Gay Parents on Nickelodeon

[snippygal]

Hey all -

I didn't see this posted so I thought I'd take the liberty. If it needs to be moved -- well, move it then.

Found this at cnn.com







Nickelodeon to air special on gay parents despite protests



June 18, 2002 Posted: 1:35 PM EDT (1735 GMT)



Linda Ellerbee, back center black shirt, sits with Rosie O'Donnell and is joined by a group of kids from different backgrounds on a Nickelodeon set.          

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NEW YORK (AP) -- Despite a staggering 100,000 e-mails and phone calls in protest, Nickelodeon will telecast a special for children about same-sex parents on Tuesday night.



The half-hour report, produced by Linda Ellerbee and featuring Rosie O'Donnell, includes comments from the Rev. Jerry Falwell -- who later joined conservative activists in urging Nickelodeon not to air it.



The Washington-based Traditional Values Coalition has spearheaded the campaign against "Nick News Special Edition: My Family is Different," sight unseen. There were so many e-mails Nickelodeon had to set up a separate address to avoid a computer crash.



"It is a cover for promoting homosexuality for kids," said Andrea Lafferty, the coalition's executive director.



Nickelodeon said that's not so. Ellerbee, in the show's introduction, says, "The following program is about tolerance ... It is not about sex. It does not tell you what to think."



Ellerbee, who won a Peabody Award for a Nickelodeon special that delicately dissected the Monica Lewinsky scandal for children, said she conceived of this show upon reading that the word "fag" had become the most common schoolyard epithet.



O'Donnell's public acknowledgement that she is a lesbian put the subject in the news, Ellerbee said.



The program, which airs at 9 p.m. EDT, is largely a discussion. Although it also features a gay school principal and a gay New York City firefighter who is a father of three, children are the focus.



Some children with gay parents talk about feeling uncomfortable about what other kids say in school. Other children discuss their objection to homosexuality.



"It is never a wrong time to talk about hate," Ellerbee said. "It's just not. That's all our show is about. It is not in any way about the homosexual lifestyle. It's not even introducing the subject to most kids. They know. But quite frankly, many of them know it from a hate standpoint without even knowing what they're talking about."



But Lafferty said, "They keep saying it is not about sexuality. It is about sexuality."



Parents are upset because many thought they never had to worry about Nickelodeon's content, she said.



"They have been led to believe that Nick is a safe harbor," she said. "Now they've been exposed. The skirt has been lifted and Nick has been exposed."



Lafferty was asked by Nickelodeon if the Traditional Values Coalition would recommend children to be included in the special. She refused.



Falwell agreed to be interviewed, however, and is quoted expressing his opposition to homosexuality on Christian grounds. He also said it's important to respect other points of view and not react with violence.



He said later, in an interview with The Associated Press, that he is sorry Nickelodeon feels the need to "indoctrinate" children on homosexuality.



"Nickelodeon should stay away from endorsing lifestyles that are generally not accepted by the American public," Falwell said. "It turns a children's network into something parents feel a responsibility to edit and carefully filter."



Asked how he reconciled his participation in the show with a call not to air it, Falwell said, "I've often said I would preach in hell if they promised to let me out."



Ellerbee said she was disappointed by Falwell's later comments.



Most of Ellerbee's Nick News programs air at 8:30 p.m. This show has been pushed back a half hour -- to a time when the network usually runs old sitcoms -- because of its sensitivity, said Herb Scannell, Nickelodeon's chief executive.



Lafferty claimed advertisers wouldn't touch the show; Scannell said the plan was always to be commercial-free. Some other Ellerbee shows, including the Clinton discussion and one about AIDS, also contained no ads.



Scannell said he had no hesitation about airing the special.



"I thought it was in a territory that we've been before, in terms of looking at the world from a kid's point of view," he said. "The whole philosophy of Nick is that it's tough to be a kid in an adult world."



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"If I liked girls, I'd be a very happy camper" - Amber Benson, coming around.

[helpful information perha]

at zentertainment:

Nickelodeon Slammed by Email, Phonecalls

Posted by Ajax on Tuesday, June 18 @ 08:09:53 CDT



Kids' network Nickelodeon has been slammed with 100,000+ anti-gay emails and phone calls over their decision to still air tonight NICK NEWS SPECIAL EDITION: MY FAMILY IS DIFFERENT. The show, featuring Rosie O'Donnell, will spotlight same sex parents. The Traditional Values Campaign and Reverend Jerry Falwell, who appears in the special, started the write-in campaign and boycott. The show airs tonight at 9 PM ET/PT.

[Lindy]

Please don't flame me but.. America, the land of the free?

I really do not get it.. not at all, it saddens me and turns my stomach all at once.

*********

Buffy: Kill the bad fairy... destroy the bad fairy's
powercenter, whatever, and all the troubles go away? ...

World is what it is. We fight. We die. Wishing
doesn't change that.

Giles: I have to believe in a better world.

[hilarita]

does anyone have an email address for this?

[Penrose Orleans]

At least Nickelodeon is airing it... I think that's a big step for gay awareness, especially since kids are more likely to be understanding of different ideas than those icky grown-ups!

"There are of course many problems connected with life, of which some of the most popular are `Why are people born?' `Why do they die?' `Why do they spend so much of the intervening time wearing digital watches?'" --Douglas Adams

[AmberBensonRockzMyWorld]

I'd like an E-mail address to if anyone can supply me with that. I'm want to write and say that I think it is a great idea. I think it'd be nice for kid's to learn about same sex parents and how, Gay people, Are no different than anybody else. Well, 'Nuff with the babbling. Love ya all,

Lisa

This is our Last Embrace, Must I dream and Always see your face.~ Jeff Buckley "Last goodbye"

[helpful information perha]

found this online at



www.nick.com/index.jhtml



www.nick.com/blab/write_n...tid=818243





www.nick.com/blab/write_nick/mail.jhtml

[skittles]

All of the stuff you need is in the GLBT thread. Check there if you wish more information.



GLBT News thread

skittles

.. for when I see you even for a moment, then power to speak another word fails me, instead my tongue freezes into silence... -- Sappho

Edited by: skittles  at: 6/18/02 1:54:02 pm

[Yelowsub]

This is my first post at the Kitty.



It's unfortunate but not unexpected that Nick would be blasted with so many anti-gay mailings.



I am so glad that Nick decided to air it. I'm still in high school but in elementary school we would play 'fag tag', and with all of the years that we played it only one teacher ever yelled at us for calling it that. I certainly did not know that it was a demeaning word and I think that kids still do not know what it means. It I knew that it was a bad word I never would have said it.



Quite simply kids need to be aware of what is going on in the world. And kids who do have homosexual parents need to know that they are not alone.

[helpful information perha]

www.mostnewyork.com/2002-...154712.asp



Kids, Issues Raised

Gay parents, straight talk



In her latest "Nick News Special Edition," Linda Ellerbee wants to discuss tolerance. Some groups can't tolerate that, even though they have not seen the show.



The sore spot for those who oppose the airing of "Nick News Special Edition: My Family Is Different" is parental partners of the same sex. Ellerbee has gathered kids, and a few adults, to discuss what it's like to be raised in such a household, or to be a same-sex parent or to be in a more traditional family and judging that lifestyle from the outside.





Fighting Hate: Rosie O'Donnell is a panelist on Nick News' 'My Family Is Different.'

Rosie O'Donnell is in the studio; the Rev. Jerry Falwell, another participant, is not. He provides his views in a taped piece, suggesting that "gay parenting is not overall a good thing."



It would have been preferable to have him in the studio, as the only adults present on the panel were gay and of one opinion.



The Traditional Values Coalition, claiming affiliation with many church groups and based in Anaheim, Calif., opposes this "Nick News" special (which its members hadn't seen at the start of the campaign). It is one of the organizations responsible for the many thousands of disapproving e-mails to Nickelodeon.



Conservative and religious organizations have protested such TV series as "Soap" and "NYPD Blue" before they hit the airwaves, objecting to concepts that sounded threatening or worse.



Taking on "Nick News" and Ellerbee, though, is ill-informed. I say this not only because I've seen the special in question, but because I've been impressed by previous "Nick News Special Editions," which use simple language, straightforward questions and a range of participants to address valuable subjects.



Make that invaluable. Ellerbee & Co., on these specials, have probed guns in schools, the aftermath of Sept. 11 and such sexually charged subjects as child molestation, AIDS and the HIV virus, and the Monica Lewinsky-Bill Clinton scandal.



Are these proper topics for young people, to be discussed on a network designated for children? Should youngsters be talking about these things? News flash: They already are.



On "My Family Is Different," children brought up by gay parents tell their stories and describe how they're treated by their peers. Then other studio participants, youngsters in traditional households and with proudly Christian upbringings, talk about their discomfort with the idea of same-sex parents.



Ellerbee asks one child if, after hearing the stories, she thinks she could be friends with someone whose parents were gay. She says maybe. Then Ellerbee asks the girl if she could see herself inviting that friend over to her house. After some thought, she says no.



"We didn't bring anybody in here to say, 'And now, we all have to think alike at the end of the day,'" Ellerbee says. But, she adds in a conclusion that draws agreement from the otherwise polarized group, regardless of religious and other beliefs, "Hate is wrong, hate crimes are wrong, discrimination is wrong."



And if the Traditional Values Coalition has a problem with that, then the Traditional Values Coalition is wrong.



E-mail: davidbianculli@comcast.net





Original Publication Date: 6/18/02

[Penrose Orleans]

Thanks for posting that, HIP! It's a shame that people that extreme (as Falwell) are so highly trusted with the conservative movement of America...

"There are of course many problems connected with life, of which some of the most popular are `Why are people born?' `Why do they die?' `Why do they spend so much of the intervening time wearing digital watches?'" --Douglas Adams

[tommo]

Deb told me about this. I have to say I was surprised. If only UK tv would attempt something like this, I think I'd be totally behind it. I know it's not the same kind of issue over here as it is in the US, but all the same, it's time we had that kind of programming.

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Squish. Squish. Squish.

[Yelowsub]

I just watched the "special in question". I know that it was great because it was meant to get families to talk about the issue but you know it hurt.



It really hurt to hear those kids say those things because they are only a few years younger than me and are actually the same age as many of my friends.



I am extremely religious, I was raised in a Christian home, and I am going into seminary after college to become a youth pastor. Oh and by the way, I happen to be bi.



It really hurts to hear these people say that Christians do not accept it because I know that in my own youth group (who by the way do not know that I am bi) seem to be perfectly fine with it.



I was a youth representative at a state synod meeting in which the main topic was whether or not the state would become RIC. (this is reconciling in Christ and churches who go through a specific process can have this attached to their name to use in advertisements and such. So if a gay person is looking for a church they know which churches will be accepting) I was reporting back to my youth group. But what I found amazing was the fact that the kids who were actually there at the meeting representing their churches, pretty much all had the same opinion..."I don't see why it's even an issue, it clearly says in the bible that God loves and accepts all people."



But what I always find amazing is when these people who claim to be spreading the word of God come out with things like "We do not accept hate...of any kind." Such as the reverand on the show. What do you think he's preaching about gay people. to hate, but not in a hateful way of course.



Sorry for the rant but only a very small amount of my friends know that I am bi so I rarely get to come out and spew my fellings like this.



Thanks for listening

[Rally]

I watched the show as well, and the one Christian boy who was quite out spoken, did express hate. He flat out said, "Christians don't hate the person, they hate the deed". I was quite take back by that, but then he was as I said very outspoken. He was also quite the pushy little one as well, stating that someone his age just cannot know. Aside from that, most of the kids handled themselves very well and hopefully Nick will get some positive feedback from the show.

------------




Officially, of course, I have to say that I have no idea what you're talking about.

[molsongrrrl]

this is from tom shales (television critic Washington Post):



Don't Ask, Don't Televise

'Nick News' to Air Show Despite Protest





Seldom has a milder-mannered television program caused a more inappropriate hullabaloo than Linda Ellerbee's "Nick News" special about children who have gay parents. The half-hour report, airing tonight at 9 on Nickelodeon, has been the object of outrage and rebuke ever since its topic was announced -- well before any of the attackers had a chance to see it.



They don't really want to see it and, worse, they don't want it seen.



Thousands of phone calls and e-mails -- many of the latter identically worded down to the last exclamation point, according to Ellerbee -- have all but overloaded the circuits at Nickelodeon in recent weeks. Members of the fundamentalist Christian right have been mobilized for attack on the grounds that the subject matter is inappropriate for young viewers (Nickelodeon has taken the precautionary step of airing it outside the usual kids' viewing hours).



All Ellerbee does on the special -- part of a series of Nick News reports on the theme "My Family Is Different" -- is interview children roughly 10 to 15 years old who have gay parents, let kids and adults vent their opinions on the phenomenon, and show a couple of filmed pieces about families that seem to have made the arrangement work. Only the most alarmist and paranoid could find anything insidious or threatening here.



Unfortunately, alarmists and paranoids are rather well organized in this country. They have enough mastery of the Internet to cause thousands and thousands of messages to be sent at the push of a button. Thus the deluge.



The show itself is, like most Nick News programs, straightforward and diligent, allowing more than one side of the issue to be examined and mercifully refraining from politically correct preachiness. What's scary about the kind of protest that has been mounted is that it seeks to suppress all debate rather than merely put forth a viewpoint; the protesters are saying that merely by acknowledging the existence of same-sex living arrangements, the producers are automatically encouraging them or advocating acceptance of them.



Following her usual format, Ellerbee plays host to a group of ethnically diverse kids in the studio who watch the filmed pieces and comment on matters at hand. Also present is Rosie O'Donnell, who made her lesbianism public this year and has been adopting children ever since she could afford to. Three of the kids on hand have one or more gay parents. Three others identify themselves as devout Christians who believe homosexuality is sinful. There's a Muslim girl, too, who says gayness is a long way from godliness.



Also contributing via videotape is Jerry Falwell, the nothing-if-not-opinionated televangelist. Falwell was quoted in news reports as complaining that Ellerbee had only contacted him at the last minute, as a kind of token afterthought. But Ellerbee said last week from her office in New York that she began making calls to Falwell's office six weeks before production of the show and has the phone bills to prove it. She never entertained the notion of omitting anti-gay voices from the chorus.



In his taped comments, Falwell says he believes that "gay parenting is not overall a good thing." But he also makes a strong statement against the harassment of children who have gay parents, saying Christian doctrine requires that "we show them the same love and respect that we would expect to be shown to others."



"Hatred is wrong, always," Falwell says.



The most moving comments on the program are those of Tom Ryan, a New York firefighter who is among the many, many heroes of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. He is also a gay man who tries to be a good father to his three kids. One of the reasons hatred is wrong, he says, is that it often leads of violence: "We've got to stop killing each other because of our differences." Do extremists really want to challenge that?



This first entry in the "My Family Is Different" series seems well intended and fair-minded. As often happens, the kids are a bit stiff and self-conscious under the studio lights, but they still manage to express themselves with clarity. Ellerbee is doing a public service with the "Nick News" series; it's encouraging that Nickelodeon executives didn't commit the public disservice of letting pressure groups run the network.

A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants

[xita]

It is a tricky issue. As a teacher , i can tell you people get weird when it comes to homosexuality and kids. Luckily as teachers in LA we are protected in our contract specifically as it pertains sexual orientation. However, you try to educate kids with all tolerance and not stir the pot so that you have parental outrage.



I love this book by Tomie DePaola called "Oliver Button is a Sissy." It is a great book because DePaola is such a popular children's author that the images are instantly recognizable to the kids. While it isn't about homosexuality, it goes to the heart of name calling and you can bring in the use of words that kids should not be calling each other.



I am amazed that Nick stuck to its guns and I think since we are all about the letter writing, that some thank yous are in order.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Willow: (to Tara) I could heal.

Tara: (to Willow)And we’re gone.

[molsongrrrl]

i do understand people getting all upset about homosexuality and kids -- this special (i did watch it) -- really focused on tolerance ... name calling ... acceptance --- all these people protesting should have seen the special first before condemning it ...

A little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants

[roamin]

What gets me is how people are so obsessed with sex, and focus on how by talking about gay families that the show is all about sex.



I would like to say that sex had nothing to do with the conception of my child ..... Really if you think about it, every time you talk about and promote straight parents and children, you're really promoting, well - sex!



Seriously though, I used to work with teens and anything they didn't like they would label "gay", that's why shows like this are so important - and why Buffy used to be so great.

[Penrose Orleans]

To take it to th MOST absurd extreme, you could say that any reference to a person or other animal is a reference to sex, since that personanimal must have been born/conceived, implying a sexual act! Hmmm... maybe I'm just running on too little sleep, but I don't see the argument!

Tyromancy-- The telling of fortunes using cheese.



Two atoms are walking down the street and they run in to each other. One says to the other: Are you all right? - No, I lost an electron! - Are you sure? - Yeah, I'm positive!

[Wiccagrrl313]

Well, I saw the special, and frankly don't see what all the fuss was about. All in all, it was pretty tame, and focused almost exclusively on tolerance and respect. And it's not like opposing pov's weren't included. Pretty well done, I thought (and I will drop Nickelodeon an e-mail to thank them)



Funny thing is, without all the protesting... this special probably wouldn't even have been a blip on the radar screen. Thanks to the efforts of those who decided they didn't want it aired before they ever even saw it, we got CNN discussing it all day long. Irony's kind of ironic that way

Tracy

******************


VILLOV

I troost yuu. Hurty flurty schnipp schnipp!

Edited by: Wiccagrrl313  at: 6/18/02 10:10:55 pm

[Penrose Orleans]

Hey, when it helps spread the word of tolerancee, I'll give Mr. Falwell a back rub! *scratches out eyes in complete repentence for previous sentence* "Out, vile jelly!" --King Lear

Tyromancy-- The telling of fortunes using cheese.



Two atoms are walking down the street and they run in to each other. One says to the other: Are you all right? - No, I lost an electron! - Are you sure? - Yeah, I'm positive!

[KJchicago]

Oops! Should've realized this would be on kitten radar. I just posted this on the daily thread.



I think shows like this are important in opening up communication between parents and their children.



I just found a link to a poll asking for feedback:



www.vote.com/vote/4663699...at=4075633

[Yelowsub]

I truly believe that since the bible was written in a different time with a completaly different civilization and culture, the bible does not have to be looked at as being 100% perfect and correct in our society



According to the bible there is no such thing as marital rape. A woman HAS to have sex with her spouse unless they're praying. It was just a different time back then and now our civilization is striving for equality and that involves questioning letters written close to 2000 years ago.



And to be completely off topic...

Penrose Orleans- I love your joke. I'm a complete science nerd and you got me laughing



sorry to rant again

Edited by: Yelowsub at: 6/19/02 11:41:14 am

[tabularasa]

Right on...I couldn't agree more! All of those alarmist who were so completely afraid that Nick was going to teach young str8 kids how to be gay (ridiculous thought isn't it? I mean...all the way around it is just so ludicrous!) and who's hard fought efforts to keep the show from being aired accomplished nothing more than a tremendous amount of free advertising for the show! Thank you to all of you haters for the ratings boost! We couldn't have done it without your efforts!



Anyway...If these so called loving christians (lets not confuse them with real christians shall we? IT isn't fair..) hate the homosexual act or the person or their clothes or whatever they claim is their problem this week...then they should just work to keep it out of their own homes...not mine. I will be the judge of what gets through my door. And, on that note..Jerry Falwell...I'm closing said door on you. *slam*

[Penrose Orleans]

YAY!!!! Many cheers to you, tabularasa, for shutting the door on hatred and discrimination!!!

"Naked people do not get machine-gunned." (Translation) --Hector Velarde, In Corium

[LadyLily]

One day old but I just needed to comment.



Hmm...but where to start?



First off, I believe that this was totally the right thing to do. I haven't seen it, but just the article and other people's opinions gave me a sense of what it was. For a station as trusted as Nickelodeon to air something like this further improved it. Maybe perhaps children will listen and hear out both sides (or maybe just the "right" side).



I'm sorry but I live in a very awesome state in the US. If some of you don't know, Vermont was the first state to approve of a sort-of same-sex marriage called Civil Unions. Two people of the same-sex enjoy the same benefits as "regular" married couples. I belive everything too. So you can imagine that there were many oppositions. Signs everywhere call back for the revoking of such a law. Even people from as far away as Kansas came and protested the bill from becoming law. But now it is two years old. (Yeah!!!)



The point of that story, other than to boast? Well, I'll just tell you that I have seen at least part of my share of bigotry and intolerance. It really disgusts me. It's so hard in the US too be gay or lesbian, to love just the person you do. Some people will go to extremes to keep their point of view alive. I think, someday, people will just accept this new social revolution. Hopefully that someday is soon.



Furthermore, you all known the children are our future. If they think that being in love with someone of the same sex is wrong or just down right dirty, then guess what our new senate, president, and society will think? So Nickelodeon just told them it was alright to "tolerate" this kind of activity. The best we can hope for is for them to tolerate it, to let it keep going, and not to stop it. Then maybe fully endorse it.



::sigh:: Our future looks grim, not only because of this. But this is one step forward for tolerance, and I am so glad Nickelodeon did this. Unfortuanatly there will always be hate in this world; there is always a balance between love and hate, war and peace. The children must learn how to tolerate every kind of people, even with their "radical" ideas.

-------------------------

Xander: It could be witches, some evil witches.

Which is ridiculous,
‘Cause witches, they were persecuted

Wicca good and love the earth and women power and I’ll be over here

[helpful information perha]

from tv guide on line



SAD DAY FOR JERRY FALWELL: Nickelodeon's controversial special on gay parenting, titled My Family Is Different, attracted a record 976,000 viewers Tuesday night. It ranked as the network's most-watched news special ever.

[hilarita]

no way, really? thats awesome.

[AmberBensonRockzMyWorld]

I actually missed the show, does anybody know if they will be repeating this? If so, please let me know.

Much Love,

Lisa

This is our Last Embrace, Must I dream and Always see your face.~ Jeff Buckley "Last goodbye"

[amelie]

Ugh, I missed the show too. If there's anyway I could see it, can someone let me know? Thanks!