WASHINGTON -- December 3 -- On November 30, CBS and NBC refused to air an ad placed by the United Church of Christ which included the denomination's acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. The following is a response from the National Religious Leadership Roundtable of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force:

"The National Religious Leadership Roundtable of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force condemns the decisions of NBC and CBS not to air a message which included the denomination's acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. On Tuesday, the networks informed the United Church of Christ that a television ad stating, "Jesus didn't turn people away, neither do we," was "too controversial." CBS specifically cited the Bush administration's anti-gay marriage amendment as a reason they could not run the ad. The networks that broadcast Will and Grace and Janet Jackson's Super Bowl halftime show have deemed a church that embraces lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people too hot for TV.

For years, the religious right has relied on the media to parrot its message of homophobia in the guise of "deeply-held religious belief"; now when a Christian denomination reaches out in acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, they find their message censored. The recent election was supposed to provide a mandate for moral values. But even before the election, progressive religious leaders recognized the need to educate the public about the innate morality of equality for all, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. Members of the Roundtable, along with progressive faith leaders around the country, have been going about the difficult work of reclaiming the language of faith from the forces of intolerance. It should come as no surprise, however, that challenging the religious right's media hegemony would not come easily. The UCC's groundbreaking campaign represents a courageous step in the struggle of progressive faith leaders to reframe the morality debate to include justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, and the Roundtable offers the denomination our sincere appreciation and support."

The National Religious Leadership Roundtable is an interfaith coalition of clergy and lay leaders working to change the public religious dialogue on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues.

Founded in 1973, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force was the first national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights and advocacy organization and remains the movement's leading voice for freedom, justice, and equality. We work to build the grassroots political strength of our community by training state and local activists and leaders and organizing broad-based campaigns to defeat anti-LGBT referenda and advance pro-LGBT legislation. Our Policy Institute, the community's premiere think tank, provides research and policy analysis to support the struggle for complete equality. As part of a broader social justice movement, we work to create a world that respects and makes visible the diversity of human expression and identity where all people may fully participate in society. Headquartered in Washington, DC, we also have offices in New York City, Los Angeles, and Cambridge.

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