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Wednesday, December 3, 1997

HOMOPHOBIA:

ABC's message is hypocritical, potentially damagingBy Kim Hackett

I was deeply offended by Dianna Hole's article regarding the "Ellen" warning label ("Warning label on 'Ellen' should not be questioned," Dec. 1). Her arguments defending ABC's decision to precede the show with a parental warning due to homosexual content are simply a reflection of homophobia.

Hole states that homosexuality is an adult topic which children should be protected from. She claims that the warning label that has persistently preceded "Ellen" is appropriate because children who don't know about sex should not be introduced to the concept of homosexuality. Here, Hole is making a mistake. This is not an issue about sex. Children learn that men and women fall in love and get married when they grow up. And most of the time they learn this before they know anything about sex. The fact that a woman can grow up and fall in love with another woman has nothing to do with sex, and it's not an inappropriate message for a child to learn even if the child knows nothing about sex. It is essential to the health of our society that children do learn this lesson.

Homophobia is constantly hurting our children, through intolerance, hate crimes and the high suicide rate among gay teenagers. I do agree with Hole that it is not the media's responsibility to teach children social issues, but I would like to see the media showing positive portrayals of many different aspects of our society.

Again in defense of ABC's choice to warn the public about "Ellen," Hole argues that "Ellen" is aired during prime time, while shows with "obvious sexual innuendos" are shown after 10 p.m., implying that the warning is appropriate because of the show's early time slot. The warning label preceding "Ellen" has nothing to do with sex. It is not difficult to find prime time sitcoms with much more sexual activity than "Ellen." Did anyone see the "Mad About You" episode in which the couple's bedroom activity was broadcast over the baby's monitor? If the warning is not about sexual activity it must be about the homosexual content. Children watching this show, even with their parents' permission, will get the message that homosexuality is something that they need to be warned about, something bad.

I also want to respond to Hole's comparison of homosexuality on television to violence on television. There have been studies that indicate children who watch shows containing violence show more violent behavior. Hole says that if children see homosexual characters on TV it might confuse them and they might want to "model their behavior after their heroes." This is absurd. Again, this is said under the assumption that homosexuality is inappropriate. What our children are learning when the media solely portrays heterosexuality is that this lifestyle is the only acceptable one. Teens are suffering trying to do just what Hole fears, trying to live up to the heterosexual model they see on TV when that's not who they really are.

Hole also goes into topics about homosexuality not directly related to "Ellen." The first is the discussion about whether a gay person is "born with it" or chooses to be gay. This discussion never leads anywhere because there are tests that supposedly prove each argument. These arguments are based on the assumption that being gay is a bad thing. Many gays hope that the "gay gene" is discovered so that they can say, "It's not our fault. We were born this way." Does anyone ever question why some people prefer tea to coffee, or chocolate to vanilla? No. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if a person is born gay or chooses to be gay. The issue is that people do not deserve to be discriminated against for who they are. Period.

Hole also defends the role of Christians on the issue of homosexuality, saying that Christians should not be criticized because they can disagree with the lifestyle without judging gay men and women. She is correct about what the Bible says, but many gay people have very different experiences with Christians. Hole is a first-year student, so she did not see the men posted on Bruin Walk last year with a Bible in one hand and a sign condemning all "homos" to hell in the other. Maybe these judgmental individuals are in the minority of the Christian community, as I'm sure Hole would assert, but they are definitely the most vocal faction, tainting many people's views of Christians.

ABC is sending a mixed message to its viewers. It is saying that it supports gays and is willing to put its reputation on the line to air a show in which a gay woman is the main character, yet with the parental warning it is saying that the homosexual lifestyle is something that kids shouldn't be exposed to. This confusion is a tragedy and will harm rather than help America's children.