I pass this on as a FYI:GLAADAlert Today
March 13, 2002
LYNCHBURG ABC AFFILIATE REFUSES TO AIR 'ONCE AND AGAIN'
On March 11, ABC affiliate WSET-TV 13 in Lynchburg, Va., chose to preempt an exceptional episode of the acclaimed family drama "Once and Again," apparently because of a storyline involving gay and lesbian themes. The station aired infomercials in place of the one-hour network drama -- which airs at 10 p.m. -- and has no plans to air the March 11 episode in the future.
The episode, entitled "The Gay/Straight Alliance," featured two interconnecting storylines with gay themes. Grace (Julia Whelan), the 16-year-old daughter of Lily (Sela Ward), joins the school's new Gay/Straight Alliance because she has a crush on Mr. Dimitri, the group's faculty advisor. Meanwhile, Jessie (Evan Rachel Wood), the 14-year-old daughter of Rick (Billy Campbell), is confused when her
best friend Katie (Mischa Barton) sends her a love letter. Unsure of her own feelings, Jessie initially avoids Katie, but in a moment of clarity, Jessie realizes that she's in love with Katie too. The girls kiss, finally admitting that their relationship is deeper than friendship.
In spite of repeated requests for comment, WSET has refused to explain its decision to preempt "Once and Again."
"Once and Again" is one of TV's most respected dramas, in part because of the honesty with which its creators and cast portray the complexities of family relationships. For WSET to decide that the show's sensitive, realistic portrayal of coming out is somehow inappropriate for its viewing audience sends a clear message that the experiences of lesbian and gay youth are unimportant.
While ABC is to be commended for airing this exceptional episode, we believe the power of the episode was diminished by an unnecessary and inappropriate warning to parents: "Due to Adult Subject Matter, Parental Discretion Is Advised." There is nothing in this episode that could be construed as sexually explicit or inappropriate for family audiences. If this episode had featured Jessie sharing a first kiss with a boy, no parental advisory would have been posted. This inappropriate double standard inaccurately suggests that gay and lesbian content is by definition "adult subject matter."
TAKE ACTION NOW:
1) Please contact the programming director at WSET and call on him to explain why he chose to censor this episode. Please ask him to air "The Gay/Straight Alliance" during prime-time within the next thirty days.
CONTACT:
Randy Smith
General Manager
WSET-TV 13
2320 Langhorne Rd.
Lynchburg, VA 24501
Phone: 804-528-1313
Fax: 804-847-8800
E-mail: rsmith@wset.com
2) Please contact the producers of "Once and Again" and thank them for their sensitive and thoughtful exploration of Jessie and Katie's relationship.
CONTACT:
Edward Zwick
Marshall Herskovitz
Once and Again
8660 Hayden Place
Culver City, CA 90232
E-mail: OnceProducer@aol.com
3) Please thank ABC for airing this episode of "Once and Again." Let them know how just powerful this episode was. Also ask them to remove the parental discretion advisory from future airings of "The Gay/Straight Alliance." The advisory is a double standard and this episode is the kind of quality television that everyone should see.
CONTACT:
Lloyd Braun
Chairman, ABC Entertainment TV Group
500 S. Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521
Phone: 818-460-7777
E-mail: netaudr@ABC.com
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There are only four questions of importance in life:
What is sacred, of what is the spirit made, what is worth living for,
and what is worth dying for. The answer to all of them is the same.
Only love.
