Porno Pete Is Very Upset There Were No Anti-Gays At Gay Journalism Convention

"Even the NLGJA panel on religion and 'gay rights' was bereft of a traditionalist perspective, while the two openly homosexual speakers—former Episcopal Church bishop V. [Vicky] Gene Robinson and new Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ECLA) Bishop Rev. Doctor Guy Erwin—were heralded in the program as leaders of 'this next wave of the civil rights movement.'Both Revs. Robinson and Erwin compared opposition to homosexuality and Christian businessmen’s principled refusal to participate in 'gay weddings' to racist bigotry. Perhaps it is asking too much of  'mainstream' journalists who consider homosexuality part of their intrinsic identity (“who they are”) to cover LGBT-related issues impartially. Nevertheless, intellectual diversity and ‘opposing’ viewpoint inclusion—the watchwords of this conference and pro-LGBT advocacy in general—were in short supply at the NLGJA convention. That is a peculiar and glaring deficit for a profession that ideally is supposed to cover 'both sides' of controversial issues." - Peter LaBarbera, who paid $330 to spend a day glowering from the audience.

RELATED: The Evangelical Press Association will hold its annual convention in Denver on Oct. 1st thru Oct. 5th. And somehow, I'm not finding anybody on their list of speakers that will provide viewpoints that oppose the Christianist agenda. Somebody should totally write an outraged post about that.

Sources Say Fox Anchor Shep Smith Isn't Planning On Coming Out At LGBT Gala

Jim Romenesko followed up on my post yesterday about Shep Smith attending next week's gala for LGBT journalists.

I asked Fox News and NLGJA if Smith – outed by Gawker last October – plans to announce anything at next Thursday’s event. “Not to my knowledge,” NLGJA membership coordinator Matthew Rose told me. “Our special guest list is filled with allies,” straight and gay. (Another NLGJA member noted that Anderson Cooper attended the “Headlines and Headliners” bash during his closeted years.) Fox News spokeswoman Irena Briganti tells me: “Fox News is an annual sponsor of the NLGJA event and Shepard Smith is attending the benefit along with numerous other Fox News Channel & Fox Business on-air talent and staff.”

The event takes place on Thursday at the Prince George Ballroom in Manhattan.

Is Fox Anchor Shep Smith Coming Out?

Next week the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association will hold its annual gala here in New York City. When I first got my invite to cover the event, I noticed that glass-closeted Fox News anchor Shepard Smith is listed among the attendees. To be clear, not all of the announced media personalities on the list are LGBT, but today the publicist for the event confirmed to me that Smith has not previously attended. One wonders if a long overdue announcement is coming.

At #LGBTmedia13

The fourth annual Haas Convening is underway in Philadelphia, where about 70 LGBT journalists have gathered for brainstorming and training on critical issues facing the community. Among today's presenters are noted lawyer Lavi Soloway, who advocates for bi-national couples who face DOMA-related deportations.

Other issues on today's agenda include LGBT rights abroad and asylum rights, aging and seniors in the gay community, transgender rights, and the LGBT community's place in the labor movement. In the photo above, Shuya Ohno skypes in from the National Immigration Forum. Follow the goings-on via the Twitter hashtag #LGBTmedia13.  The Haas Convening is sponsored by the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association.

This Weekend: #LGBTmedia13

This weekend I'll be in Philadelphia to attend the fourth annual Haas Convening, a symposium for LGBT journalists sponsored by the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund and the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association. Organizer Bil Browning gives a preview at Bilerico:

"This year's convening is focusing on coalition building. We'll have presentations on immigration reform, international issues, the aging queer community, transgender-specific issues, and the labor movement. Philadelphia Mayor Nutter will address the group during lunch on Saturday while Cleve Jones and David Mixner will do a Q&A session at Friday night's reception and dinner."

Writers from most of the nation's top LGBT news sites and print publications will attend. Some of the folks whose names you might know well: Rex Wockner, Chris Geidner, Jeremy Hooper, David Badash, Ann Northrop, Andy Humm, Paul Schindler, Rod McCullom, Mike Rogers. Hit the link for a full list of attendees.

In previous years the convention was held in New York City, San Francisco, and Houston. We held great JMG reader meet-ups in all three cities and tomorrow night you're welcome to join us all at Tavern On Camac at 9PM.  Come out and meet the writers behind all your favorite news outlets. And follow the goings-on all weekend via the Twitter hashtag #LGBTmedia13.  I've been advised that everything we say to everybody is "on the record." So I better watch my potty mouth.

NLGJA President Dies At 48

Michael Triplett, president of the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, has died of cancer at the age of 48.  The NLGJA writes:

Michael was the assistant managing editor at Bloomberg-BNA, where he used his legal background to develop and lead reports on tax and labor policy, as well as grooming journalists around the world. NLGJA members often called on Michael to provide a legal perspective to policy issues and governance, and he frequently sat on panels covering legal issues at NLGJA conventions.  Michael played an enormous role in our joining UNITY: Journalists for Diversity in 2011 and was one of our first representatives to the UNITY board. There, he worked with members of our partner groups to fully incorporate sexual orientation and gender identity into UNITY’s mission. He also helped our organization connect with members as a principle contributor to the NLGJA RE:ACT blog. Michael was truly a joy for all of us to work with, and his loss will be felt among our organization for years to come. Our thoughts and prayers are with his partner, Jack and his family in Alabama.

Such horrible news. I first met Michael in 2008 when he invited me to DC to sit on the NLGJA's panel discussion on ENDA, where I tangled with then-Log Cabin president Patrick Sammon who ended up calling me a "Stalinist." Michael, well aware of my opinion of homocons, had wisely seated us at opposite ends of the dais.

Last April, Michael wrote movingly about his battle with HPV-related oral cancer.

In the past year, I’ve had: three surgeries, 42 days of traditional radiation treatment, five rounds of chemotherapy, and five days of advanced radiation treatment. My medical bills have surpassed the $600,000 mark—thank God for my employer’s great insurance plan. I’ve lost over 50 pounds and all my facial hair, had almost half of my tongue removed, undergone two high-tech robotic procedures, used up over 70 percent of my accumulated sick leave, and had my 76-year old mother living with me for about 12 weeks to assist in my care. From this birthday forward, my gifts better be pretty damn spectacular.

In particular, and rather selfishly, I'll miss Michael's keen eye on the evolution of gay journalism and what it means today to be a news blogger in the ever-shrinking world of print media.  I've quoted his words on that subject regularly over the years and you can read some of those posts here.

Read Michael Triplett's full 2012 essay, The Anniversary Of My Cancer.

Folks On The Other Side Of Your Screen

Here's a shot of this weekend's 2012 Haas Convening, where LGBT journalists gathered in Houston for training and updates on the movement's latest issues. Attending were such well-known bloggers as Jeremy Hooper (Good As You), Bil Browning (Bilerico Project), David Badash (New Civil Rights Movement), Rod McCollum (Rod 2.0), Zack Ford (Think Progress), Noah Michelson (HuffPo Gay Voices) and Scott Wooledge (Daily Kos).

Also in the house were writers from print outlets such as the Bay Area Reporter, Windy City Times, South Florida Gay News, Miami Herald, Gay City News, Frontier Magazine, The Advocate, Metro Weekly, Seattle Gay News, and the Washington Blade.

Among the presenters were Jerame Davis (Stonewall Democrats), R. Clark Cooper (Log Cabin Republicans), Mara Keisling (National Center for Transgender Equality), Denis Dison (Victory Fund), Mike Rogers (Netroots Connect), Marc Solomon (Freedom To Marry), and Steve Walker, the Deputy Political Director for the Democratic National Committee. A particular highlight was the welcoming speech from openly gay Houston Mayor Annise Parker (below). Big thanks go out to Haas exec (and former NGLTF director) Matt Foreman for another great event.

Houston Meet-Up Reminder

A reminder for this Saturday:

After going back and forth with Twitter, Facebook, and meatspace pals, the consensus is that JR's Houston will be the best spot for next Saturday's meet-up. I'll be in Texas for the Haas LGBT Journalists Convening, which this year is sponsored by the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association. Hosting the whole shebang is NLGJA board member Bil Browning, the founder of Bilerico, so this will be a big ole Texas-sized joint meetup of JMG + Bilerico + LGBT journalists. Prepare for an orgy of tweeting. We'll be there from 8pm until we're not.

We're looking forward to meeting lots of you. Yeehaw and all that. I don't have a cowboy hat so maybe I'll just work the Gotham realness with my Kangol...

Houston Meet-Up On Saturday 3/24

After going back and forth with Twitter, Facebook, and meatspace pals, the consensus is that JR's Houston will be the best spot for next Saturday's meet-up. I'll be in Texas for the Haas LGBT Journalists Convening, which this year is sponsored by the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association. Hosting the whole shebang is NLGJA board member Bil Browning, the founder of Bilerico, so this will be a big ole Texas-sized joint meetup of JMG + Bilerico + LGBT journalists. Prepare for an orgy of tweeting. We'll be there from 8pm until we're not.

HomoQuotable - Michael Triplett

"While the 'hate group' list is interesting, it is also largely meaningless in terms of who the media should talk to and who they shouldn’t. Included in the current list of 18 groups–who all, apparently, aren’t going to show up on the final list–are organizations associated with white supremacist and Christian Identity movements, but also major players in the social conservative political world: Concerned Women for America, National Organization for Marriage, and Family Research Council. While activists may not like the work these groups do, labeling them 'hate groups' based on SPLC’s designation and therefore off-limits for the media is nonsensical.

"Instead, the media needs to do a better job of deciding when and how it uses groups considered anti-gay. Part of the problem, of course, is relying on the same voices and people over and over again. This is a problem on all-sides of the debate where the same people are called by CNN and MSNBC and Fox to talk about gay issues, both on the pro-gay and anti-gay sides. If Perkins and FRC are overexposed, one could argue the same thing about a laundry list of gay male pundits and LGBT activist groups." - Michael Triplett, vice president of the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association.

Read Triplett's entire article on the NLGJA's blog.

Sirius XM At 2pm: Michelangelo Signorile Hosts Special Panel On Ethics Of Outing

On SiriusOutQ at 2pm today, Michelangelo Signorile hosts a special discussion on the ethics of outing. The show will be broadcast live from the convention of the National Gay & Lesbian Journalists Association, which is taking place this week in San Francisco.

Our panel includes Mike Rogers of Blogactive, who was at the forefront of reporting on Senator Larry Craig, Congressman Mark Foley, Ken Mehlman and many others; LZ Granderson, columnist for ESPN Page 2, host of the web-based ESPN360 talk show “Game Night” and a frequent commentator for CNN.com; and Michael Triplett, a contributor for the media analysis site Mediaite, assistant chief of correspondents for the Bureau of National Affairs, and a board member of NLGJA. They and other gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender NLGJA members in the audience, journalists from across the country, will be participating, asking questions and commenting, as will be listeners from coast to coast calling in.

You can stream the show online for free. (Registration required.)

Christianists At The Gay Journo Convention

Some Christian outfit called the Culture and Media Institute infiltrated attended the NLGJA Convention in DC last weekend. Here's their recap.

It’s spelled NLGJA, but they pronounce it “Negligee.” [JMG: Never heard this, but it IS funny.] The National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA) just held its annual convention here in Washington D.C., attracting hundreds of journalists – and ringing endorsements – from virtually every major publication and broadcaster in the news media.

In a full-page ad in the convention program, NBC Universal declared it is “proud to support NLGJA,” under the bold headline: “YOUR VICTORIES ARE OUR VICTORIES.”

After listening to speaker after speaker express hatred and contempt for political and religious conservatives while plotting how to advance the homosexual activist agenda through journalism, I’m left wondering whether Americans know the extent of the media’s bias on homosexual issues. Do they know that the news media have thrown themselves fully behind the gay rights movement? Every major news organization sponsored the convention, bought space in the program or had recruiting booths.

[snip]

On a partisan level, the conferees clearly leaned toward the Democrats. One speaker frankly admitted that the homosexual activist community generally expects most gays to be Democrats. [JMG: This might have been me] Two panels touched on a partisan controversy raging in the homosexual community: James Kirchick, Assistant Editor of The New Republic, said gays are “shocked” and “up in arms” because the owner of “Manhunt,” a very popular same-sex “dating” site, contributes money to presumptive GOP presidential candidate John McCain. [JMG: But this turkey fails to note that Kerchick strongly disagreed, so much for HIS objectivity.]

[snip]

NLGJA members generally view themselves as members of an oppressed minority group, which suggests they’re likely to bring a political agenda to their journalism. The NLGJA convention doesn’t seem to be a likely place to find objective reporters. Nevertheless, most of the top organizations in journalism sent recruiters: The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, AP, NPR, Bloomberg, even conservative-leaning Fox. The poor Fox recruiter seemed lonely.

The political and ideological bias so readily apparent at the NLGJA convention reflects a glaring problem in the news industry as a whole. Reporting the news objectively is still a matter of professional pride to most journalists, but many also have bigger fish to fry.

The Culture and Media Institute's tagline: Advancing Truth and Virtue in the Public Square.

NLGJA Convention: In Which I Get Called A Stalinist

This weekend's trip to the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists convention in DC turned out to be a lot of fun. Friday night I met my pal, personal blogger Jimbo Barrett, who treated me to dinner and cosmos at gay fave Duplex before we headed to a party at the Adams Morgan home of outing kingpin Mike Rogers, author of BlogACTIVE and PageOneQ.

Tons of bloggerati and LGBT activism stars were in the house, including Truth Wins Out author and anti-ex-gay activist Wayne Besen, Mark Foley's outer Lane Hudson, SiriusXM radio host Michelangelo Signorile, Box Turtle Bulletin author Jim Burroway, North Carolina activist and Soulforce rider Matt Comer, Advocate editor Jon Barrett, Sen. Larry Craig's one-time rentboy David Phillips, and furniture mogul Mitchell Gold. Many more folks were in attendance, but looking at all the business cards on my hotel room desk the next morning, I was having a hard time connecting faces and names.ABOVE: SiriusXM producer David Guggenheim, Michelangelo Signorile, David Phillips. BELOW: Mitchell Gold and Lane Hudson.
BELOW: Matt Comer (L), Wayne Besen (R).












The next morning I spoke on the convention's ENDA panel where award winning journalist and panel moderator Michael Triplett did a fantastic job of keeping Log Cabin Republicans head Patrick Sammon and I from strangling each other. All seemed to be in agreement that the gay press and blogosphere had done a poor job in educating the public about the true ramifications of a trans-exclusive ENDA.

Aside from the utter unfairness of ditching our trans friends, another point I tried to drive home was that without gender identity and gender expression protections, only Jimmy Jock and Suzie Creamcheese would have true job protection. Non-trans but feminine men or masculine women could still be fired for presenting what their employers considered a "non-professional" image. We'd be protecting the "passable", but not the people at the fringes of traditional gender behaviors, even though they are not transgender.

Triplett turned the conversation to the other big divisive issue, gay Republicans, and LCR head Sammon spoke with the measured eloquence of the television reporter he used to be. Triplett then pointed out that whenever the gay press mentioned the LCR, it tended to be in a "let's take a trip to the zoo and look at the funny gays" sort of vein. (Guilty!) Advocate editor Jon Barrett promised an end to that sort of treatment of the LCRs, much to Sammon's satisfaction. (Barrett also revealed that the Advocate's ENDA cover story issue had been the lowest selling of the year, another example of the work that needs to be done there.)

And then we came to the McCain/Manhunt story. Sammon said that it was "Stalinist" of bloggers (looks at me) to rebuke a private businessman for his personal political opinions and complained about a double standard, saying (paraphrasing here), "If a Democrat was fired from the board of directors of Walmart for his party affiliation, you guys would scream bloody murder." I countered that you can't compare a publicly-held non-gay business to one that is not only entirely funded by gay men, but is arguably largely responsible for a massive redrawing of modern gay culture. Sammon: "Oh, so you'd refuse to patronize a gay bar owned by a gay Republican?" Me: "If I knew in advance, yes I'd refuse." Sammon: "Well, at least you're consistent."

Triplett then asked me about some of the hot buttons here on JMG, including his impression that any time I quote Andrew Sullivan, some you folks completely lose your shit at the mere mention of his name. He also wondered why this here website thingy has the most vociferous commenting community of the LGBT blogosphere. I lamely said something like, "Oh, they're just a bunch of really chatty people." (I should have said "smarter" instead of "chatty", but there were other bloggers in the room. I kid, I kid.) After the panel ended, I had to ask Triplett about the seating arrangement on the dais, but he swore it was pure coincidence that Sammon and I were placed at opposite ends of the podium. Hmm.

That evening I attended the Not So Silent Auction party in the host hotel's ballroom, the same room where the White House Press Correspondents Dinner is held every year. The rear exit of the ballroom is where Reagan was shot, hence the hotel's moniker, "the Hinckley Hilton." At the auction party I met lots of gay folks from the MSM, including reporters from the NYTimes and Washington Post. Again, I can't match faces to names, so no photos of those people.

After the best burger I've had in a long, long time, I did a quick change at the hotel and headed for the DC Eagle to meet up with longtime pal Mike, author of Manhattan Chowder, and JMG reader Rich, a handsome funny fellow with a great laugh, despite his seemingly grim job working at the National Institute of Drug Abuse, where he works on drug-related HIV infections. Towards the end of the evening, we had a very amusing encounter with a spectacularly drunk twink, but that story is not quite suitable for this post. All in all a fantastic weekend and I give much thanks to the NLGJA and Michael Triplett for having me.

This Weekend: NLGJA Convention

This Friday I'll be heading down to DC for the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association's annual convention. I'll be speaking on a Saturday panel defending my support here for a trans-inclusive ENDA. As panel moderator Michael Triplett pointed out to me, I have "lots of very vocal" readers who didn't agree with my position, so we'll be talking about that as well as other issues that divide the LGBT community, such as the Log Cabin Republicans. LCR head Patrick Sammon is on the panel too, so things should prove quite interesting.There will be some cool parties over the weekend, of course, and I look forward to meeting lots of great folks.