Too Risque

Talking Points Memo

Follow the link above to a post from Joshua Micah Marshall about the United Church of Christ's new ad campaign. The ad in question shows a variety of people--including a gay couple--attempting to enter a church and being turned away by bouncers. The ad then makes clear "that -- like Jesus -- the United Church of Christ seeks to welcome all people, regardless of ability, age, race, economic circumstance or sexual orientation."

So what's the trouble? CBS, NBC, and UPN--so far--won't run the ad because it's "too controversial." The ad doesn't feature the language above; all it says is "Jesus didn't turn people away. Neither do we." It's a brave ad campaign, yes, and it tells us something about UCC that we otherwise may not have known. But controversial? Why?

Well, here's the explanation from CBS: "Because this commercial touches on the exclusion of gay couples and other minority groups by other individuals and organizations," reads an explanation from CBS, "and the fact the Executive Branch has recently proposed a Constitutional Amendment to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, this spot is unacceptable for broadcast on the [CBS and UPN] networks."

More on how to act against this blatant censorship when I have it.