AM 760's Condescending PrideFest Tie-In

By all accounts, PrideFest, a tribute to all things GLBT whose 2008 edition took place on June 21 and 22, was a well-attended success. But the Rocky Mountain News' June 23 coverage of the event spotlighted an embarrassing misstep by one of the bash's sponsors, AM 760. As shown in the attached Rocky image by shutterbug Preston Gannaway, the station put up a booth that encouraged attendees to pose as married couples -- a display that turned a very serious issue for untold thousands of gays and lesbians into a gimmicky carnival attraction.

AM 760 was clearly proud of this notion, sending out a press release on June 20; the text is included below this item. (Note that PrideFest photos promised to be on the signal's home page by the morning of June 23 weren't there as of this writing.) But what was clearly intended as a way to drive traffic to AM 760's website ignores the seriousness with which folks like Rea Carey, the acting executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, look upon gay marriage. In a May 15 press release prompted by the California Supreme decision to legalize gay marriage in the state, at least for the time being, Carey said, "This is an extraordinary victory for Californians and all Americans who hold fairness and opportunity as fundamental American values. Today, once again, California is leading the way in affirming the inherent dignity of all people. Today, in our hearts, we are all Californians."

No one's suggesting that AM 760 purposefully set out to demean gay marriage with its PrideFest photo spot. But the concept as a whole was the opposite of progressive. -- Michael Roberts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

All brides and grooms will be able to peruse their wedding photos on the front page of AM760.net after the honeymoon on Monday.