My Problem With LOGO
“At Logo, we know that LGBT people of faith are as diverse in their religious beliefs as we are as a community. Logo will continue to develop and air programs that explore themes about LGBT people of faith with incisiveness and authenticity. From Latter Days to Trembling Before G-d, Logo will continue developing and airing programs that address the full experiences of LGBT people of faith.” (source)
For those of you unfamiliar with LOGO, it is a television station available on cable in some areas that centers on gay-themed shows and movies. The subject matter is primarily gay. The movies have, in some way, a gay theme or angle. I have a couple of “issues” with LOGO that I find distasteful.
1) I think they are hypocritical. To not run the United Church of Christ ad is just plain stupid. I have seen the commercial. It is not gay in anyway. The overall message of the commercial is that many people who have be disenfranchised in the past by different churches need not feel that way at the United Church of Christ. I’m not putting in a plug for the church, but I thought their ad was very tasteful and well done. There was one gay couple, and others, who were being turned away from a church. Then, the message of the commercial was, “Jesus wouldn’t turn people away. Neither do we.”
As someone who has been turned away from a church I was hoping to go to with Kent, I understand fully what that feels like. The fact that I’m compelled to even have to mention the fact that we are a gay couple before setting foot in the church should signal that all is not right with many churches. I’m glad I told the pastor on the phone. He told me that we were not welcome at the church. It happened to be my local Presbyterian Church.
So for LOGO to reject this is just plain low and shows that they really have no insight into the extent of this problem.
2) And this one is my BIG COMPLAINT...
If I’m paying money to see their product (my cable bill), I don’t want every other word in the movie to be bleeped out. If someone says, “fuck”, I want to hear that damn it!
It’s not that I’m into dirty words. I’m not. But, when things like that are bleeped out, the emotional feeling of the scene is diminished. It ruins it for me because I end up trying to reenact the scene in my mind the way it was written, making assumptions about the words that were bleeped out. AND, I’m paying for it!
I go to LOGO to see programming, but I’m getting fed up with it. I was recently watching the movie Trick. After a short while, I ended up switching to another show because I got fed up with all the bleeping out of words.
It’s totally ridiculous. This is not a children’s channel or a children’s hour. Adults who are paying good money are watching this.
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Well, as far as LOGO goes, I smell an agenda going on here, and I've written to them (for all the good it will do) about it.
I wasn't aware that they were taking whole sections of movies out that were more objectionable. Of course, the question to ask is, more objectionable to who?
I agree with Fritz. LOGO is sounding more and more like a bunch of straight folks (straight white guys who may have religious leanings?) running the show. They won't come right out and neuter the programming. They will start small with the bleeping of words and the omition of certain sections.
Hell, in a year or two, will we be watching selected segments of the Brady Bunch. The father in the series after all was, in real life, a very closeted gay man who died of AIDS. THAT would be their gay connection and justification for putting the Brady Bunch on LOGO. Then they could somehow offer up a following segment about how the gay lifestyle caused "Mr. Brady's" death.
Not only does LOGO bleep, but they also edit out parts of films that some people might find offensive. Honestly, I watched a movie on LOGO, then later on DVD - it was like a different movie on DVD. LOGO is sometimes good for original programming and sometimes documentaries. But if you're not going to show the movie as it is, why show it?
I sometimes wonder if we are giving up too much to be a part of society as equals. Don't get me wrong, I want equality, but I see little things like this come up and it makes me uneasy. I'm trying to put my finger on it.
I guess I viewed LOGO as being gay programming. By that I mean, programming that represents us, with the uniqueness that is our community. Instead, it gets sanitized and turns into something that middle America would accept with their children watching.
Is this where we want to go? Is this what we want to be? Is this what we need (or are willing) to do (or turn into) for equality? Is this the price to be paid for equality?
Are they trying to be the Disney Channel for gays?
Ha! Well, quite a large number of people who work for the Disney Channel are gay. No doubt about that.
I doubt that the same can be said about LOGO. Probably a bunch of straight folks running that channel.
I don't have LOGO (in fact, I don't have cable at all) but if I did, I'd probably drop LOGO for these two serious screw ups. And I would certainly let them know :
(1) Advertisements for acceptance should not be offensive to anyone.
(2) I don't what someone 'bleeping' my films. If the film maker felt that an expletive was right for the scene, who the hell are you to decide otherwise. Either show the film, unadulterated, or if you can't tolerate the director's vision don't show it at all.
Sounds like LOGO is seriously mixed up. Are they trying to be the Disney Channel for gays? Cause last time I checked, we DON'T NEED ONE. Or is it a supposed 'gay network' that is actually run by stright people who are trying to figure out what is offensive and what is not?