IN & OUT
Stompin’ on the Savoy
Ordained minister, archaeological explorer, radio personality, writer and editor, and public speaker
O
ual orientation. I was determined to approach the theme sensitively, especially because of my personal circumstance. I was about to address in a public forum the very issues I had never discussed openly. Now, at 40, living with a man in a committed relationship and contemplating samesex marriage myself, I knew I was reaching the point of real exposure. But my show was certainly not going to be the venue for that. This wasn’t the time to tell my story... or was it? With all this in mind, I conducted the Kolb interview with tact and respect for my guest’s experiences and point of view, as if I were asking him to reassure me that everything was going to be OK and to tell the public what I already knew: that people like us do not want to be treated as exceptions. Production for House of Savoy was paid for in advance. Our Sunday-evening time slot had restaurant-chain president’s comments had ignited a controversy, and debates between the traditional-family-values crowd and the LGBT community were rampant. Even John Q. Public was weighing in. A newsworthy topic? Certainly. Appropriate to talk about it on the air? Yes, everywhere in the country but on KKFT, the FOX News Radio affiliate in northern Nevada. So much for “Fair and Balanced.” Little did I know that asking Will Kolb, an openly gay social commentator, PR man, and LGBT advocate from Dallas, Texas, to talk about marriage equality would get me kicked off the air, especially in an election year when gay-rights issues have become so polarizing. Before the Aug. 12 call-in show with Kolb, I had not discussed LGBT themes on the air, let alone allude to my own sex-
been purchased by my producers, Nevada Matters Media. There were no advertisers to appease, only the listeners and, evidently, Evans himself. I had never heard a complaint from Evans before. Was he even tuning in? Apparently not this time. His son was, however. The younger Evans immediately called his dad and alerted him to the situation: two men -- one openly gay, the other not -- discussing gay marriage on a conservative radio station. Verboten! As a result of Evans’ son’s tattling, the dominoes began to fall. What ensued was a predictable pattern of discrimination. The privately owned radio station’s owner phoned the show’s producer with a mandate: “Get Savoy off the air, and quick!” After all, it is FOX News. There will be no such “earthy, hippie, spacey-type” conversations on this “con
servative” channel.
“I was cut.”
I knew there was no legitimate reason for Evans to ax my show. It was the typical knee-jerk reaction to the bigger problem: Talking about gay stuff is just too offensive to certain people’s ears. A mon ???????????????????????????????????????????I???? ??????)?????????????????????q?????????e??????????????????????????????????????%????????????????t?$? ?q?????t??????????????q????t??U????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Q????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Q??????????????????q??????????t?????????????????????????????????????Q????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????]????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????$?]???????????????????????????????????$????????'?e?????????????????????????????????????????e????????????????!??????????????????????I???? ??????)????????????-?????????????????q?????????????????????e???????t????????????????????????????????????????????qQ?????????????????????????????????????????????e?????????????????????????????????Q???????????????????????????????t?$?]??????????????????e???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????%??9?????????????????????????????H?$??L???(?T?1d??????()????????M????M???
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