 |
|
|
at NBC King 5 in Seattle |
|
Compiled By GayToday
Seattle, Washington—On Saturday, a crowd estimated at four hundred, rallied outside the NBC King 5 studios to protest King 5's decision to air the syndicated talk show starring Dr. Laura Schlessinger. Schlessinger has referred to homosexuals in many derogatory terms, including "biological errors," "pedophiles," "sexual deviants," and has said they are unfit to raise children. The crowd gathered to hear impassioned speeches by national and local gay leaders including: Robin Tyler, StopDrLaura.com; Romaine Patterson, Lesbian and Gay Alliance Against Defamation; Pete Gregson, local protest organizer; Reverend Gwen Hall, family counselor and Pastor of Sojourner Truth Unity Fellowship Church; Bryce Butler, President of the Seattle Chapter of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays; Josie Clintron-Gardner, Vice-president of Seattle Lesbian Resource Center;Jerry Hebert, Washington State Organizer for the Human Rights Campaign; and Bernadette Pougue representing Radical Women. Speaking last to the crowds was Grethe Cammermeyer, retired Lt. Colonel, former Congressional Candidate, and host of a GAYBC Radio Network show. The crowds cheered and applauded wildly throughout the speeches as speakers exhorted them to speak out against hate and hate speech and to boycott King 5 and their sponsors. The crowd quieted when Patterson told of the death of her good friend Matthew Shepard in Wyoming (who made international headlines after being brutally beaten and left to die) and as Butler spoke of a hate crime committed against his lesbian daughter. Of the 400 or so people present were people from all walks of life: gay, lesbian, straight, white, black, Hispanic, Asian, men, women, children, handicapped (including one man in a wheelchair who "marched" with the protesters and a blind woman), Christians, Jews, (including two girls who dressed as traditional rabbi's and who passed out literature condemning Laura's remarks--Laura claims her views on homosexuality stem from her Orthodox Judaism) Buddhists, young, old, and even elderly ladies with walkers. According to National Protest Organizer, Robin Tyler, it was the largest station protest thus far in the country for the StopDrLaura.com movement (only the demonstration against Paramount Studios drew more people).
The day before the protests many of the speakers met with King 5 General Manager, Glenn Wright, and King 5 Program Director, Jay Cascio. After hearing the concerns of the gay community leaders, Wright and Cascio promised to vet each program before it aired. Community leaders wanted more, stating that Laura would be a representative of King 5 and would continue to sponsor hate on her radio show, in public appearances, and in her books. When asked pointedly if David Duke would ever air on King TV, in any format, Cascio said "no." He went on to add that "Duke advocated violence against others. Dr. Laura does not." Participants of the meeting tried to help him draw the correlation between hate speech and hate crimes, murder, and gay suicide, but he was unmoved in his belief that Laura's comments against gays could lead to any type of violence. Gregson, the protest organizer, vows they are not done. "We will try to continue a dialogue with King 5, but I am not sure it will help. Our next step is to petition City Council for a resolution condemning Dr. Laura's speech and to get a petition in the GLBT community to present to King 5. If they see 100,000 signatures of people who will boycott them and the show's sponsors perhaps that will help change their minds. The GLBT community is galvanized about this issue, and we will not stop until Laura is not seen in this market." The Seattle protest was sponsored by StopDrLaura.com, GLAAD, Human Rights Campaign, Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, HateWatch, Lesbian Resource Center, Radical Women, and endorsed by the Freedom Socialist Party. |
