The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) late Thursday was forced to hurriedly backtrack on a statement it had issued earlier in the day in which it appeared to support ABC's decision to cancel Adam Lambert's appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. The statement quoted GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios as saying, "It would appear that the kiss between Adam Lambert and his keyboardist did not factor into ABC's decision. ... ABC has a history of positive gay and transgender inclusion that includes featuring kisses between gay and lesbian couples on-air." After the quotes were widely reported, the organization issued a follow-up statement claiming that its earlier one had been "taken ... out of context." The new one pointed out that while ABC had insisted that Lambert's sexual orientation and his same-sex kiss on the American Music Awards telecast did not figure in its decision, it had conceded that it had been "caught off guard" by Lambert's previously unrehearsed behavior. GLAAD's new statement called on ABC to produce "clarification on 'caught off guard'" Meanwhile, the Liberty Counsel, a law firm affiliated with the late Moral Majority founder Jerry Falwell's Liberty University, has filed a complaint with the FCC over Lambert's AMA performance. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times , Matt Barber, director of cultural affairs for Liberty, noted that Lambert's performance was broadcast at 9 55 in the Central time zone, five minutes before the 10 00 p.m. to 8 00 a.m. "watershed" period when indecent material is allowed to be broadcast. Barber maintained, however, that such material should not be permitted at any time. "This is television where people just flipping through channels could have stumbled onto that," he said. "We believe this performance met the threshold for violation of federal law and violation of FCC regulations."
04/12/2009
