A UK tabloid story about gay groups in
America outraged over HBO's newest comedy import, Little Britain,
is being labeled a work of fiction.
The story which appeared in the Sunday
edition of the Daily Star quotes
American gay groups calling the comedy sketch show “grossly
insulting.”
“This is the most politically
incorrect, offensive and obnoxious material ever seen in this
country,” the Star quotes West Hollywood Gay and Lesbian
Alliance spokesman Irwin Blair. “We intend to protest in the
strongest terms to HBO and urge members of the homosexual community
to boycott this show.”
“Even straight viewers are going to
be repulsed if the trailers and pre-publicity are anything to go by,”
the tabloid quotes Gina Gallo of New York Gay Pride. “Audiences in
Britain might be used to this grossly insulting material – but
people here aren't.”
“The show is being condemned by
humourless American gay rights groups,” wrote the Star in a
story titled Gay and Fatty Jokes Upset Yanks.
Tim Curran, a forty-six year old New
York journalist, points out where the Star stumbled at
blog.timcurran.com.
“The quote from an FCC spokesman at
the end uses the word 'remit', meaning 'area of responsibility',”
writes Curran. “Americans never use that world in this sense, so
unless the supposed spokesman just happens to be Brit-bred, I'm not
buying.”
“Second, and more obviously, are the
two quotes from gay activist groups which form the heart of the
story. The organization behind the New York City gay pride parade is
called 'Heritage of Pride', not 'New York Gay Pride'. And the 'West
Hollywood Gay and Lesbian Alliance' simply does not exist at all.”
A similar sounding gay group that does
police the media, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
(GLAAD), is located in West Hollywood, but they have not issued such
a statement. And there is no website for New York Gay Pride.
Currant also notes that the
spokespeople quoted in the story, Gina Gallo of New York Gay Pride
and Irwin Blair of West Hollywood Gay and Lesbian Alliance, do not
exist. Indeed, a GLAAD staff directory does not include Irwin Blair.
We would add that it seems a bit out of
step for a gay group to use “homosexual community” instead of gay
and lesbian community or GLBT community.
Little Britain comedy sketch
show, which features openly gay Matt Lucas and David Walliams, is set
to debut on HBO September 28th with guest star Rosie
O'Donnell.