Interview: GLAAD's Barrios on ABC & Lambert

This is my full interview (clip below) on the show yesterday with Jarrett Barrios of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation regarding the widespread criticism of the group in its handling of the Adam Lambert/ABC controversy, which had GLAAD sending out statement after statement trying to counter reports that it backed ABC in banning Lambert from several shows.

Barrios came into the studio to sit down with me and sincerely wanted to clear the air. He accepted responsibility for what happened and admitted that the group's first update after ABC banned Lambert from two more shows was problematic, attributing it to a lack of clarity. But I still believe the explanations given weren't adequate -- and judging from the callers to the show afterward, many people agree -- and that GLAAD is still not taking a forceful stand. Nor do I believe, as I told Barrios, that the decision by The View to book Lambert for a taped segment Thursday was a "partial victory," as he called it, since he's still banned from shows they had dumped him from.

Overall I think GLAAD has a long way to go in explaining what happened here and also its larger mission. It is compromised by the fact that it takes money from ABC --something else we discussed -- and that it just doesn't seem to be at the forefront of controversies and defamation, more so focused on giving out awards and patting media on the back.

GLAAD Backs ABC in Dumping Lambert

I posted this last night on Twitter and it an caused uproar among many of those who follow me there, as many people were as outraged as I was when I received this from TMZ: GLAAD decided that ABC was right after all in dumping Adam Lambert from show after show because it wasn't about homophobia or a double standard. Yes, you heard that right!

People were pretty pissed on Facebook as well. After things blew up a bit, GLAAD issued an update, trying to back track, but it's just more BS. As I asked on Twitter, when do we put this group out of its misery?