TV Columnist Says Coverage of LGBT Rights Was 'Disproportionate'

The latest column from media critic Joe Concha is headlined "Supremely Tiresome: The Gay Marriage Issue Is Inescapable On TV, Radio, Facebook."

Lucas Grindley

Lucas Grindley is VP and Editorial Director for Here Media, which is parent company to The Advocate. His Twitter account is filled with politics, Philip Glass appreciation, and adorable photos of his twin toddler daughters.

Read Full Bio

Lucas Grindley

March 28 2013 2:10 AM EST

November 17 2015 5:28 AM EST

lucasgrindley

We need your help
Your support makes The Advocate's original LGBTQ+ reporting possible. Become a member today to help us continue this work.

At the conclusion of two days worth of history-making moments at the Supreme Court, not everyone is in a celebratory mood.

Columnist Joe Concha of Mediaite, a news site covering the media, wrote a self-described "politically incorrect" op-ed on Wednesday that complains not only about the amount of coverage of same-sex marriage but also about the way LGBT people can't stop talking about their lack of rights.

He said coverage of the LGBT rights movement is "disproportionate." Here's the bottom-line:

"Of course, homosexuals who want to get legally hitched aren't tired at all of watching news or seeing Facebook updates around the topic. After all, it's an important to topic to them, so screw me for being tired of it, right?

"I get that. But when you're just a small percent of the population (Gallup says 3.4 percent, while the Williams Institute, a think-tank devoted to LGBT research at UCLA, says four percent), why should the issue get such a lopsided amount of news coverage? After all, there are 30 million fantasy sports players who make up nearly ten percent of the country...you don't see them inundating television and social media with our passion, demanding more attention (and that's just a benign analogy, but it does make a point)."

The problem, Concha argues, is that "It's everywhere, and we're not just talking this week." Numerous stories have covered the arguments before the Supreme Court in challenges of constitutionality to the Defense of Marriage Act but also to Proposition 8 in California. And Facebook feeds were for a period filled with so many red equal signs that the Associated Press and other outlets wrote stories explaining its meaning to those who might have been confused.

Concha is a frequent media observer and has been a guest on CNN's Reliable Sources and Fox's O'Reilly Factor to offer his evaluation of television news. Obviously Concha knew his column would annoy some, and it came with a kind of disclaimer: "Before you go racing to the comments section to call me a homophobe, please note that I support the right for anyone to get married," he wrote. "No skin off my back," he said. "If you're happy, be happy. Marry the one you love regardless of gender."

Concha was right to worry-- the commenters haven't been kind.