Daily Loaf

Both Equality Florida and St. Pete Pride are asking supporters to call WFLA/NewsChannel 8 and protest the airing at 7 p.m. tonight of the hour-long anti-gay infomercial Speechless: Silencing the Christians. Sponsored by the American Family Association, it trots out AFA’s usual lies about “special rights” and “the radical homosexual activist agenda,” and has already been condemned by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), which supported previous efforts to postpone or prevent airing of the show in Grand Rapids, Michigan and Columbus, Ohio.  I contacted WFLA-TV for comment this afternoon about the questionable timing of airing such a program the day of St. Pete Pride, but I was told that the only people who could address the issue were in the programming department and were not available over the weekend.

Read an excerpt from the Equality Florida alert after the break.

Other networks in Michigan and Ohio have refused to air this dangerous and misleading piece of homophobic propaganda, but not this station.  Instead WFLA NBC 8 is choosing to make money off the demonization and dehumanization of LGBT people in Tampa Bay by running this 60 minute paid program.

To add insult to injury, they’ve chosen to air this hateful piece on the same day as St. Pete Pride, the largest pride celebration in Florida.  So, while tens of thousands are celebrating diversity and inclusion, WFLA will be broadcasting homophobia.   It is an outrageous attack on our families.

Just as we are on the cusp of historic change - a federal hate crimes law, protections for LGBT workers against job discrimination - extremist groups like the AFA are launching a well-funded national campaign of hatred and fear to halt our progress.

This program recycles familiar lies: that hate crime laws will “do away with our freedom of speech,” or that pastors will be “criminalized for sharing the love of Jesus Christ.”  (In fact, the proposed federal hate crimes law explicitly states that it only applies to physical violence - not speech.)

Contact the WFLA assignment desk NOW and demand that they pull this dangerous and bigoted piece off the air.

And here’s an excerpt from St. Pete Pride alert.

Pride Day is one day a year when the Tampa Bay area comes together to
celebrate the diversity and contribution of our GLTBQ citizens.
Apparently, one day is one day too many.

WFLA Channel 8 has made the decision to air an anit-gay special this
evening instead of regular programming. We at St. Pete Pride believe
that on this day of all days 40 years after Stonewall that the
contributions of the GLBTQ community to Tampa Bay deserves more
respect than this.

If you feel strongly about the airing of this special, please call
Channel 8 and let them know what you think. Their number is
813-221-5788.

Thank you and enjoy St. Pete Pride!
The St. Pete Pride Team

Posted in LGBT | Leave a comment