CBS Is Homophobic; Network Offers Insulting and Dishonest Reason for Rejecting Gay Dating Ad

CBS has refused to air a gay men's dating service advertisement. In a statement to ManCrunch (the sponsor), CBS says: "After reviewing the ad, which is entirely commercial in nature, our standards and practices department decided not to accept this particular spot. . . We are always open to working with a client on alternative submissions." CBS also says that the advertisement "is not within the Network's broadcast standards for Super Bowl Sunday."

TRANSLATION: Although we will air commercials about Tim Tebow's mother's reproductive choices, cow flatulence, urination, erectile dysfunction, beer guzzling dudes, E-Harmony, Match.Com, and heterosexuality as a general matter, we think that the sight of two gay men making out is offensive or that the scene will offend our audience.

Some readers may recall that during Superbowl 2007, CBS aired a Snicker's commercial in which two men "accidentally" kiss and then have a meltdown about the moment. One of the men suggests that they "do something manly" to overcome it. This spot was fine, but a "real" gay kiss is substandard.

CBS is insulting its viewers. The Network's deceitful explanation for rejecting the advertisement only makes matters worse.

PS: Here's the ad. It's actually quite funny -- except I was a little troubled with the black guy staring in amazement at the sight of two gay men.

A Tale of Two Tit Exposures: Janet Jackson, President Obama, the FCC, and Gender

Five years ago much of the nation erupted into an extreme panic after viewing a portion of Janet Jackson's right breast; her nipple was concealed. This was a classic moment of "Americans are from Mars. . .Darren is from Venus." I simply could not understand the (fake) outrage -- especially with so many partially and fully uncovered nipples brazenly presenting themselves daily on television and in the print media. The anti-nipple protests were also louder than criticism of the still ongoing and still unnecessary war in Iraq.

Gender and Toplessness
Many feminists have explored the gender dimensions of toplessness, and American nipple-hysteria has presented many occasions for engaging in critical analysis of this issue. Breastfeeding is probably the most intriguing example of nipple hysteria. Women who publicly feed their kids the "natural way" have caused moral outrage across the country. Based on some of the reactions, I fear that many people who apparently could not resist watching public breastfeeding before complaining about it will undoubtedly become blind or even serial killers. We should definitely stop this breastfeeding menace before it gets out of control!

The FCC's recent decision to re-investigate Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction -- after a string of court losses -- leads me to ask the following question: How can the FCC honestly go after CBS and Jackson again when President Obama's nipples have provided the stimulus for millions of magazine sales? A gendered approach to the issue clearly exists. Women's nipples are indecent unless they are in porn videos or feeding babies in a remote location unknown to other Americans. By contrast, men's nipples are not smutty. In fact, they are presidential. Why?

PS: Of course, Obama is not the only male to go topless without offending the nation, but I think it is interesting that the FCC is investigating female nipples while the executive head of all federal agencies (including the FCC) has gone topless in the media without incident.