GLAAD Calls on CBS to Address Apparent Bias in Super Bowl Advertising Decisions

New York , NY, January 29, 2009 – The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), the nation’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) media advocacy and anti-defamation organization, today called on CBS to publicly explain its advertising standards following its decision to exclude an ad with gay content from the Super Bowl broadcast.

“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,” said GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios. “This network should come clean to the public about what’s going on because this seems to be a homophobic double standard.”

On Wednesday, GLAAD released a Call to Action for community members and allies to speak out after CBS allowed the anti-gay group Focus on the Family to advertise during the Super Bowl after having unfairly denied that ability to the LGBT-inclusive United Church of Christ in previous years.

About GLAAD
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of people and events in the media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. For more information, please visit www.glaad.org

Go Daddy Ad Banned from Super Bowl – Not for the Reason You Think!

Watch “Lola” For Yourself & Give Your Opinion Now

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--What is offensive about a retired football star transitioning into a career as a successful Internet entrepreneur? That’s the question Go Daddy is asking viewers about the one Go Daddy Super Bowl commercial that was not approved to air in this year’s big game.

“Go Daddy ads, which typically feature big-breasted women”

“Of the five commercial concepts we submitted for approval this year, this NEVER would’ve been my pick for the one that would not be approved,” exclaimed Go Daddy CEO and Founder Bob Parsons. “This is about a guy who starts an online business and hits the jackpot. I just don’t think 'Lola' is offensive, in fact we didn’t see this one coming – we were absolutely blindsided!” 

The 30-second commercial is narrated by Go Daddy Girl Danica Patrick and features a character named “Lola,” who launches a new career as a fashion designer with an online store.

Parsons is revealing “Lola” online to see what the public thinks. “I predict most people will say 'Lola' is hilarious! To critics I would say, we finally produced a Super Bowl commercial that speaks to our core business – helping people be successful online.” 

You can see “Lola” and share your opinions right now at www.GoDaddy.com.
A Focus on the Family commercial has been approved to air in this year’s Super Bowl and sparked controversy because it advocates a politically motivated message. The conservative watchdog organization, Media Research Center, however, defends the Christian group’s commercial saying networks have approved “Go Daddy ads, which typically feature big-breasted women,” and are presumably more offensive than a religious-oriented message.

“Lola is not a ‘big-breasted woman’ – Lola is a big, flamboyant, effeminate, lovable man,” Parsons replied.

The domain name registrar and Web hosting provider purchased slots in the first and fourth quarters of the Super Bowl. Go Daddy’s “Movies” spot has already been selected and approved as one of this year’s Super Bowl commercials, but now Go Daddy needs to declare which other ad it intends to air. Go Daddy Productions shot five different concepts with a variety of endings.

“We’ve accepted we have to go with another option – one that’s been approved and one that is still 100 percent GoDaddy-esque,” Parsons promised, referring to a term the media coined to describe Go Daddy commercials as “fun, edgy and slightly inappropriate.”
In 2006, Go Daddy helped pioneer the practice of pushing Super Bowl viewers to the Web. Last year, Go Daddy drove more Web traffic than any other Super Bowl advertiser, according to comScore. Once again this year, Go Daddy will invite viewers to “See More Now” with unrated “Internet-Only” versions to be unveiled at www.GoDaddy.com on Super Bowl Sunday.

About The Go Daddy Group, Inc.
Go Daddy is a leading provider of services that enable individuals and businesses to establish, maintain and evolve an online presence. Go Daddy provides a variety of domain name registration plans and Web site design and hosting packages, as well as a broad array of on-demand services. These include products such as SSL Certificates, Domains by Proxy private registration, ecommerce Web site hosting, blog templates and blog software, podcast packages and online photo hosting. The Go Daddy Group, Inc. has more than 38 million domain names under management. Go Daddy registers, renews or transfers a domain name every second. GoDaddy.com is the world's No. 1 domain name registrar according to Name Intelligence, Inc. GoDaddy.com is also rated the world’s largest hostname provider according to Netcraft Ltd. During 2009, The Go Daddy Group registered more than one-third of all new domain names created in the top six generic top-level domains, or gTLDs, including .com, .net, .org, .info, .biz and .mobi.

AFA challenges CBS not to air gay make-out ad during Super Bowl


According to press reports, CBS is giving consideration to running an ad for a homosexual dating site during the Super Bowl, an ad that will feature two gay men brushing hands as they reach into a bowl of chips and then feverishly making out to the shock of a third man sitting nearby.

 Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association (AFA), said, "It would be totally irresponsible for CBS to run this ad during a television program that is watched by more American families than any other show of the year. CBS should not put parents in the position of answering embarrassing and awkward questions from their children while they're just trying to enjoy a football game. CBS should quit dithering around and reject this ad out of hand."

Lambda Legal Urges NFL Player to Rethink Gay Defamation Claim

"Saying that someone is gay is not an insult.  Being identified as gay is neither bad nor shameful – not in life nor under the law."

(New York, January 28, 2010) - Today, Lambda Legal sent an open letter to Atlanta Falcons fullback Ovie Mughelli and his attorney challenging his claims that reports posted on blogs about his alleged relationship with another man were defamatory.    

"Saying that someone is gay is not an insult. Being identified as gay is neither bad nor shameful – not in life nor under the law," said Beth Littrell, Staff Attorney at Lambda Legal.  "At its core, defamation is about disgrace.  Recognition of this defamation claim would demean gay men and lesbians by giving credence to antigay biases that Georgia law rejects."

"Regardless of Mr. Mughelli's attorney's complaints about assertions of her client's actual sexual orientation, or who he may or may not have slept with, for Lambda Legal, this is about clarifying the law on defamation and asserting the dignity of people who are gay, lesbian or bisexual," she explained further.

Earlier this month, Ovie Mughelli's attorney sent cease-and-desist letters to several websites that published the allegations of a man who claims to have had a sexual relationship with Mughelli. In the letter to Phaedra Parks, Mughelli's attorney, Lambda Legal explains that  "under the law of Georgia (like other states) it is not defamatory to describe a person as gay, lesbian or bisexual – nor is it defamatory to claim that someone has had a consensual, intimate, adult relationship with someone of the same sex.  Moreover, to claim that someone falsely described as gay is entitled to collect damages demeans those who are gay, lesbian and bisexual."

In this letter and in recent litigation involving Howard K. Stern, Lambda Legal argues that this type of defamation claim, and its underlying premise, has a demeaning effect toward gay men and lesbians, similar to the effect caused by state sodomy laws before they were struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in Lawrence v. Texas, Lambda Legal's 2003 landmark victory. These claims are out of step with the law and public policy of Georgia and the rest of the United States.  

Beth Littrell, Staff Attorney at Lambda Legal, is handling the matter for Lambda Legal.

House Introduces Bill To Protect LGBT Students Against Discrimination

WASHINGTON – A bill was introduced today in the House by Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO) that would, as Title IX did for girls and women, offer remedies for discrimination “based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity” in public elementary and secondary schools. The Student Non-Discrimination Act will help to end entrenched biases towards lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students in our education system. The American Civil Liberties Union strongly supports the bill and urges swift action by the House.

The following can be attributed to Christopher Anders, ACLU Senior Legislative Counsel:

“This landmark bill is long overdue. Many LGBT students face harassment, discrimination and sometimes violence in our schools. Our public schools should not be places of exclusion, but places where students feel safe and free from discrimination. The Student Non-Discrimination Act will go a long way toward protecting LGBT students and will help promote a better learning environment. We urge the House to take swift action on this bill.”

eHarmony, Inc. Settles Class Action Lawsuit over Same-Sex Matching

PASADENA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--eHarmony, Inc. has entered into an agreement to settle a class action lawsuit brought against the company. The action, Carlson, et. al., v. eHarmony, Inc., et al., was filed in 2007 on behalf of a class of gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals in California who alleged that they were unable to use the company’s website to be matched with same-sex partners.

“eHarmony is happy to move beyond this litigation so it can continue building Compatible Partners into a successful service”

The company has not admitted any wrongdoing or liability. The proposed settlement is subject to approval by the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles, following notice to members of the class.

In March 2009, eHarmony launched a same-sex matching service called Compatible Partners. The settlement agreement includes provisions by which eHarmony will modify and maintain certain features on the eHarmony.com and Compatible Partners websites to make them even more welcoming to people who seek same-sex matches. These provisions include:

• Maintain the Compatible Partners website and the ability for people to select “man seeking man” or “woman seeking woman” options from a drop-down menu on the eHarmony.com homepage
• Identify Compatible Partners as a service “Brought to you by eHarmony” instead of “Powered by eHarmony”
• Display eHarmony’s trademark logo on the Compatible Partners page
• Indicate in the URL line, HTML line or a tab to first-time Compatible Partners users that they are on an eHarmony website
• Include a “Gay Dating” link on the bottom of eHarmony.com alongside other links to “Jewish Dating,” “Senior Dating,” “Hispanic dating,” and the like

The Settlement Agreement also provides for individuals seeking both same-sex matches and opposite-sex matches to pay a single subscription fee.

Additionally under the settlement, all claims will be dismissed and a $2 million settlement fund will be established. Approximately $500,000 will be designated as a fund for claims by the class. Any unclaimed portion of this fund will be donated to a charity designated by the court. Fees to the class counsel will be awarded by the court.

Terms for distribution of the settlement fund and other settlement terms will be disclosed in a notice to be sent to class members after preliminary court approval.

“We are delighted that eHarmony is making its remarkable technology available to the gay and lesbian community in a way that is more welcoming and inclusive,” said Todd Schneider of Schneider Wallace Cottrell Brayton Konecky LLP, co-lead counsel for the plaintiff class.

“eHarmony can be proud of the reputation that it has built as the best dating site on the Internet and it can be proud of the relationship that it is building with the gay and lesbian community,” said Jeremy Pasternak of the Law Office of Jeremy Pasternak, co-lead counsel for the plaintiff class.


“This is an excellent agreement. It is gratifying to see eHarmony, Inc. support matching for the gay and lesbian community, which makes the Internet a more open place,” said Joshua Konecky of Schneider Wallace, co-lead counsel for the plaintiff class.

“eHarmony is happy to move beyond this litigation so it can continue building Compatible Partners into a successful service,” said Robert Freitas of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, outside counsel to the company.

PROP 8 WITNESS ADMITS FEDERAL ANTI-GAY LAWS CONSTITUTE "OFFICIAL DISCRIMINATION"

Acknowledges that the "Defense of Marriage Act" and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" discriminate against gays and lesbians

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- Rick Jacobs, Chair of the Courage Campaign Institute, released the following statement in response to Proposition 8 defense witness and supporter Prof. Kenneth Miller's acknowledgment that the "Defense of Marriage Act" and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" both constitute "official discrimination" against gays and lesbians. Miller is currently being cross-examined by attorney David Boies, representing the plaintiffs in the Prop 8 trial:

"Earlier today, we saw the foundation of the Prop 8 campaign strategy exposed -- a strategy intentionally fueled by lies and misinformation about gays and lesbians. Now, as David Boies destroys the opposition's case in his cross-examination of Prof. Kenneth Miller, we see that even Prop 8's own 'experts' admit that 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' and the 'Defense of Marriage Act' are 'official discrimination' against LGBT people."

"They have now admitted what the rest of us have known for years: that the laws they promote and support constitute "official discrimination" against Americans."

"Today's testimony demonstrates clearly that the Prop 8 proponents were motivated by deep prejudice with a complete disregard for justice or fairness.  It's no wonder that Protect Marriage wanted to keep cameras out of the courtroom, given that the whole country would have seen their only witness so far destroy their case. Combined with this morning's revelations about Prop 8 backers equating same-sex marriage to pedophilia and 9/11, I cannot imagine this judge reaching any other conclusion but that Prop 8 is discriminatory and must be overturned."

Via the Prop 8 Trial Tracker web site, the Courage Campaign Institute has brought the proceedings to the public in real time,, garnering more than 1.1 million views and helping fuel an online community of "Trial Trackers" posting more than 11,000 comments to date. To view the Prop 8 Trial Tracker, go to:

http://www.Prop8TrialTracker.com

EXPLOSIVE EVIDENCE EXPOSES PROP 8 CAMPAIGN AS TRIAL PROCEEDINGS NEAR DRAMATIC CLOSE

JACOBS: "This evidence is not just a smoking gun. It was an arsenal of incendiary devices directed at the LGBT community and voters. This is how the Prop 8 side won -- through fear and lies."


SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- Rick Jacobs, Chair of the Courage Campaign Institute, issued the following statement on the Prop 8 campaign videos and documents introduced into evidence this morning in the Perry v. Schwarzenegger trial. The new evidence shows how the Prop 8 campaign tried to link marriage equality to incest, bestiality, pedophilia and polygamy:

"This morning's evidence made the Prop 8 side's strategy crystal clear -- use fear and lies to promote hate. It is horrifying that Prop 8 proponents would compare marriage equality to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and imply that marriage equality will open the door to pedophilia, incest and bestiality."

"Ron Prentice, Andrew Pugno and their Prop 8 team -- with the highly capable and apparently deeply cynical leadership of Frank Schubert -- created a permanent campaign to scare voters into believing that same-sex marriage would threaten children, undermine America and lead to every form of illicit behavior imaginable."

"This evidence is not just a smoking gun. It was an arsenal of incendiary devices directed at the LGBT community and voters. This is how the Prop 8 side won -- through fear and lies."

"Finally, this morning we saw indisputable, documented evidence in the form of emails and videos that Ron Prentice and Protect Marriage coordinated closely and relied upon the Catholic Church, the LDS Church, the Family Research Council, Maggie Gallagher, Brian Brown and the National Organization for Marriage to get Prop. 8 on the ballot and to win through a campaign of lies." 

"Last week, the Supreme Court erased decades of precedent by ruling that corporations have the same rights as people when it comes to speech. Let's hope that the court will as readily see that LGBT people have at least the same rights as corporations and surely the same rights as other people."

Via the Prop 8 Trial Tracker web site, the Courage Campaign Institute has brought the proceedings to the public in real time,, garnering more than 1.1 million views and helping fuel an online community of "Trial Trackers" posting more than 11,000 comments to date. To view the Prop 8 Trial Tracker, go to:

http://www.Prop8TrialTracker.com

The Courage of San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders

DC Superior Court Upholds Board of Elections and Ethics’ Rejection of Anti-marriage Equality Initiative

Today, the D.C. Superior Court upheld the decision of the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics and the right and responsibility of the D.C. Council to protect the rights of minorities from discrimination. The court’s decision rejects a proposed ballot initiative that would have prohibited marriage equality in D.C. The ruling can be viewed at 　http://www.dccourts.gov/dccourts/docs/2009CA008613B.pdf

GLAAD Calls on Media to Spotlight Gay and Lesbian Couples After New Jersey State Senate’s Vote Against Marriage Equality

New York, NY, January 07, 2010 – The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), the nation's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) media advocacy and anti-defamation organization, today continued media monitoring following New Jersey State Senate’s vote to not extend marriage equality to same-sex couples in New Jersey. GLAAD is working to ensure that local and national media outlets are accurate in reporting and ground coverage in the stories of loving and committed couples. These stories will raise awareness among New Jersey residents of the concrete harms that couples face without marriage protections.

“Only with marriage can gay and lesbian families fully take care of each other and today’s vote is a painful loss for couples in New Jersey as well as across the country,” said Jarrett Barrios, President of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). "The march towards equality is far from over. The Supreme Court of New Jersey unanimously ruled in 2006 that the New Jersey Constitution demands that same-sex couples must be treated equally and GLAAD joins Garden State Equality and Lambda Legal to continue working for equality in New Jersey.”

“We urge gay and lesbian New Jersey couples and allies to share their stories with their neighbors, friends, co-workers and local media to show legislators that the public supports fairness for all couples.”

“We also encourage media outlets to share stories of the New Jersey couples who are left vulnerable after today’s vote,” Barrios said.

About GLAAD
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of people and events in the media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. For more information, please visit www.glaad.org

Out & Equal dismayed by Letterman joke made as the government makes history by adding gender identity to federal Equal Employment Opportunity policies

Out & Equal Workplace Advocates is dismayed that The Late Show with David Letterman used the historic presidential appointment of former Out & Equal Board Member Amanda Simpson to a senior advisory post within the Department of Commerce as an opportunity to insult the transgender community.

In a move that is all too familiar to the LGBT community, Simpson's identity was made the target of an outrageously insensitive joke without regard to the exemplary qualifications she brings to her new position.

"It is this exact experience - focusing on who we are rather than the skills we bring to the workplace - that we have been fighting since I started Out & Equal," said Executive Director Selisse Berry. "Discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity is unacceptable."

Simpson has three decades of aerospace, defense and technology experience, and most recently worked as a deputy director at Raytheon. She served on Out & Equal's Board of Directors for three years until last month, when she stepped down to assume her presidential appointment as the senior technology advisor to the Bureau of Industry and Security. 

Ironically, the Letterman incident comes as President Barack Obama's administration today, through the Office of Personnel Management, has started to list gender identity and transgender employees among the classes protected by federal Equal Employment Opportunity policies.
 
Berry added, "We should be celebrating the progress that the White House actions mean for the LGBT community, and not having to defend ourselves from discrimination and jokes made at our expense."

Ethan Peck to ride and raise funds for D.A.P

(PALM SPRINGS, CA – January 4, 2010)

Ethan Peck – the tall, dark, and handsome “Patrick Verona” on ABC Family’s 10 Things I Hate About You – will lead Team Ethan Peck in the Tour de Palm Springs on Saturday, February 13, to raise funds for client services at Desert AIDS Project. All pledges made to members of his team, as well as 100% of all registration fees and raffle ticket sales raised by members of the team will benefit D.A.P.

If you’d like to ride with or pledge to Team Ethan Peck, visit tourdepalmsprings.com and designate Desert AIDS Project as your charity. Riders will pay entrance fees of $10-$60, depending on whether they choose a 5, 10, 25, 55, or 100 mile route. For any questions about Team Ethan Peck, please call 760-323-2118, ext. 266.

Since its start in 1999, the Tour de Palm Springs has gone from 300 to more than 8,500 riders, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for designated nonprofit groups. It is now the largest ride of its kind in the western United States. This year, organizers hope to raise over $200,000 for local charities, including D.A.P.

Desert AIDS Project is the organization in our community where people living with HIV and AIDS can receive comprehensive support, including medical care, case management, and social services. D.A.P. also offers free and confidential HIV testing throughout the communities it serves. For more information, visit desertaidsproject.org or call 760-323-2118.