Thank you, NPR

This morning, NPR’s Neda Ulaby had an extensive and quite good overview of the visibility of gay people on TV. And you know what she and NPR had the balls to do that few other news outlets will? They didn’t invite someone from Focus on the Family, the National Organization for Marriage or some other extremist group to talk about how this is harmful to the younger generation or how it’s one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Why wouldn’t they invite a counter argument? Because it’s simply not necessary.

NPR — along with every major medical and psychological association, the president of the United States, and an increasing number of regular folks — knows that gay people are simply another thread in the diverse tapestry that is humanity. We’re fully functional members of society, not moral degenerates who need to be cured or otherwise stamped out before we impose some vicious agenda on the world. NPR felt no more compelled to include an opposing voice in this report than they would were they reporting on the number of racial minority characters on TV; they wouldn’t invite someone from the KKK or Aryan Nations to provide commentary on the latter, so why give a platform to those who vilify LGBT people based on whom they love or their gender identity?

So, thank you, NPR. Your report was a great way to start this shortened work week. It gives me hope that society is on the right path, and it further solidifies my respect and appreciation for all you do.