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Dr. Laura on Gays: Opinionated Talk
Show Shot Touches off a Heater Controversy
If my mother were to call into Dr. Laura
Schlessinger's radio show, she would say: "Hello,
Dr. Laura, I am my gay kid's mom." Dr. Laura first
would tell my mother that her son's sexuality is a
result of a "biological mistake" This is her belief
and opinion, with no scientific evidence to support
it. Then Dr. Laura would correct my mother by
telling her that I am "homosexual, not gay." Dr.
Laura has said that changing the term "changes how
we perceive it, and how we can behave toward it."
On that point, she's absolutely right. As a
community, we do want to be called gay, not
homosexual. We want to remove "sex" from the
discussion so that people can see who we really
are-and no more sexual than our heterosexual
counterparts. (I prefer to speak of "romantic
orientation," whether gay or straight.) Dr. Laura
would also inform my mother that "homosexuality is
no more than a deviant sexual behavior and not
normal, and thus should be called what it is,
sexual deviancy." She would make it clear to my
mother that her son and other gays are not entitled
to equal rights such as marriage or adopting
newborns "because of their sexually deviant
behavior, just like bestiality, pedophilia and
sadomasochism." If my mother were to mention my
relationship with my partner of six years, Dr.
Laura would correct my mother and call him my "sex
partner." As she has said before on her show and in
her writings, Dr. Laura would tell my mother that
it is a "sadness for men to have to have sex with
men." She would tell my mother about "therapies
that help a reasonable number of people
successfully become heterosexual."
The American Psychological Association has
stated that to suppress one's sexual orientation
contributes to depression. In 1973, the association
removed homosexuality as a disorder from its
diagnostic lists. Dr. Laura would tell my mother
that decision was "about politics, not science." I
don't think that physical love between two
consenting adults is a "sadness." Media-driven
ministries such as Dr. Laura's radio show and
others are stuck in old-school themes, which have
been devalued and disproved by more recent
research. People such as Dr. Laura are using shock
value and exaggeration. She does not do her
homework and feeds one-sided and erroneous
information for her own agenda-and, of course,
ratings. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against
Defamation (GLAAD) sent an alert to members about
Dr. Laura's on-air remarks, out of concern that she
is promoting intolerance and non-acceptance of gay
Americans. When you view another person's sexuality
as the result of "biological mistakes" and
"developmental errors," you're less likely to treat
that person with respect. That's why it's so
gratifying to see positive gay role models on
television. After years of being invisible, or the
all-too-visible source of nightclub jokes, we are
starting to be perceived as people. Better yet: as
everyday people!
GLAAD pleaded with Paramount to control
Schlessinger's on-air rhetoric, but their attempts
to "out" Dr. Laura's homophobia weren't even
slowing her
down. Meanwhile, another gay group, the
San-Francisco-based Horizons Foundation, launched a
nationwide ad campaign to educate the public about
the danger Schlessinger's anti-gay rhetoric poses
to children. Finally, after seeing that Paramount
was still moving forward with premiering her
television show, a group of gay activists,
public-relations executives, and media
professionals teamed up to create
"StopDrLaura.com"-both a web site and a
coalition.
We stood up, said, "We are not going to take
this," and were effective. Stopdrlaura.com received
thousands of hits. The site became very well known
and received lots of publicity. Stopdrlaura.com
activists felt that since Paramount was going
ahead, then the next step would be to target the
advertisers of the show, pleading for people to ask
them to withdraw their support. He posted
companies' names, phone numbers, fax numbers and
emails. Many advertisers were not prepared for the
volume of complaints. Major companies, starting
with Proctor and Gamble, Sears, and Kraft, pulled
their advertising. With less ad money to keep it
running, Dr. Laura's was shunted from its original
prime weekday-morning location to early-morning and
middle-of-the-night time slots. Ultimately the show
was cancelled. Proof that protests do not convince,
but profits do!
Today, on her radio talk show, Dr. Laura says
virtually nothing about gay people.
Happily, history does repeat itself. Back in the
1970s, Anita Bryant (who didn't even boast a Ph.D.)
was a spokesperson for Florida Orange Juice. Gay
groups protested her, for the same kind of ignorant
rhetoric. Thanks to her unwanted, wholly
self-generated controversy, Florida Orange Juice
canceled her contract.
©2009 by Joe Kort
Related: Issues,
Books
Psychotherapist
Joe Kort, MA, MSW, has been in practice since 1985.
He specializes in Gay Affirmative Psychotherapy as
well as IMAGO Relationship Therapy, which is a
specific program involving communication exercises
designed for couples to enhance their relationship
and for singles to learn relationship skills. He
also specializes in sexual addiction, childhood
sexual, physical and emotional abuse, depression
and anxiety. He offers workshops for couples and
singles. He runs a gay men's group therapy and a
men's sexuality group therapy for straight, bi and
gay men who are struggling with specific sexual
issues. His therapy services are for gays and
lesbians as well as heterosexuals. His articles and
columns have appeared in The Detroit Free
Press, Between the Lines Newspaper for
Gays and Lesbians, The Detroit News, The
Oakland Press, The Royal Oak Mirror, and
other publications. Besides providing therapy for
individuals and couples, he conducts a number of
groups and workshops for gay men. Now an adjunct
professor teaching Gay and Lesbian Studies at Wayne
State University's School of Social Work, he is
doing more writing and workshops on a national
level. He is the author of 10
Smart Things Gay Men can do to Improve Their
Lives and
10
Smart Things Gay Men Can Do to Find Real
Love.
www.joekort.com
or E-Mail
*
Gaydar
(gay'.dahr, n.): (1) The
ability that lets gays and lesbians identify one
other. (2) This column--where non-gay readers can
improve their gaydar, learning more about gay men's
psychology and social lives. Also, (3) a regular
feature where gay readers can discover the many
questions and hassles their straight
counterparts--and themselves--must face!
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