EXCLUSIVE: LGBT leaders tackle media coverage of community as Pride Month gets rolling

Posted by Karl Frisch on mediamatters.org:

"With LGBT Pride month now underway, complete with an official presidential proclamation, Media Matters contacted various LGBT advocacy organizations and leaders [Jarrett Barrios, president of Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), Robin McGehee, co-founder of getEQUAL, Sean Eldridge, communications director of Freedom To Marry, Michael Cole, press secretary of Human Rights Campaign (HRC), Sharon J. Lettman, executive director of National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC), Rea Carey, executive director of National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Paul DeMiglio, senior communications manager of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), Michael Adams, executive director of Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) and Michael Silverman, executive director of Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund (TLDEF)] for their thoughts on media coverage of the LGBT community thus far in 2010. Below you’ll find what they have to say, but what do you think? Leave a comment and let us know. You can find more about media coverage of the LGBT community in 2010 by clicking here.

... "Sean Eldridge, communications director of Freedom To Marry:

'Too much of the media's coverage goes to the "horse-race" of how marriage battles are going, instead of exploring the real stories of how millions of Americans are harmed by being denied the freedom to marry and the vital safety net of protections and responsibilities that marriage brings. As people like President Clinton and Laura Bush show in describing their own journey to support of the freedom to marry, coverage of committed couples, their stories, and why marriage matters -- and the conversations that such coverage prompts -- is the key to helping the public understand that marriage discrimination harms many, while helping no one.'"

Click to read the full post: [Link]