‘Ellen’ warning label sends wrong signals to children

Wednesday, December 3, 1997

HOMOPHOBIA:

ABC’s message is hypocritical, potentially damagingBy Kim
Hackett

I was deeply offended by Dianna Hole’s article regarding the
"Ellen" warning label ("Warning label on ‘Ellen’ should not be
questioned," Dec. 1). Her arguments defending ABC’s decision to
precede the show with a parental warning due to homosexual content
are simply a reflection of homophobia.

Hole states that homosexuality is an adult topic which children
should be protected from. She claims that the warning label that
has persistently preceded "Ellen" is appropriate because children
who don’t know about sex should not be introduced to the concept of
homosexuality. Here, Hole is making a mistake. This is not an issue
about sex. Children learn that men and women fall in love and get
married when they grow up. And most of the time they learn this
before they know anything about sex. The fact that a woman can grow
up and fall in love with another woman has nothing to do with sex,
and it’s not an inappropriate message for a child to learn even if
the child knows nothing about sex. It is essential to the health of
our society that children do learn this lesson.

Homophobia is constantly hurting our children, through
intolerance, hate crimes and the high suicide rate among gay
teenagers. I do agree with Hole that it is not the media’s
responsibility to teach children social issues, but I would like to
see the media showing positive portrayals of many different aspects
of our society.

Again in defense of ABC’s choice to warn the public about
"Ellen," Hole argues that "Ellen" is aired during prime time, while
shows with "obvious sexual innuendos" are shown after 10 p.m.,
implying that the warning is appropriate because of the show’s
early time slot. The warning label preceding "Ellen" has nothing to
do with sex. It is not difficult to find prime time sitcoms with
much more sexual activity than "Ellen." Did anyone see the "Mad
About You" episode in which the couple’s bedroom activity was
broadcast over the baby’s monitor? If the warning is not about
sexual activity it must be about the homosexual content. Children
watching this show, even with their parents’ permission, will get
the message that homosexuality is something that they need to be
warned about, something bad.

I also want to respond to Hole’s comparison of homosexuality on
television to violence on television. There have been studies that
indicate children who watch shows containing violence show more
violent behavior. Hole says that if children see homosexual
characters on TV it might confuse them and they might want to
"model their behavior after their heroes." This is absurd. Again,
this is said under the assumption that homosexuality is
inappropriate. What our children are learning when the media solely
portrays heterosexuality is that this lifestyle is the only
acceptable one. Teens are suffering trying to do just what Hole
fears, trying to live up to the heterosexual model they see on TV
when that’s not who they really are.

Hole also goes into topics about homosexuality not directly
related to "Ellen." The first is the discussion about whether a gay
person is "born with it" or chooses to be gay. This discussion
never leads anywhere because there are tests that supposedly prove
each argument. These arguments are based on the assumption that
being gay is a bad thing. Many gays hope that the "gay gene" is
discovered so that they can say, "It’s not our fault. We were born
this way." Does anyone ever question why some people prefer tea to
coffee, or chocolate to vanilla? No. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t
matter if a person is born gay or chooses to be gay. The issue is
that people do not deserve to be discriminated against for who they
are. Period.

Hole also defends the role of Christians on the issue of
homosexuality, saying that Christians should not be criticized
because they can disagree with the lifestyle without judging gay
men and women. She is correct about what the Bible says, but many
gay people have very different experiences with Christians. Hole is
a first-year student, so she did not see the men posted on Bruin
Walk last year with a Bible in one hand and a sign condemning all
"homos" to hell in the other. Maybe these judgmental individuals
are in the minority of the Christian community, as I’m sure Hole
would assert, but they are definitely the most vocal faction,
tainting many people’s views of Christians.

ABC is sending a mixed message to its viewers. It is saying that
it supports gays and is willing to put its reputation on the line
to air a show in which a gay woman is the main character, yet with
the parental warning it is saying that the homosexual lifestyle is
something that kids shouldn’t be exposed to. This confusion is a
tragedy and will harm rather than help America’s children.