Tony Perkins, president of the
Christian conservative group Family Research Council (FRC), has
accused cabler ABC Family of “indoctrinating” kids into being
gay, media
watchdog RightWingWatch.com reported.
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against
Defamation's (GLAAD) fifth annual Network Responsibility Index (NRI)
gave ABC Family an “excellent” rating for its gay-inclusive
programming.
GLAAD's
report found the network had positively depicted the lives of
gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender characters in 55 percent of
its original programming. Many of ABC Family's shows such as Pretty
Little Liars and The Secret Life of the American Teenager are
aimed at a younger audience.
ABC Family scored 37 percent last year.
In a radio
commentary, Perkins accused ABC Family of pushing a “homosexual
agenda” on kids.
“Where's the
'family' in ABC Family? Parents are wondering after the latest
report from GLAAD, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
Every year, GLAAD rates channels on how well they push the homosexual
agenda through characters and storylines. This time, ABC Family got
top honors – making them only the second network ever to get an
'excellent' rating. Michael Riley, ABC's chief executive, said he
was 'proud' to be honored. Celebrating homosexuality, he said, is
'very important to us.' That's a serious problem, considering that
ABC Family is the highest-rated network for 12 to 34-year-olds. Most
parents trust the channel, because it's owned by Disney. But it's a
different story now that the network's going out of its way to
indoctrinate kids. That won't change until you get involved.
Contact ABC. Tell them what they gain by being gay-friendly doesn't
compare with what they'll lose. And that's viewers.” (The audio
is embedded in the right panel of this page.)
The Media Research
Center's Culture and Media Institute (CMI) also blasted GLAAD's
survey, suggesting the group had strongarmed the networks into
broadcasting gay-inclusive programming.
“Note to TV
networks: Don't even think about downsizing the disproportionate
airtime you give gay characters and issues. The bean-counters at
GLAAD are watching,” the group wrote. “So if it seems that you
can't flip through the channels today without running across gay
characters or story lines, you're right. You can't. And GLAAD's
there to make sure of it.”