Gay media watchdog group the Gay &
Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) leveled an allegation of
a “homophobic double standard” against CBS over its decision not
to air an ad for gay dating site ManCrunch.com during the Super Bowl.
In a statement released Friday, the
group cited CBS' decision to air an advocacy ad featuring football
star Tim Tebow by the Christian group Focus on the Family as proof of
bias. While the ad is not anti-gay, the group does oppose gay
rights.
“CBS has a problem when they do
something like this at the same time as they allow an anti-gay group
like Focus on the Family to place ads during the Super Bowl,”
Jarrett Barrios, president of GLAAD, said.
“This network should come clean to
the public about what's going on because this seems to be a
homophobic double standard,” he added.
The exclusion also drew a sharp protest
from ManCrunch.com executives.
“We're calling on every same-sex
advocacy group to petition CBS and let them know this … behavior
will not be tolerated,” the Toronto-based dating site said in a
statement.
In the 30-second spot, two men, each
rooting for the opposite team, share a passionate kiss after their
hands brush each other in the potato chip bowl. The ad can be seen
at ManCrunch.com's website and has racked up more than 15,000 views
on YouTube, the video sharing website owned by Google.
CBS has reportedly told media outlets
that it turned down the ad partly out of financial reasons.
But Elissa Buchter, a spokeswoman for
the website, said CBS called the ad “not within the network's
broadcast standards for Super Bowl Sunday” in its rejection letter.
Super Bowl XLIV, between the
Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints, will take place in
Miami on February 7.