The National Youth Advocacy Coalition (NYAC) condemns the remarks made Sunday by the Reverend Lou Sheldon advocating discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) victims of the September 11th terrorist attacks, and calling for the denial of disaster relief to their families.

During a week when people worldwide are waking up to a new war, a little more afraid and a little less secure, we would never have expected more callous and outrageous remarks from the radical right.

"I am at the same time deeply saddened and horribly offended that the Reverend Sheldon has chosen this moment, when we should all be standing together, to continue to practice his politics of division and hatred," said Craig A. Bowman, Executive Director of the National Youth Advocacy Coalition.

"We demand an immediate apology to these families who have already suffered so much," he added.

"Aside from the terrorists, all of the people who died on September 11th were innocent victims; to suggest otherwise is morally reprehensible. Not only are all of these families deserving of help and assistance, perhaps the good reverend should remember that a gay man, Mark Bingham, was among the heroes on Flight 93 who prevented countless more from dying," said Mark McLaurin, NYAC's Director of Public Policy.

Sheldon's remarks, together with the recent attacks by the Reverend Jerry Falwell and the Reverend Pat Robertson, only reinforce the notion that the radical right is completely out of touch with fair-minded Americans. Surely, during wartime, these men of God have more important concerns than whether a man loves a man, or a woman another woman?

While we are confident that most Americans reject such hateful demagoguery out of hand, our concern remains with the LGBT youth community whose lives are at risk everyday.

Indeed it is young people grappling with issues of sexual identity and morality who are most likely to be negatively impacted by the dangerous environment created by these hateful ideas. When a young person hears a member of the clergy, whom they often look to for help, spewing such vitriol, it must be unbearable. This country's wartime climate is frightening enough for our young people without also having to fear that even in death some religious leaders would deem their lives worthless.

"Young people often become victims as a result of this kind of hatred," Bowman said. "People who profess to speak the word of God must never forget how powerful their words and actions can be," he added.

It is critical that all persons of faith, and all Americans, redouble our efforts toward ensuring that all of our young people are able to feel safe and supported in who they are, especially now, and regardless of the latest rants of the far-right fringe.

The National Youth Advocacy Coalition is the only national organization solely focused on advocacy, education, and information addressing the broad range of issues facing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth. NYAC works to end discrimination against these young people and to ensure their physical and emotional well being. NYAC is a social justice organization and represents the interests of LGBT youth and the over 500 organizations nationwide providing support services to LGBT youth.

THE FULL STORY INCLUDES US
by Joan M. Garry

Like many of you, I spent much of September 11 glued to one of several television sets - first in my office and then, after our evacuation, in my den with my family. It was a day of horrifying images. Any sense of security evaporated and was replaced by fear of what could happen next. Amid the chaos in New York, my identity as a lesbian for a moment seemed unimportant. What mattered was my family and my country's safety.

The attacks and their aftermath left most of us with a profound sense of solidarity - a unity reflected in, and nurtured by, the media. Around-the-clock newscasts erased our differences and brought us together with universal, homogenized reports that seemed calculated to give us comfort and catharsis.

The picture looks different now. Many of us have settled back into familiar, if wary, routines. We've returned to work, to school, to dinner out with friends, to the movies, to television. And, in their coverage of our nation's mourning, media have returned to the routine of marginalizing gay identity.

In the days immediately following the Sept. 11 attacks, other matters seemed trivial and inconsequential. We wanted to identify as Americans, feeling an unprecedented - at least in many of our lifetimes - sense of community. Against the backdrop of a terrible tragedy, many of us recognized glimmers of the kind of society we yearned for: one where we are connected and part of a common, united equality.

Then, as familiar patterns re-emerged, so did our identities as gays and lesbians. Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson blamed us for the attacks. Following a failed attempt by some House Republicans to stall domestic partner benefits in Washington, D.C., the Family Research Council blasted President Bush for "advancing the radical homosexual agenda." And Rev. Lou Sheldon of the Traditional Values Coalition told "The Washington Post" that gay survivors who lost partners in the attacks ought not be eligible for relief. Clearly, the anti-gay industry wasted no time getting back to its business.

But in the wake of the tragedy, heroes have emerged from within our community. Mark Bingham participated in a revolt that crashed the hijacked United Flight 93 into a remote field outside Pittsburgh. Father Mychal Judge was killed while ministering to a fallen firefighter at ground zero. And Graham Berkeley, Daniel Brandhorst and Ronald Gamboa, David Charlebois, Carol Flyzik, Jack Keohane, Sheila Hein and many others who had lived brave, openly gay lives were among those lost to the terrorist attacks.

Media coverage of these gay and lesbian heroes and victims of the Sept. 11 attacks has been and continues to be a primary focus for GLAAD, because our community has been uniquely impacted by these events. Our relationships are not afforded basic, equal protections under the law. As a result, some surviving partners will find themselves unable to qualify for state aid and Social Security benefits, and may find themselves unable to obtain bereavement leave, inheritance rights, or even access to the memorial of a partner.

And these exclusionary definitions of family have been used by some media to render our lives and identities invisible. "The Courier-Journal" in Louisville initially reported that Ronald Gamboa, partner of Daniel Brandhorst and adoptive father of David Gamboa-Brandhorst, was single and childless. NBC's Oct. 2 "Dateline" report on the downing of United Flight 93 identified Bingham as a rugby player, yet made no mention that it was a gay rugby team. Bingham's mother, who was interviewed for the piece, has stated publicly that Bingham's gay identity was a crucial part of his life - a facet of Bingham's character and heroism that NBC had a responsibility to report. Likewise, the centrality of Father Mychal Judge's identity as a gay man - especially in the context of his longtime ministries to the LGBT and AIDS communities - has been shamefully overlooked by all in the mainstream but "The Village Voice."

Some have argued that there were no gay or lesbian victims of the Sept. 11 attacks - there were only American victims. I say they can be both. By idealizing definitions of family and identity that exclude gay and lesbian Americans, our national culture sends the confounding message that what is gay and what is good cannot co-exist. Take that message and couple it with our status as second-class citizens under the law. Add our military's senseless discrimination against and persecution of gay soldiers. This troublesome mix highlights the unique impact of our national crisis on gays and lesbians - and the need to have our heroes known.

Fair, accurate and inclusive media images shatter stereotypes. When Americans learn that the people they respect, admire and hold up as heroes are gay, it goes a long way toward dispelling anti-gay zealots' attempts to demonize our lives. A nation that prizes its diversity and its unity cannot simultaneously abide discrimination. The media cannot choose heroes to polish and promote when real bravery knows no limitations. Media have an obligation to truth. And we are a part of that.