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By Bill Schoell
Friday, March 14, 2008
When “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” came out last year, gay blogs and message boards rapidly denounced the Adam Sandler.
The Blade’s film critic Christopher Wallenberg wrote that despite its tacked-on message of tolerance, “the film trades on so many offensive stereotypes, you might well suspect that Rush Limbaugh or Ann Coulter penned the screenplay.” (The plot follows two straight firefighters who pretend to be domestic partners in order to secure benefits.)
Even reviewers in straight periodicals panned it. But not media watchdog group Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). Many gays expressed disillusionment if not outright disgust with the high-profile media watchdog group.
But then GLAAD has always been controversial. Increasingly, the perception is that GLAAD was more concerned with its annual media awards and the celebrities it attracts than anything else. (GLAAD’s New York Media Awards were handed out Monday; see the bottom of this story for a list of winners.)
Judging from the posts on gay message boards, some feel that an organization with highly paid executives and many dozens of employees should be accomplishing even more than it has.
Some wondered how it could give an award to “Desperate Housewives” when the only gay character at the time was a murderer. Others felt that GLAAD-certified “Will & Grace”—while groundbreaking in its way—was only a gay Amos ’n’ Andy that fostered more stereotypes than it challenged.
Others complained that after they reported homophobic material to GLAAD—such as a vile joke told by Enrique Iglesias on “The Late, Late Show”—the organization did little to follow up on it.
When popular blogger Perez Hilton, who used to work for GLAAD, said in an interview with the New York Blade earlier this year, “I hate GLAAD. They’re useless. They don’t do shit,” he seemed to echo the sentiments of a growing number of naysayers.
Chuck and Larry
In a recent interview with The Blade, GLAAD president Neil Giuliano responded to these criticisms, first clarifying the group’s stance about “Chuck and Larry.”
“GLAAD has not given the film any kind of stamp of approval or endorsement,” he said. “And any press to the contrary has been incorrect, yet self-perpetuating in a blogosphere universe where fact-checking takes a back seat.
“While we acknowledge there are offensive moments in this movie, as the first studio film ever to deal with issues of marriage equality, it is sneaking in a subtle message of acceptance to an audience who would never see a movie with gay themes.
“In this film’s universe, marriage and civil unions are the accepted reality—there is no debate or judgment about this issue, except to point out that the United States is ‘backwards’ because it doesn’t allow marriage while Canada does—those who are homophobic grow to a place of acceptance, and the anti-gay industry is presented as a group of ‘crazy people’. In fact, you may have read that the anti-gay industry spoke out against the film because of its pro-gay, pro-marriage equality message, and what they are viewing as being ‘anti-Christian.’
“Yes, there are problematic ‘moments’ in the film if taken out of context,” Giuliano said. “But there is also an overall message to the movie, and there is an advantage to a film normalizing the idea of marriage equality to a group of people who wouldn’t otherwise see a film dealing with gay issues.”
Giuliano added: “GLAAD worked with Universal behind the scenes on a number of issues including: effecting some line changes and scenes edited (working within the framework of a completed film); working with Adam Sandler and Kevin James so their message on the media tour was supportive of marriage equality and when they released an ad campaign that at times highlighted moments of homophobia (that wasn’t counter balanced in the ad), we worked with them to pull certain ads.
“It is difficult to tell a story about homophobia, without being offensive to prove a point. While ‘Chuck and Larry’ is not a movie for a gay audience, it may just prove to be groundbreaking in the way it subtly moves the needle for an audience who needs it the most.”
‘The F Word’
About other GLAAD accomplishments, Giuliano likes to highlight the group’s accomplishments in regards to “The F Word.”
“We faced an onslaught of defamation and presided over substantive change this past year, perhaps best exemplified by our campaign against use of the vulgar slur ‘fa***t’ in the media.
“Our efforts have led the media to understand that these types of harmful, dehumanizing slurs are intolerable and that media outlets and personalities need to be held accountable for the damage they cause. As a result, major news networks are now bleeping the slur in their coverage, or referring to it simply as ‘the f-word.’ That is significant cultural change.”
[As an aside: GLAAD’s fight against “the F word” led to a bizarre situation in which a GLAAD employee asked The New York Blade to remove an instance when the word “faggot” was printed a news round-up about actor Isaiah Washington, who used the slur against a gay fellow cast member. The Blade didn’t change the content.]
GLAAD
The organization has a two-pronged approach to reaching its goals. First, it monitors media, sports and religion for instances of homophobia. Then when it encounters homophobia, GLAAD admonishes as well as educates the parties involved.
For example, GLAAD got Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly to detract his inaccurate story about so-called lesbian gangs, and GLAAD was instrumental in getting Phil Jackson to apologize for a “Brokeback Mountain” joke.
GLAAD encourages journalists to write positive LGBT stories, such as one about a lesbian who was turned away from an emergency room as her partner lay dying. And GLAAD worked with “All My Children” to help create a positive transgender storyline.
The group also advises LGBT groups across the country how to “counter anti-gay ballot initiatives and bolster anti-discrimination campaigns.”
As for the seeming preoccupation with the awards, Giuliano said, “the GLAAD Awards have garnered more and more publicity because people are genuinely interested in the increasingly rich, compelling stories and images that reflect both the diversity of our community and the growing visibility of our families and our relationships.” Undoubtedly the celebrities who attend haven’t hurt.
Still, criticism of the group is likely to persist, as members of the gay community don’t always agree on what is or isn’t offensive, and a fairly conservative (i.e. non-militant) group like GLAAD has to make compromises, such as with “Chuck and Larry.”
GLAAD AWARDS NEW YORK GALA 2008
Following is a partial list of GLAAD Media Award recipients announced Monday in New York. Additional awards will be presented April 12 in South Florida, April 26 in Los Angeles and May 10 in San Francisco. Visit glaad.org for more winners.
* Excellence in Media Award: Judy Shepard
* Vito Russo Award: Brian Graden
* Outstanding Film–Wide Release: Stardust
* Outstanding Film–Limited Release: The Bubble
* Outstanding Documentary: For the Bible Tells Me So
* Outstanding Daily Drama: As the World Turns
* Outstanding TV Journalism – News Segment: ‘The First Casualty’ Anderson Cooper 360 (CNN)
* Outstanding Newspaper Article: ‘Aging and Gay, and Facing Prejudice in Twilight’ by Jane Gross (The New York Times)
* Outstanding Newspaper Overall Coverage: The New York Times
* Outstanding Magazine Article: ‘Dying to Come Out: The War on Gays in Iraq’ by David France (GQ)
* Outstanding Digital Journalism Article: ‘Gay Newsmen—A Clearer Picture’ by James Hillis (AfterElton.com)
* Outstanding Music Artist: Rufus Wainwright, Release the Stars
* Outstanding New York Theater – Broadway & Off–Broadway: The Beebo Brinker Chronicles by Kate Moira Ryan and Linda S. Chapman
* Outstanding New York Theater—Off–Off Broadway: BASH’d: A Gay Rap Opera’ by Chris Craddock and Nathan Cuckow, music by Aaron Macri
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