Publisher Rejects Ad By Gay Group

WASHINGTONVILLE, NEW YORK – The art exhibit is not the issue. It's who the artist kisses good night that worries him.
The publisher of a local weekly newspaper has rejected an advertisement promoting an art exhibit because it says the artists are gay and lesbian.
"If they advertise it as an art show, that's a whole lot different than pushing gay and lesbians," said John Spear, publisher of the Orange County Post. "What difference does it make what the artist is? It is an art show."
Spear, a conservative Catholic, said the ad by the Washingtonville Art Society promoting an exhibit by the Gay & Lesbian Artists Network does not fit with his family-oriented newspaper.
The ad does not include pictures or graphics, just text that mentions that the artists are gay and lesbian.
"He hasn't even seen the art," said Dani MacIntosh, president of the Washingtonville Art Society. "It's the fact that the words were on the ad. It's about the art, it's not about a lifestyle, which he doesn't get."
The art exhibit, titled "My Art, My Prerogative," features sculptures, drawings, paintings and photography. The art ranges from bodyscapes to seascapes.
R.J. Catz, a photographer whose work is featured in the exhibit, worries that if Spear won't publish the ad, he might be omitting other items from his newspaper, as well.
"I am outraged, because I think a newspaper has an obligation to report the news," Catz said. "If he is not putting in an ad that says gay and lesbian, what else is he omitting?"
Although Spear's decision does not sit well with some in the community, he is within his legal rights as a publisher, said Linda Berns, executive director of the lower Hudson Valley office of the American Civil Liberties Union.
"They can refuse any ad that they don't want to run," Berns said. "We would hope they wouldn't screen the content, but legally they can do it."
The Times Herald-Record's policy says that all advertising is subject to the approval of the newspaper, and it reserves the right to revise or reject any submitted copy for publication.
While the law might be on his side, opposition to Spear's decision remains for some.
"Community newspapers have an obligation to serve the entire community," said Michael Lavers, regional media manger for the northeast Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. "When they ignore this responsibility, they fail to fulfill their reason for existence."
Despite his critics, Spear is not budging.
"The way they run the art society is their business. The way I run my paper is mine."
from Record Online