Apr 04, 2008  |  By: KEVIN NAFF  | COMMENTS     

have left intact a reference to AVER, a basic and hardly controversial fact.

THE POST’S STYLEBOOK states, “A person’s sexual orientation should not be mentioned unless relevant to the story … Not everyone espousing gay rights causes is homosexual. When identifying an individual as gay or homosexual, be cautious about invading the privacy of someone who may not wish his or her sexual orientation known.”

The policy is outdated and overly broad. Of course you don’t mention sexual orientation when not relevant, but in an obituary? As the cliché goes, on your deathbed, no one wishes they’d spent more time on the job; they wish for more time with loved ones. Reporting the identities of those loved ones and their relationship to the deceased ought to be mandatory.

But the Post’s problems go beyond the obit section. Another recent example of the wrong-headedness of the stylebook policy comes to mind. When Metro held auditions to find the new voice for its “doors closing” announcement, the Post interviewed and profiled the winner — a lesbian. Is it relevant to the story about Metro that its new public voice is gay? Not in a straightforward news account. But in a feature story about that person’s life, it’s essential. The Post ignored her sexual orientation and left readers with more questions about this woman than answers.

The same goes for the Rogers story. His friend Lara Ballard put it best: “Anyone who didn’t know Alan was gay didn’t know Alan very well.”

The Post’s gay problem manifests itself with unfortunate regularity — from the straight-washed obituaries of gay figures like Susan Sontag and Ismail Merchant to a recent travel article erroneously stating that anti-gay discrimination in public accommodations is illegal in Virginia.

The Rogers case represents a chance for the Post and other mainstream media outlets to thoughtfully reexamine how they view sexual orientation. It is not a private fact for straight people and it should not be considered a private fact for gay people. It’s time to abolish that offensive and destructive double standard.

Maybe when the media grow up and deal in a mature, responsible and factual way with sexual orientation, the military will follow and finally end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
That’s what Rogers worked for and it would be a fitting tribute to his life.