Feb 09, 2007  |  By: KEVIN NAFF  | COMMENTS     

What does that suggest about the reliability of the rest of its site?

MEANWHILE, JOURNALISTS AT decidedly mainstream, established outlets continue to trip up when telling gay-related stories.

There was a telling error in the Washington Post late last month. In a Jan. 24 Style section story about gay-friendly B&Bs in Virginia, Post reporter Gary Lee wrote, “Although no public facility can lawfully discriminate against guests based on sexual orientation, some warm more easily than others to two men (or women) checking in together.”

Of course, as area gays and lesbians know all too well, public facilities in Virginia absolutely can — and do — discriminate based on sexual orientation.

The Virginia Human Rights Act states: “It is the policy of the Commonwealth to: 1. Safeguard all individuals within the Commonwealth from unlawful discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, age, marital status, or disability, in places of public accommodation, including educational institutions and in real estate transactions; in employment; preserve the public safety, health and general welfare; and further the interests, rights and privileges of individuals within the Commonwealth; and 2. Protect citizens of the Commonwealth against unfounded charges of unlawful discrimination.”

Notice that there is no mention of sexual orientation. Beyond that omission, Virginia has on its books some of the most anti-gay laws in the nation, including a same-sex marriage ban and the Marriage Affirmation Act, which bars gays from entering into contracts with each other for anything resembling marriage rights. It’s not a place gay couples should flock to spend their money, but that’s another quibble.

It’s troubling, though not surprising, that the Post is unaware of these basic facts. So many straight people, many of whom are gay friendly, have no idea that legalized discrimination is a fact of life for gay people.

The Post’s Lee and his editors probably just assumed that in the year 2007, the law would bar overt discrimination against gays. But, alas, Virginia is woefully behind the times.

The Post finally issued a correction this week after several messages left with the ombudsman. Its editors and reporters should familiarize themselves with local laws when covering gay issues and endeavor to do more aggressive reporting on the very real — and perfectly legal — discrimination faced by many of its readers.