The Gist

IS THE MEDIA ABOUT TO DEFAME GAYS IN THE EVER-SENSATIONAL VIRGINA TECH MASSACRE COVERAGE?

The coverage of the Virgina Tech massacre is sensational and speculative enough with all the media pop psychology about what drove the killer to do it. But it might be about to get even worse and devolve into the most vicious kind of homophobia: I just heard Dr. Helen Morrison, a forensic psychiatrist who has been making the rounds of all the shows, tell Anderson Cooper on CNN that she believes Cho Seung-Hui was fighting against his homosexual attraction -- and thus challenges to his manhood -- and was out to prove it wasn't true by going out and blowing away 32 people.

When Cooper gingerly challenged her by noting that this guy was obsessed with women, having stalked two other female college students, she claimed that people like this often overcompensate by doing things like that. (Cooper then let it go at that). This is the second time in several days that I've seen this woman make this kind of statement; last night I heard her say something similar on MSNBC, but I wasn't really paying attention and wasn't sure what she said. That alone should have made other shows -- and producers doing pre-interviews -- keep her at a distance, unless of course they wanted this kind of sensational speculation. (I will post a transcript once I get it).

Morrison offered no evidence of Cho's sexual orientation except for her observations of the plays he wrote in which he seemed to express that his masculinity was threatened and that he seemed sexually confused or some such thing -- nothing about his actual attractions. This is the worst kind of arm-chair psychoanalysis and it is dangerous and irresponsible speculation that could have big implications, defaming an entire group of people -- and of course playing into the every nasty right-wing promulgated stereotype. Of course anything is possible, but without some sort of proof this kind of speculation amounts to gay-bashing, pure and simple. I don't know where it goes from here, and others may not pick up on it. But just be warned that this ugly take is out there, and could lurch forward at any time as the 24/7 massacre media madness continues.

UPDATE: Here's the CNN transcript.