Social conservatives have criticized a
new GLAAD report on gay characters on television.
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, released on Wednesday,
found the cabler 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.
The
CW also scored high marks on the survey, but CBS again ranked last
among networks.
“For families who
seek to follow Christ and earnestly live out their faith, there is
nothing happy in this report,” said Dwayne Hastings, a vice
president at the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious
Liberty Commission. “Those who push for so-called homosexual
rights and lobby for same-sex interests … have a powerful ally with
deep pockets in the entertainment industry who are more than willing
to use their media to recast the homosexual lifestyle as normative.”
“Unfortunately,
many Americans are willing to allow Hollywood to manipulate their
perspective on the world,” he added.
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.”