Double Standard

CBS's Double Standard: Network Rejects Humorous Super Bowl Ad For Gay Dating Site
by William Kapfer
EDGE Contributor
Saturday Jan 30, 2010


CBS said that its standards and practices department decided to reject a proposed ad by ManCrunch.com that would have shown two men kissing while watching a football game- See link to ad below-but has accepted an ad created by an anti-abortion advocacy group -- "Focus on the Family" -- featuring Heisman Trophy Winner Tim Tebow and his mother.

CBS Released the following statement regarding its rejection of the ManCrunch.com ad: "After reviewing the ad - which is entirely commercial in nature - our Standards and Practices department decided not to accept this particular spot. As always, we are open to working with the client on alternative submissions."

The Tebow ad, which was paid for by the controversial group controlled by openly homophobic founder, James Dobson, features Tebow's mother Pam's 1987 pregnancy with Tim during time she spent in the Philippines as a missionary. Apparently, during her mission she became ill with amoebic dysentery. Early reports indicated that as a result of the strong medications she had been treated with, she was faced with a choice of continuing the pregnancy at the risk to her life, or abort the fetus.

Doctors allegedly warned her of possible fetal damage and recommended that she abort the pregnancy. Because abortion under any circumstance has been illegal in the majority Catholic country of the Philippines since 1930 and is punishable by a six-year prison term, sources believe it's not likely that doctors would have recommended the procedure. The fact is, women who receive abortions in the Philippines, for no matter what reason, may be punished with imprisonment for two to six years. Accordingly, the veracity of the ad's claims are in serious question. Still, CBS will air the ad.

Although these are separate issues, the homophobic double-standard is clearly alive and well in pro-football. CBS is maintaining this separate-but-equal, sit-in-the-back-of-the-bus kind of treatment that I would have hoped was in the past. CBS could have decided to ban all ads of this type, but has apparently made a decision to pick and choose. The Super Bowl should be uniting Americans, not using the event as a vehicle that separates Americans. This is especially true in situations like this where the accuracy of an ad on a controversial subject is in question. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MQWFiIrBLA



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MQWFiIrBLA



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