What's behind the banning of the UCC ads?

Fri07Apr2006

What's behind the banning of the UCC ads?

14:08 H | Topics: GLBT - Marketing - Religion - TV

Another%20UCC%20minister%20for%20equal%20marriage.jpg When ads for the United Church of Christ first appeared on some mainstream cable television stations, people were shocked. Shocked because a church was advertising a positive message of love and understanding, instead of the general line of judgement and condemnation. The UCC's ad creative spoke of a ministry of love and acceptance, with a particular emphasis on the acceptance of gay people into the fold of Christianity.

The message -- as well as the UCC's endorsement of gay marriage -- viewed as refreshing by some, is reviled by the Christian Right (called "radical") and apparently by Spanish language television in this country:

The UCC reported this week that the Spanish version of its 30-second commercial, "Ejector," was turned down last Thursday by NBC Universal, a family of broadcast and cable networks that includes Telemundo. A separate company, Univision – which also owns the Telefutura and Galavision networks – similarly rejected the denomination’s ad on the same day.

The objectionable part of this ad, it seems, is the gay element. The ad depicts the exclusion of gay couples, immigrants and the disabled in the church realm and offers the message "God doesn't reject people. Neither do we." A similar ad in English depicts the church as a fortress of a place guarded by bouncers who keep gay couples out. That ad was also rejected by the big networks.

But could it be just about the ad? I think it's more about the UCC's split from the rest of the mainline Christian churches by publicly endorsing gay marriage. In July 2005, the UCC asked its member churches to create "...wedding policies 'that do not discriminate against couples based on gender' and support laws granting equal marriage rights for gays and lesbians." According to the Christian Post:

The UCC, which became the first mainline denomination to sanction homosexual “marriages” last July, has a tradition of support for gays and lesbians, becoming the first major Christian denomination to ordain an openly gay minister in 1972. By 1985, the UCC adopted an “open and affirming” position toward homosexuals, though less than 10 percent of the congregations adopted that policy, according to the Rev. Dr. Bob Thompson, head of Faithful and Welcoming Churches.

UCC’s endorsement last year of same-sex marriage, however, has drawn notable criticism from Christian conservatives both outside the denomination and within, stirring debate and dividing dozens of its congregations.

GLAAD has worked incessantly for the past few years to combat homophobic potrayals and rhetoric on Spanish language television, with some real progress made in applying pressure to these networks via their advertisers. Unfortunately, it seems that the conservative roots are still there. I continue to see negative potrayals of gays and lesbians on Univision and Telemundo, on programs ranging from gossip shows (the most blaring example is Felipe Viel's "Franchis" character on "Escandalo TV") to news programs. An ad of acceptance like that of UCC could make a positive mark on the current Spanish language TV landscape. Alas, the only Spanish language network currently running the ad is Azteca America.

But it's not just Spanish-language television. Even LOGO, the gay and lesbian-themed network owned by Viacom has rejected the ads, since the decision comes from Viacom and affects all of its networks.

This shows that if you aren't in line with the current political agenda of hate and exclusion, you can't play ball.

Read about the UCC's stand against the Christian right in today's NYT (registration required)

See the ads in English and Spanish on GLAAD's web site.

Via / The Christian Post