I'm GLAAD to be open-minded

Gay or lesbian relationships are not immoral.

Not allowing gays and lesbians in the military to be open about their sexuality because it could make others uncomfortable is immoral.

I agree with all the liberal beliefs about homosexuality: being gay is not a choice, any two consenting adults ought to be able to marry, gay couples should be able to adopt children.

This is my favorite commonly used conservative statement:

"If two people of the same sex are allowed to marry, we will soon be allowing people to marry animals."

This "logic" implies that there is no difference between two consenting adults and an animal.
Ridiculous.


Another harmful stereotype I've noted is that many people believe gay men are very likely to be pedophiles and they should be kept away from children. Some stereotypes are true, this one is not. Its been proven that heterosexual men, who are often married, are more likely to commit acts of pedophilia.

David Sedaris has a great essay in Dress Your Family in Cordouroy and Denim where he talks about listening to a radio show in which the callers and the DJ are discussing pedophilia. They begin interchanging the titles "pedophilia" and "homosexual" as if they are one in the same.

I sympathize for the stereotypes that many gay people must face all the time. Just like any other preventive measure, people just need to be aware of these stereotypes and I think GLAAD is going about that the right way. I hope people get the message.

Enough is Enough

I think it's positive that "Enough is Enough" are sending a message that rappers and what goes on in their music videos is not a reflection on nonwhite minorities.

I've heard from some black people that modern rap and its accompying images paints the American black race in a negative light. I think that rap videos further common black stereotypes such as they are more likely to commit crimes and degrade women because these are common things in just about EVERY rap video.

A rep. even stated that the campaign is not "anti-hip hop" or "anti-BET" but rather an attack on the stereotypes they perpetuate. This makes me think even more so that it's a sensible and much-needed camapign.

A protestor said that "rap just isn't rap anymore." I agree for the most part. I miss Run DMC.

I wasn't even aware that William and Rosalie Schiff were speaking at UNT but I now plan to go.

Two summers ago I wrote for the NTDaily as an intern and had the privilege of interviewing Craig Hanley, who won the NT Mayborn institute grant for his book William and Rosalie: A Holocaust Testimony about the Schiff's experience during the Holocaust.

I was really moved by their story. It's an unbelievable one. The fact that they even survived their time at the camps and found each other afterward is remarkable enough, but that they share their story so openly is a privilege for the rest of us.

Sarah Walker case

As an admitted obsessive viewer of Law & Order, there's no way I would have accepted that someone other than a jealous lover or a money-hungry family member murdered Sarah Walker until it was proven otherwise.

This just proves the cultivation theory. Media infiltrates us and in order to avoid making assumptions, I think we have to make a conscious effort. I know I have been trying to be aware of media messages ever since class started.

Floyd is correct in her explanation that we are drawn in to crimes involving interesting people as victims. But the act of doing this and becoming obsessive because we want the story to be fascinating seems animal-like, like we're all a part of a morbid circus. And seems even more so when her story is cast aside because her murderer wasn't who we expected.

I think highly of Floyd for admiting error and bringing to light an issue we all don't realize we have.