Ya know how we think it’s silly that even straight soldiers’ families are getting the chance to weigh in on repealing DADT? When it comes to weighing in on the public sphere, once again the straights are leading the debate!
Producers aren’t exactly booking the LGBTs to come on and chat about the policy that affects them.
Since it became law in 1993 under Bill Clinton, DADT has forced lesbian, gay and bisexual service members to stay in the closet or face discharge; the law has drummed more than 13,500 members out of the armed forces, while forcing tens of thousands of current service members to hide their identities.
Yet in the four weeks following Obama’s call (1/28/10–2/24/10), only three of 25 sources commenting on DADT on ABC, CBS and NBC—one on each network—were identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual or representing an LGBT organization.
It isn’t just about having LGBT voices included in the debate. It’s about framing the law as something that even needs to be “debated.”
Trouble is, if it’s a question of discrimination, there’s little to debate. Framing it as a question of military effectiveness, however non-existent the evidence, gives the right a foothold and makes TV debates possible. And it lets Fox hosts bring up the North American Man-Boy Love Association. As Fox host Oliver North told Sean Hannity on February 4: “This isn’t about rights. This isn’t about fairness. It’s all about national security…. Now, here’s what’s next. NAMBLA members, same-sex marriages.”
Unsurprisingly, in Fox’s nine segments that mentioned Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell following Obama’s announcement, not a single gay source was featured.
Enter Exhibit A.
How about we take this to the next level?
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[FAIR]
tavdy79
“Framing it as a question of military effectiveness, however non-existent the evidence, gives the right a foothold”
Surely anyone with half a brain (OK, admittedly that does eliminate most of the Freeper set from consideration) can recognise that a military which can draw from the best minds available is more effective than one that cannot?
Bill Perdue
The US and English armed forces are not fighting for democracy in the Mideast. They’re the military arm of Chevron-Texaco, Haliburton and British Petroleum.
Their corporate greed and influence always places them at the forefront of the ‘usual suspects’ in the invasions and attempted occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan and, not surprisingly, in the oil spill south of New Orleans.
While fighting to end the discrimination and violence caused by Clinton’s DADT we should bend every effort to join with the anti-war movements in both countries to oppose enlistment and demand that the troops be totally, immediately and permanently withdrawn from South Asia.
jason
This is a very good example of how Fox News filters its news presentations to suit the high-powered homophobes or homophobe-pandering jerks who run it. Fair and balanced? More like phoney and baloney.
Ronbo
It’s Religious Bigotry – pure and simple. Odd how Religious Bigotry is given top billing OVER our Constitution and Bill of Rights. We are a nation of laws – unless you are GLBT.
Ask President Obama if we are a nation of Laws or a nation of Religous Bigots. He IS and sides with the Religious Bigots … “God is in the Mix”*
*Unless the Passages in the Bible discuss Slavery.
Bob
What a hypocrite. He has the nerve to say “Love thy neighbor as you love yourself” while hating the GLBT community!