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NOVEMBER 23, 2009


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Kevin Naff is editor of the Washington Blade and can be reached at knaff@washblade.com.

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Mar 21, 2008 | By: KEVIN NAFF | COMMENTS

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out process and gay rights issues on the cover of Time, on Oprah’s show and on her own “Ellen sitcom. The whole country talked about it.

I was working for the Baltimore Sun at the time and pitched an idea to my boss: Let’s sponsor an Ellen coming out party at the Hippo, a Baltimore gay nightclub. The straight executives loved the idea and we ran with it. We promoted the event online and in print ads in the Sun and packed the club for a TV viewing party of Ellen’s coming out episode. The Hippo’s owner hugged me and said he’d never seen such a turnout for an event like this.

Before the show began, I stood before the crowd with a microphone and talked about the Sun’s sponsorship of the event. I looked down and spotted an older lesbian colleague I recognized from another Sun department. She stared up at me, her jaw on the floor.

When I finished speaking, she approached me and said she couldn’t believe it. She had worked at the Sun for years and never imagined the newspaper would sponsor an event at a gay nightclub.

There no doubt are countless such stories of the ancillary effects of Ellen’s coming out 11 years ago. Let’s hope her ratings stay strong and she keeps speaking her mind.

COMMENTS

Please review and follow Washington Blade’s current Comment and Discussion Policy. Guidelines updated as of August 22nd, 2009. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.

Mr Chris

0

Kevin, According to the comment: (The mainstream media reaction to Wright’s sermons, in which he says “God damn America” and insists that the government created HIV “as a means of genocide against people of color” has been harsh and justifiably so) really? As for the HIV statement.I agree that was wrong. But wait. Last I knew we had freedom of speech in America. Your vision as a white male in America is far different from mines. You'll never feel our pain and even being Gay.You still won't. While you have to deal with only being Gay. Try being black and gay! something to think about!

Posted 3/21/08 - 5:54 AM

belovedcommunity
Washington, DC

0

There is nothing "anti-American" about the Rev Dr Jeremiah Wright - any more thsn there was anything anti-Israel about the great Hebrew prophets who called out for God's truth and justice, even if that meant calling condemnation upon God's wayward Chosen People. Dr Wright is a modern day prophet and a patriot in the deepest sense of the word because he confronts injustice head on and boldly challenges our nation to live up to our declared ideals and make then a reality for ALL people in this country and everywhere in the world where our power and influence extend.

Posted 3/24/08 - 10:05 PM

ErikDC
Bowie, Md

0

I was not offended by Rev. Wright's statements. Some of them were wrong, others were divisive, but none of them seemed explicitly anti-American or racist. I disagree with this notion that to be critical of your country is to be against your country. If you have an opinion of our government, that means you care about our government, which means you're patriotic. It's those that don't take the time to pay attention at all, that don't care about the direction of the country at all, that are unpatriotic.

Posted 3/25/08 - 9:00 PM

stephenclark
Washington, DC

0

I'm so sick and tired of staid white people sanctimoniously decrying these few snippets of Rev. Wright's ministry. Hey, Kevin, Rudy Giuliani has already nailed himself to the 9/11 cross; there's no room for you on it too. Maybe if you'd put aside your condescending jingoism, you might offer a constructive contribution to the discussion. Here's a "gay angle" for you. Why are members of minority groups - including plenty of gays in the 1980s - so quick to think the government created HIV to destroy them? Or you could just preen about you post-9/11 jingoism.

Posted 3/26/08 - 4:19 AM