Schottenstein arena director announced
Wendy’s has ruffled a few feathers by pulling its advertising from the much talked about episode of ‘Ellen’ in which she will come out as a lesbian.Unfortunately the number of people willing to boycott the fast-food chain probably won’t make enough of a financial ripple to worry burger giant Dave Thomas.Some think the advertisers who pull out of ‘Ellen’ are making a statement against homosexuality. By refusing to support the sitcom, advertisers are giving in to a mainstream homophobia which permeates our nation.What exactly is the big deal about a main character in a sitcom being gay? People in the gay, lesbian and bisexual community have said that Ellen’s coming out will allow homosexuals to go beyond the fringe, sidekick characters and show audiences that they are normal people who live normal lives.Those opposed to Ellen’s coming out on national television have expressed fears that it will promote a deviant lifestyle and somehow pose a threat to family values.Still others, who don’t really care that Ellen is gay, have said that this is just a desperate attempt to boost the ratings of a failing show.Most of the opposition to homosexuality seems to be based on religious values. Values which are derrived from the premise that the reason for marriage and sexual relations is based on procreation more than love. In a world as overpopulated as ours this seems obsolete, but we live in a country which promotes the freedom of religion and therefore those beliefs should be respected. Unfortunately some seem to feel that freedom of religion only applies to people who agree with their religious values.Whether you like it or not, there is a growing gay and lesbian community and like all the people in a free nation, they have a desire to be heard. The hope is that if they are heard in a mainstream setting, some of the stereotypes surrounding the gay and lesbian community will disappear and hopefully understanding and acceptance will follow.Anytime change emerges, the status quo seems to react with panic. Unfortunately that seems to be what is happening here. Ellen doesn’t pose a threat to anyone. It’s not as if she is trying to brainwash the masses into adopting her chosen lifestyle. Ellen as a lesbian will simply give mainstream society a chance to see that sexual preference is not everything a person is about. Wendy’s has every right to pull its advertising, and we could understand if they were doing so because the show isn’t funny. But to back out because the show is finally going public with information most people guessed at ages ago seems lame.Ellen is not threatening family values. She is not promoting promiscuity, violence, ambivalence towards the community, drug use, or any other anti-social attitude. Ellen will still be the same quirky woman. Her character has been a good friend, concerned family member, hard worker and active member of her community, so where’s the threat?Hopefully some other company will take the high road and not be so easily pushed around by the unwarranted fears of one portion of society.
