Minneapolis Paper Refuses Gay Pride Ad, Draws Discrimination Complaint

[Quetzal]

Minneapolis Paper Refuses Gay Pride Ad, Draws Discrimination Complaint

NEW YORK The Star Tribune in Minneapolis is being accused of discrimination by organizers of that city's annual gay-pride celebration, after the newspaper refused to run an ad for the June 2005 event that shows two men kissing.

GLBT Pride/Twin Cities, the organizers of the Twin Cities' annual Gay Pride event, today filed a discrimination complaint against the Star Tribune with the Minneapolis Commission on Civil Rights, according to the paper.

The gay-pride group said in a statement that it had been unable to resolve the issue with the newspaper's management and that it had "no choice but to file a discrimination complaint ... to force the business and policymakers at the Star Tribune to account for its actions," the Star Tribune reported.

"We stand by our decision not to run the ad as submitted, and we disagree with GLBT on the appropriateness of the ad," Star Tribune spokesman Ben Taylor said. "We are disappointed that GLBT would take this action after we have partnered with them, sponsored their events and supported their core principles for many years."

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Minneapolis Paper Refuses Gay Pride Ad, Draws Discrimination Complaint

[xchrom]

1. and if it had been two straight people kissing?

say for a jewellry store -- or even a fictitious st valentines event?

[livinginphotographs]

2. If it had been two straight people,

It would've been deemed "appropriate."

But since we might get some bigots' panties in a bunch, it's inappropriate.

They say they support the organization's core principles, but then basically turn around and say that its inappropriate "to show two boys kissin'! EWWWWW!"

[Zep]

3. Well they do have the right ...

... to pick and choose their advertisers. Any paper has.

I don't approve of the Star Tribune's choice, but it's not "discrimination" in the legal sense. They have the right to refuse the ad.

[Brian_Expat]

4. Not necessarily true

Advertising could be deemed public accommodation.

For instance, if a hotel accepts straight couples but not gay couples, and says "it has the right to refuse service to anyone," it's still violating non-discrimination laws in most jurisdictions that have them. If the paper regularly allows hetero kisses but bans homo ones, that's a similar violation against laws banning discrimination in public accommodation.

[Zep]

5. Advertising could be deemed public accommodation?

It is not.

For example, a Jewish newspaper need not accept ads from "Jews for Jesus".

[kweerwolf]

6. Strange that the Star Tribune would not accept the ad ...

since it has long had a reputation as a liberal newspaper.

I suppose it's part of the "chill" on positive news about the LGBT communities ever since the election.

It took years to get the media to pay attention to gay issues and realize that some of their readers/viewers are gay. Now it's just taken one election for the media to realize some of its readers/viewers might be fundamentalists ... and suddenly they can't afford to worry about offending them!

Oh puh-leeeeeeez!