Copy of CBS anti-gay letter to United Church of Christ

UPDATE: The letters are dated February and March of this past year, 2004, because that's when this battle began. The UCC has been negotiating with the networks for ten months over this, and it was only on November 30 that the negotiations finally ended and UCC was toast. Another aside, it appears the networks are now changing their story, they started claiming this was about gay marriage, then shifted gears and said it was about churches not letting people in to worship and THAT was too controversial. Meaning, the networks decided they didn't want to run UCC's ad, period, and have been fishing for ten months for a reason to block it.



Click here to see a larger version of the CBS letter to the UCC denying the ad.

A few responses to the CBS memo:
1. How is the pro-gay message "secular" when it comes from a pro-gay church, but religious when it comes from an anti-gay church? After all, the religious right tells us repeatedly that their anti-gay prejudice is roots in their faith. But the UCC's pro-gay views AREN'T rooted in their faith, per CBS?

2. The only "position" UCC is taking is on their church welcoming everyone to pray. Since when is that a "current controversial issue of public importance"? I didn't realize whether people could pray in church was such a current controversial issue. This is an outright lie/red herring from CBS.

3. The second sentence from CBS "Because this commercial..." seems to be suggesting that because the Bush administration is opposed to civil rights for lots of different people, then ANY pro civil rights or pro-equality/inclusion message about any minority groups in America is "current" and "controversial" and thus CBS will no longer run ads promoting anything positive about blacks, gays, or people with disabilities, among other groups.

And more generally, CBS is saying that all the Bush administration has to do is make an issue controversial by talking about it, and CBS will pull the ad, becausea then, per se, the ad is about a controversial current issue. Think about that. CBS just gave the Bush administration absolute veto power over ANY AD the network ever runs. If the Bushies don't like an ad by a company that gives more money to Dems, they can complain about that company and its products, thus making that company part of the "current controversy" and the ad gets yanked.

4. CBS says the ad "proselytizes" on behalf of a single religion. Again, they say this because apparently messages about loving they neighbor and being nice to people are now proselytizing. So CBS won't accept any more public service announcements, I suppose, since those are generally "be nice to your fellow man" ads.

5. This entire memo reeks of anti-religious and anti-gay bigotry. I say we need a few lawsuits against CBS based on public accomodatoins laws, both national and local, that protect either religion and/or sexual orientation.



Click here to see a larger version of the UCC letter to CBS submitting the ad.