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Open Letter From Get Equal Now Calling For A ‘Tune Out’ Of CNN’s ‘Gay In America’

06/24/10-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
In my life, I have met African-American lesbians, transgender lesbians, deaf lesbians, Jewish lesbians, Hispanic lesbians, and a few gay men of various colors.  The reality is that the LGBT Community is as diverse as humanity.  From race to religion to nation of origin and sex or origin, the LGBT Community knows no boundaries and knows no divisions.  It know no class as we have had rich gays and poor lesbians and middle class transpeople.  Unfortunately, the tendency has always been for the face of the LGBT Community to be white, male and affluent.  While these are the faces of far too many of the leaders of the LGBT Movement, it is hardly inclusive and hardly supportive of the LGBT Minorities out there who often do not have a proper voice or a proper place to look to for help.  Without the representation of positive lesbian faces, many young lesbians look to faux lesbian pop stars and get bad advice.  Without positive portrayals of African-American and Hispanic lesbians and gays, many within both communities find coming out and being whole as being nearly impossible.

We are a Community that is as diverse as the rainbow which symbolizes our movement.

Unfortunately, this is not a message that has gotten around.  CNN is doing a special about being Gay In America, and unfortunately, the program seems to be focused only on the white and affluent portions of our community.  Get Equal Now has called upon CNN to do a second, more inclusive program in the near future.

TITLE: GET EQUAL NOW’s calls for “TUNE OUT” of CNN’s “Gay in America” in order to promote LGBT diversity

By: C.D. Kirven, LGBT Activist

“A society that does not recognize that each individual has values of his own which he is entitled to follow can have no respect for the dignity of the individual and cannot really know freedom.”
Fredrich August von Hayek

Dear LGBT Community and GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios:

This open letter is to LGBT community and GLAAD to join GET EQUAL NOW ‘s protest by tuning out of CNN one-sided view of our community and signing petition to do a “Gay in America 2”. Jarrett Barrios – please join GET EQUAL Now’s “TUNE OUT PROTEST” to promote a more diverse view and request that CNN do a “Gay in America 2” and show diverse faces of the LGBT community.

This is GET EQUAL NOW’s first protest action but we feel is important in order to be true to our mission of holding our community and others accountable for fairly representing the LGBT community.  I urge GLAAD to join GET EQUAL NOW and put out a call to action to “TUNE OUT” of CNN’s Gay in America and sign our petition.  We can no longer afford for our community to not include representations of the diverse faces of our community that include people of color, transgender, transsexual, lesbian and a variety of different economic status as well as religious backgrounds. In an article written in “Now Pubic” by Rhonda J. Mangus  dated November 2, 2009 there was a petition with 800 signatures that demand CNN do this series about the LGBT community and I would like to get 1600 signatures to demand CNN do a more inclusive “Gay in America 2”.   For way too long LGBT in the media myths that all gay men are wealthy, white and self-obsessed does nothing to validate the thousands of gay fathers around the nation who struggle with more pressing issues. We are fighting everyday for workplace protections, on the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and for fair representation of queer people of color or fair reporting on ‘Transgender inclusions of various legislations to protect legalized transphobia within companies across America. Our stories continue to go untold and we continued to be silenced so please I can’t do this without you! Pass this petition to family members, friends, organizations, community leaders and anyone who wants to tell CNN that our community has many faces that begin need to be acknowledged and fairly represented in the media.

Please Jarrett join me so that everyone in our community is fairly represented in all media.  Stand up with me and make sure that all LGBTQA stories are told fairly and make sure all voices are heard because we all know that has not always been the case. But, this would be a great first step. Pass on petition urging CNN to do “Gay in America 2”.

GET EQUAL NOW petition:

http://www.change.org/petitions/view/urge_soledad_obrien_and_cnn_with_get_equal_now_to_do_a_gay_in_america_2