Today's Show: NPR Responds on Censorship

3:30 ET. Alicia Shepard, ombudsman of National Public Radio, joins me to talk about the controversy over the removal of names in critic Nathan Lee's review of Outrage.Shepard wrote a piece defending NPR's position.

NPR Censors Review of Outrage

The opening of Outrage put much of the media into its usual "outing" conundrum simply because they've had their heads up their asses for years when it comes to reporting on the homosexuality of public figures. Some of the media finally got it, at least to a point, while others were hopelessly lost. The New York Times named the names, while the Washington Post refused and gave some ridiculous and brutally arrogant reasoning in an otherwise bizarrely laudatory review by Dan Zak:

"Outrage" comes down hardest on another prominent politician whose name we won't print here. Why? He has denied repeatedly that he is gay, and there has been no substantiated reports in mainstream media about any homosexual relationships or transgressions.

In other words: "Because the subject has claimed it's not true and because we in the mainstream media have refused to investigate this legitimate story -- even though all the sourcing might be out there and has been reported in that less-than-mainstream-new-media-thing-that-is-increasingly-read-by-more-people-than-our-dead-tree-news-which-is-losing-circulation-and-we-haven't-a-clue-why --- we're not going to report it now, even though this film is pretty damn good and makes a case for why we should!"

I honestly think the reviewer Dan Zak probably wanted to name the names, but his dinosaur editors said no, using the "privacy" argument. Don't you love how our media ushers in "privacy" these days only when it's about reporting on the very serious issue of duplicity of politicians regarding homosexuality? Or will a search not reveal that The Washington Post has reported every sordid detail about Britney Spears and what will happen if she "flakes out" again, or Lindsay Lohan's "liquid diet" rumors, not to mention Madonna's adoption problems and various other public figures' divorces, fights, weddings, pregnancies, boozing, lying, private celebrations, fighting, baby births, cheating, plastic surgeries, tax issues, designer duds, lavish parties and on and on? Surely many of the subjects of these stories would deny the reports over and over (and have) and would not want such invasions, even about their happier events, printed. Why, though, are they printable if "privacy" is such a virtue of the Washington Post?

Now NPR, haughtily defending its supposed loyalty to "privacy," has censored a review about Outrage that was already written. The writer, Nathan Lee, took his name off the review in protest, and a note was added at the end. He later posted a comment to the column to clear up any confusion among readers and that comment was removed.

This is the same idiotic behavior we've seen coming from many in the media for 20 years on this issue. It's encouraging that some news outlets have moved on it -- the LA Times, Philly Inquirer and others reported on those discussed in the film -- but it's pathetic that some just can't seem to break out of their rigid and ultimately biased thinking.

By not discussing the names of those in the film, NPR is most certainly passing judgment on homosexuality, on the filmmaker and on the public figures involved -- deeming that, if they have secret gay lives, it is the most horrible thing imaginable. They are also deciding to suppress legitimate news because of that distaste and bias.

The gay rumors about Gov. Charlie Crist, for example, have surfaced in the media before in Florida -- so NPR would not in this or any other case in the film be reporting anything new -- and Crist has denied them. The film notes that, and NPR could note that too. NPR certainly had no problem reporting the news today that Crist is going to run for the Senate in Florida. Isn't this film and its claims going to factor into that story, whatever the reality of Crist's sexual orientation (which the film is pretty convincing about)? Why is bringing it up -- reporting the facts about a film getting a lot of attention -- deemed as wrong, unless NPR believes the mere mention of someone as gay is a horrible taint, even if it's been reported elsewhere? These are the questions that need to be answered, and they are indeed the very questions this Outrage raises. Let's hope that more of the media, having come far on this issue, takes up the debate.

Newscaster Threatens Mike Rogers

A DC newscaster threatened to punch outing blogger Mike Rogers in the face: This is how passionate responses are to the film Outrage. We were going through it all on the show yesterday. Reviews of the film out today, opening day, and most are pretty great. (Second clip is the guy saying he won't apologize.)

MY CNN Discussion Re: Outrage

This is my discussion last night of the film Outrage with CNN's Don Lemon and Charles Moran of the Log Cabin Republicans. Some of you were commenting in last night's post, but continue the discussion here. (Interesting, one of the two "hogging" references is missing here; Don says he was just joking btw).

On CNN Tonight

Should be on at about 10:30 ET to discuss the film Outrage. Don Lemon did a taped interview director Kirby Dick about the film, set to open next Friday, May 8. And I'm going to discuss it with him -- and the politics and ethics of revealing the truth about closeted Republican politicians who vote antigay -- along with a member of the Log Cabin Republicans who will no doubt be opposed to such reporting.

Outrage Panel This Friday

Per the speculation, Jim McGreevey will not be on the panel with me this Friday after the screening of Outrage at the Director's Guild Theater. But I'm totally jazzed that my good friend, ACT UP comrade and mentor Larry Kramer will be replacing him! It will be me and Larry, moderated by the sharp and witty activist Rodger McFarlane. Should be interesting. Friday, May 1, 8:00 pm (screening, followed by panel at 9:30), Directors Guild Theater (110 West 57th Street).

Did McGreevey "Storm Out" of Outrage?

Kevin Naff reports that Jim McGreevey "stormed out" of the Outrage premiere on Friday night. I guess it's how you define "storming out." I did hear later from the filmmakers at the party downtown that McGreevey wasn't happy about the film's inclusion of an interview with his former wife. He is scheduled to appear on a panel with me this Friday night after a screening at the Directors Guild of America, and perhaps he will cancel.

But I can say that I saw a very friendly and seemingly pleasant ex-governor after the film and not one who appeared to have "stormed out." McGreevey was sitting in front of me at the film. There was a Q & A after the film, with the director, Kirby Dick, and McGreevey sat through it. If he was so angry wasn't that the time to storm out? When that ended, we all exited the theater in the slow fashion that people do, and McGreevey spotted me and gave me a big, big, big hello. Smiling, hand-shaking, very jovial. A man then approached McGreevey and said, "You were the hero of the film." McGreevey smiled, and demurred, putting his hand on me and saying, "No, no, this guy is a hero every day." He then introduced me to his partner, I introduced them to my partner, and we all continued to file out. Perhaps he stormed out of the lobby after having a delayed reaction and a sudden flash of anger. And again, maybe he was not happy with the film. But I didn't see him "storming out."

Politico and the Republican Closet

I went to the Outrage premiere on Friday at the Tribeca Film Festival, and though I'd seen the film two days before at a press screening, it still packed a lot of punch. Very potent and effective, names a lot of names -- I'd actually not blogged about it until now, though I spoke with director Kirby Dick on the show on Thursday -- and I think it has great potential to shake things up. The analysis of the closet and its devastation is what's more important than the names -- many of which you know from the show and from the blogs, though now with more vivid sourcing, i.e., on Charlie Crist -- and that analysis is superb. (And hey, in full disclosure I should say the film opens with sentences flashing across the screen that are adapted from the opening of my book Queer in America, which the filmmakers used as a major resource re: the closet during filming.)

But something I wanted to clarify: I twittered about this story from Politico.com on Friday, just commenting that things were percolating about the film and and not taking note -- blinded, I suppose, to something so obvious -- of the slant of the story, with the headline touting an "ex-Clinton aide" as backing the film. In retrospect, it's both galling and quite revealing that Politico and its writer don't name any of the closeted gay Republican politicians discussed in the film, nor explain much about them and their motivations, but managed to find an angle that involves a former Clinton aide having "backed" the film. I was interviewed by writer Daniel Libit twice on the phone and I guess I had expected he'd discuss the names in the film. Considering Politico is a mouthpiece for the Republican Party, however, it's not surprising that he didn't, and I really don't know how I let that go by, except to say that I was glad to see the film making some waves already.

Honestly, having talked with director Kirby Dick from the outset of the project and having been interviewed by him various times and knowing his vision of exposing the closet and the horrors it does to gay people, it's both ludicrous and insulting to suggest that this film is some sort of politically-motivated hit job by Democrats against Republicans. It's not at all a stretch, however, to say that the article in Politico is a politically-motivated hit job meant to protect the Republican closet. Let's hope the film just blows that wide open.

Outrage Begins to Percolate

Politico.com reports on the new film and the Beltway Republican closets:

In the film, writer/director Kirby Dick probes the psychology of the closet with [Barney] Frank, former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey – who resigned from office in 2004 following the revelation of his extramarital affair with his homeland security advisor – and others.

Talk-radio host Michelangelo Signorile, who wrote the book “Queer in America” and is featured prominently in “Outrage,” thinks the film will put pressure on politicians at a pivotal moment in the debate.

“I honestly think the film is coming at a time when there is going to be such attention on gay issues and, obviously, the marriage issue, and the Republican Party is doing so much soul-searching, or whatever you want to call it, [that] I think this film could really have a lot of impact,” Signorile said. “It is just another pressure from another side.”

The premiere is Friday at the Tribeca Film Festival, and I'll be there.

Media Picking up on Film "Outrage"

None of us yet know what closeted pols, if any, are exposed in the film. But the media frenzy is beginning.

Kirby Dick's film will open at the Tribeca Film Festival next week. I was interviewed for it, and my book Queer in America (the sales ranking of which was delisted from Amazon over the weekend) was also used by Dick as background.I'll be speaking on a panel discussion about the film at the festival on Friday, May 1, after the 8 p.m. screening. (I will see the film next week, but won't be able to reveal anything until the April 24 premiere). From New York Magazine:

The best actors of this year’s Tribeca Film Festival may be Larry Craig, Jim McGreevey, and Mark Foley—gay politicians who acted straight for most of their lives. Kirby Dick (This Film Is Not Yet Rated) says his new documentary, Outrage, examines “the issues surrounding closeted politicians and their hypocrisy in voting anti-gay—and how these people have harmed millions of Americans for many years." Sure to be the most controversial filmmaker at the fest, Dick wouldn’t screen the film for us or confirm how much new information he might reveal, but he did give some hints: The film examines the psychology, politics, and ethics of outing—and comes down hard in favor of it...

...Barney Frank, Tammy Baldwin, and Larry Kramer all feature prominently in the film—along with outing pioneer Michelangelo Signorile and New Jersey’s McGreevey, both scheduled to answer questions after the premiere. “McGreevey said to me, ‘Being in the closet is actually good training for politics,’ ” the director recalls, “ ‘because you continually have to be able to spin.’ ”