with this kind of hate, here is the contact information:
Endemol USA 9255 Sunset Boulevard, Suite 1100 Los Angeles, CA 90069
Telephone: +1 310 860 9914 Fax: +1 310 860 1417
E-mail: [email protected]
Management: David Goldberg, President
The contact information for ABC:
ABC Media Relations: Alison Rou (818) 460- 7798
You might think that your words won't make a difference, but those who have called Endemol reported that the person on the other end of the line was not very happy with FotF's self-promotion, and that a photo of Pennington which once appeared on the FotF site has now been taken down.
Please let them know that you do not tolerate hate or attempts to put a fuzzy, warm puppy in place of what is really a rabid dog. ABC continues to give credence to one of the most hostile and influential hate groups in America. Tell them you won't put up with it anymore.
Is this the same episode of Extreme Makeover that will feature the First Librarian? That would be awesome if it is.
Posted by: DHinMI | October 01, 2005 at 18:04
No, that isn't airing until next month.
Posted by: James | October 01, 2005 at 18:09
A good way to celebrate CT's civil union law taking effect today is with an email as James suggests.
What a civilized place, CT. Low key, but civilized.
Posted by: DemFromCT | October 01, 2005 at 18:10
Isn't this Eisner's network? What gives here?
Alison Rou's e-mail is [email protected]. You can also leave a message on her voicemail (until it fills up). If that e-mail address isn't good, she gives it out on her voicemail message.
Posted by: Mimikatz | October 01, 2005 at 18:16
Thanks, Mimi.
It would take forever to edit all the contact information into this article (the information for Sears, Home Depot, and so on) so I'll just link to my diary on Daily Kos.
Posted by: James | October 01, 2005 at 20:49
James Dobson, Imperial Wizard of the anti-gay Klan, who has transformed Colorado Springs into his very own klavern. A modern, to mix hate group metaphors, is our modern Father Couglin.
Posted by: Meteor Blades | October 01, 2005 at 21:08
Sheesh, is this Disney doing penance for the sin of gay-friendliness? Thanks for the post, James; I'm forwarding it to the blog-averse in my world. (And go, CT; and go, MA; I love New England...)
Posted by: rj | October 01, 2005 at 22:05
And while I don't know why, Ellen has moved to CBS. (Remember, this is an Emmy-award-winning, very popular talk show).
Posted by: caj | October 03, 2005 at 19:23
GAY PEOPLE ARE THE FIRST TO CRY ABOUT NOT HAVING FREE SPEACH AND ALSO THE FIRST TO TRY TO LIMIT EVERYONE ELSES FREE SPEACH WHEN THEY OPPOSE THEIR VIEWS.
Posted by: GODSPEED8 | November 01, 2007 at 08:57