Update: L.A.
Station Will Air Marriage Ad

KABC TV in Los Angeles says it will air a public service announcement that it initially deemed too controversial to air during President Barack Obama's inauguration.

The PSA will run this Sunday during Extreme Makeover: Home Edition at about 9:15 p.m. Five ads were produced to counter discrimination in the aftermath of the passage of California's Proposition 8, which rescinded marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples in the state.

John Ireland of GetToKnowUsFirst.org, which produced the PSA, met with KABC general manager Arnie Kleiner and Damon Romine of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation on Friday.

"I have seen the [PSAs] and will gladly air the spots on any day part on our schedule," Kleiner said, according to a statement by GetToKnowUsFirst.org. "Gay and lesbian families are part of our KABC family, and issues of equality are certainly not a controversial subject for us."

Kleiner reportedly said that the station decided not to air any advocacy advertisements, no matter their content or subject matter. An advertising executive with the station, in an e-mail rejecting the group's spot, said it was a "station decision" and that KABC had "no problem airing the spot, but it is a very controversial topic and we reserve the right not to air it in programming that will include large family audiences."

Kleiner said the e-mail from the executive was "misleading and inaccurate," and he apologized for the way the ad rejection was handled.

The ad, which features gay and lesbian families, ran in 42 of the state's 58 counties during the inauguration. The spots also played during Good Morning America, Today, and Despierta America. (Michelle Garcia, Advocate.com)