GLAAD: FX Keeps Antigay Comments on 30 Days

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation issued a press release Tuesday urging community members to contact FX Networks to express concern about a defamatory claim by an antigay activist that was featured uncensored, and unchallenged, on the June 24 episode of 30 Days. The show "examines social issues in America by immersing individuals in a life that requires them to see the world through another’s eyes,’" according to the show’s website.

In an episode titled "Same-Sex Parenting," Kati, a woman who is opposed to gays having families, lives for 30 days with gay parents Dennis and Thomas and their four adopted sons.

The episode includes a defamatory statement by Peter Sprigg of the Family Research Council, who, according to GLAAD's press release, is quoted as saying: "Homosexuality is associated with higher rates of sexual promiscuity, sexually transmitted diseases, mental illness, substance abuse, domestic violence, and child sexual abuse, and those are all reasons for us to be concerned about placing children into that kind of setting."

After reviewing a screener supplied by FX Networks, GLAAD and the Family Equality Council, a national nonprofit working to ensure equality for LGBT families, contacted FX, requesting that the inaccurate claim be removed from the episode or that a credible social science expert be brought in to provide an on-air correction.

FX Networks refused to remove the statement or address it during the course of the episode.

GLAAD, the Family Equality Council, and Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere are urging their members and the community to contact FX Networks and 20th Century Fox to express their concerns over the network's providing a platform for such an inaccurate, misleading claim by the Family Research Council:

Jeffrey Glaser, senior vice president, current programming, 20th Century Fox Television, Inc., (310) 369-0211, jeffrey.glaser@fox.com.

Nick Grad, executive vice president of original programming, FX Networks, (310) 369-0949, ngrad@fxnetworks.com.

Chuck Saftler, executive vice president of programming, FX Networks, (310) 369-0949, csaftler@fxnetworks.com.

Scott Seomin, vice president of public relations, FX Networks, (310) 369-0938, sseomin@fxnetworks.com.

Read our Advocate.com exclusive interview with Dennis and Thomas here. (The Advocate)

Reader Comments

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Name: Victor
Date posted: 2008-06-26 3:44 PM
Hometown: Virginia

Comment:

I watched the episode last night, and being a documentary filmmaker myself, I do believe there should have been a counter-opinion to Peter Sprigg's statement, as well as another grown-up that could say GOOD things about having been raised by gay parents. Instead they showed a woman whose parents clearly went over the line of parents by talking about sex at the table; it doesn't matter if they were gay men or not. We all know there are tons of poorly raised kids by heterosexual marriages. Still, I think that Spurlock, who I am a fan of, did the best he could. He may have very well wanted Kati to "open her eyes" a little more, that usually is the point of the show. It happened in the other season when a homophobic guy from Michigan spent 30 days with a gay guy in the Castro. Of course, I had concerns about that one as well. Why Castro? How about have him spend 30 days with someone in his own town 3 or 4 doors down? He probably has best friends who are gay and he doesn't even know it.

Name: Victor
Date posted: 2008-06-26 3:44 PM
Hometown: Virginia

Comment:

Name: Mario
Date posted: 2008-06-25 9:06 PM
Hometown: Chapel Hill, NC

Comment:

While I thought it would have been better to counter that claim directly, I thought the show did a good job of showing that claim to be without a very strong foundation by showing numerous happy gay families (parents and children), and straight advocates who argued that gay parents can be great parents and that loving families are definitely better than foster care. I also thought that the episode could have used someone mentioning the fact that homophobic people wanting to deny gay couples children because of the negative impact of homophobia is just circular. She teared up because their children had to decide whether to tell their friends about their two dads – but she didn’t realize that it was people like her who created that situation. Without homophobia there would be no need to “come out”. And the claims about negative things associated with homosexuality? The element of truth is that some of those things *are* associated with being gay - in a homophobic society.

Name: Bobby
Date posted: 2008-06-25 8:42 PM
Hometown: Jacksonville, FL

Comment:

Come on people, lighten up. I bet there are Christians out there who are all up in arms about how 30 Days made Kati look like a victim for her "suffering" and "mental torture" at the hands of her gay hosts. I felt that FX showed a pretty balanced view of gay adoption and a person who is opposed to it. There is probably nothing that the network could have said or shown that would please everyone. Has any other major network done this type of story and "got it all fair and balanced"? I understand we are a persecuted group, but doesn't it make your shoulders sore if you NEVER let that chip rest on the ground, even for a few minutes of relief?

Name: ALR
Date posted: 2008-06-25 8:26 AM
Hometown: Midwest

Comment:

I watched the episode and was stunned to here that what seemed to me to be homosexuals placed in the same box as child abusers! But I think the only mistake was FX didn't supply another point of view. I don't believe FX to be anti-gay, as there have been other gay affirming shows, scenes, and the like appearing on their air (i.e. Nip/Tuck). I actually thought that, thought they had difference of opinions, it was done respectfully. I wish more gay people were as calm as what Thomas and Dennis were (at least the portions that we saw). As well as, I wish that presumably Christian community would be a little more open to investigate and learn (or try in this case) such as Kati. It wasn't the perfect show...but I thought it got its point across.

Name: Rich Sutton
Date posted: 2008-06-25 12:53 AM
Hometown: Saint Louis

Comment:

My partner and I are parents. We have spent the last 8 years telling our son that God created our family, because he did. And it is a beautiful family, loving, compasionate, involved in our community, educated, tax paying, etc. We are extremely offended by these comments but not supprised considering the source. We think the lack of action by FX is as offensive as the comments made by Sprigg. Homophobia is real, and is only perpetuated by this type of language. We pray to the same God as the Family Research Council. He teaches our family to love each other and that it is not our place to judge. How do they sleep at night? Please pray for them, we are.

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