Issues@Hand
AFA initiatives, Christian activism, news briefs
March 1998 – What do you do when you’ve given the country its first lesbian lead character on TV, but no one wants to watch? Do you stand by your gal? Yes…and no, if you’re Disney.
Creatively, the Disney/ABC sitcom Ellen has been in limbo. Three of its six episodes since Christmas have been reruns. Perhaps undecided about the show’s future, Disney said it will pull Ellen from its regular rotation for six weeks, beginning March 11. It will return on April 22, but Disney has not decided if the show will return next season.
That uncertainty has angered gay activists, who believe that Disney’s hesitancy to unreservedly back Ellen is the result of pressure from moral conservatives. Homosexual pressure groups like Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and Human RightsCampaign blasted AFA in shrill tones, calling the group “radical” and “extremist.” Both have urged their supporters to plead with Disney to keep the sitcom.
The decision by Disney to remove Ellen from its February sweeps line-up is understandable, as TV viewers now seem to be abandoning the show. For the 1996-97 season, the sitcom averaged 15.2 million viewers. But as the all-lesbian themes dragged on, viewership declined to 13.2 million. In three new episodes this year, Ellen averaged 11.9 million viewers, losing nearly two million viewers between January 7 and 28.
The public may be growing tired of Ellen’s loud and lewd lesbian self-promotion. A Gannett News Service poll revealed that almost half of respondents (47%) had an “unfavorable” opinion of actress Ellen DeGeneres. Only 34% had a “favorable” impression.
Moreover, the poll showed Americans have a negative view of television’s pro-gay parade in general: 56% of people said they thought TV ought to have either fewer homosexual characters (23%) or none at all (33%).
Even ABC Entertainment president Jamie Tarses admitted the possible connection between the sinking numbers for Ellen and the sitcom’s in-your-face homosexuality. “It would be unrealistic to not at least wonder whether or not the content is the reason for the drop-off [in viewers],” she said. “You’ve got to consider every factor.”
Disney had apparently wanted the gay-is-OK message to be disseminated on Ellen much more slowly. Last summer, for example, Tarses promised that Ellen “won’t be the lesbian dating show.”
Last fall when Disney’s network ran a parental advisory for adult content on Ellen, DeGeneres threatened to quit.Tired of working through “compromises” on sexual content, she complained, “It’s like they’re saying, ‘OK, you’re gay, and we’re tolerating this, but don’t show us how you really would be, don’t kiss a girl on the lips.’”
At the Disney/ABC’s affiliate meeting in December, ABC executives told station heads they did not know that DeGeneres would push the same-sex affection and pro-gay themes so far in such a short time, describing the situation as “an ongoing battle” with her.
Disney’s attempt to apply the brakes to DeGeneres’ run-away agenda was probably motivated more by a sensitivity to public opinion than any moral concerns. But the company also realizes there is no going back to their pre-lesbian days.
One well-placed source told the New York Post, “ABC has sort of abandoned the idea that they’re going to be able to put the genie back in the bottle. It’s going to be a gay show...but everything changes from week to week.”
Ellen’s mom pushes gay rights
Ellen is not the only DeGeneres who is feverishly pushing the homosexual agenda. The actress’ mother, Betty, is the focus of a 30-second public service announcement (PSA) in which she asks Americans to support efforts to grant special civil rights to homosexuals.
The pro-homosexual PSA uses the pleasant and non-threatening images of children playfully building an American flag out of red, white and blue boxes. During this visual, Betty DeGeneres insinuates the message: “For too long, gay Americans have suffered discrimination. As long as our sons and daughters are excluded from the basic protection of law, we must share that burden – as a family.”
The elder DeGeneres, 67, is a spokeswoman for the Human Rights Campaign, a gay lobby group that produced the PSA. The spot will begin airing in time for National Coming Out Day on October 11, the homosexual observance which is meant to encourage homosexuals to publicize their sexual orientation. The day also honors the 1987 march on Washington for gay civil rights.
Betty credits shows like her daughter’s with emboldening young people to come out of the closet and tell their parents that they are homosexuals. “I’m hearing from young people – especially since Ellen’s coming out episode – that their parents are more accepting,” Betty DeGeneres said. “They’re seeing a positive image for the first time instead of all this negativity.” 
