The CBS and NBC television networks have rejected an advertisement for the United Church of Christ ( UCC ) that shows two beefy bouncers turning away a gay couple, a Latino woman and a disabled man outside a church; a lesbian couple is also pictured.
Officials of the Cleveland, Ohio-based denomination, which has nearly 6,000 congregations and 1.3 million members, said the 30-second commercial is intended to emphasize its inclusiveness. 'Jesus didn't turn people away. Neither do we,' the ad says. Then, a narrator affirms the UCC's commitment to Jesus's welcome: 'No matter who you are, or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here.'
In a written explanation to the church's ad agency, CBS linked the ad to the issue of same-sex marriage and said it does not accept advertising 'on one side of a current controversial issue of public importance;' NBC simply called the ad 'too controversial' and refused to elaborate. Various groups, including People for the Amercian Way Foundation, the Human Rights Campaign, and the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, have slammed the censorship.
The commercial's rejection has also caused a furor locally. State Sen. John Cullerton and state Rep. Sara Feigenholtz have issued a statement decrying the move. Feigenholtz stated it 'is a bitter irony that NBC wants to profit from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and Will & Grace, but doesn't believe that gay people should be welcomed to church.
Cullerton added that ' [ w ] hoever made the decision to ban these ads at NBC and CBS needs to realize that the idea that we should all be able to go to church together if we want to isn't a controversial notion to most Americans.' The politicians also jointly issued letters to Larry Wert and Joe Ahern, the presidents of NBC 5 Chicago and CBS 2 Chicago, respectively. The letters urge the execs to 'reconsider this decision' and 'start airing the [ UCC's ] advertisement and bring diverse opinions back to our public airwaves.' Ahern can be reached at ( 312 ) 202-3852 and e-mailed at jjahern@cbs.com; Wert's number is ( 312 ) 836-5660 and his e-mail address is larry.wert@nbc.com .
Viacom, the parent company of CBS and UPN, also owns LOGO, a planned cable network aimed specifically at the gay audience.