Accuracy in culture

This week in the insidiously ignorant world of conservative media criticism, the ultra-right wing media analysis group, Accuracy in Media, has taken another abhorrent potshot at the GLBT community. In his Jan. 9 column, Andy Selepak, AIM's pied piper of hate, attacks ABC's choice to tackle the complicated issue of gender reassignment on its daytime soap "All My Children." \nIn AIM's usual style of hard-line conservative conspiracy theories and hate propaganda, Selepak claims that the homosexual community has some sort of "stranglehold" on the popular media and that ABC will fail in the public spotlight for investigating such a "bizarre and decadent" lifestyle. \nIt is obvious that Selepak and his terribly misinformed companions at AIM are functioning in the dangerous frame of mind that homosexuality is culturally deviant and a destructive lifestyle. \nThat such archaic points of view could possibly exist at a time of our advanced understanding of the continuum of gender identity is a perplexing reality. His belief that going through the confusing and painful journey of gender ambiguity is anything resembling "decadent" is a testament to the embarrassing lack of education that persists in our country on the matter of gender identity. \nThose of us who are appalled with the continued acceptance of AIM's style of hateful bigotry, particularly individuals in the mass media, have a responsibility to use our voices to shut down its ignorance and hate through education and exposure. \nAIM has a habit of making laughable claims on the ulterior motives of the media. What the popular media could be accurately accused of, however, is perpetuating dehumanizing stereotypes of fringe populations. How often do we see gay men on evening sitcoms who are little more than entertaining caricatures? When was the last time a classically masculine lesbian was given the same legitimacy on an evening drama as that breathy blonde on "CSI: Miami"? This dearth of equality in popular culture exposure clearly disproves Sepelak's ludicrous theory of a gay-controlled media and also illustrates the continued lack of acceptance of GLBT individuals in the mainstream of American culture. \nIn the second half of Selepak's column, he comes close to making a legitimate point. In accusing ABC of using the transgender story line for ratings-boosting shock, he presents ABC and the American public with an important challenge. By exhibiting a character's journey through gender reassignment, ABC has chosen to walk a fine line. To neglect the immensity of its responsibility to the dignity of individuals who have gone through that process has the potential to do as much cultural harm as any vocal right-wing hatemonger. Were it to present gender questioning in the shallow light of oddity and exoticism, it would, as an extremely popular entertainment staple, further reinforce negative cultural opinions of transgender individuals and archaic perceptions of gender identity. \nBut if ABC fulfills its responsibility to present the journey as raw and human, this choice could eventually be looked back on as a positive step in a cultural understanding of the complex nature of gender.