Is TV Too Gay?: MyFoxHOUSTON.com

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Houston’s KRIV Fox 26 came under fire this week from various gay-rights groups around the nation for a segment it aired asking if the hit show Glee was “too gay.”

The nearly six-minute Fox in Focus segment followed the April 26 episode of Glee, which was inspired by Lady Gaga’s chart-topping Born This Way single and featured a heated debate between Ray Hill, a local champion of gay rights, and Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association (via Skype).

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation issued a statement this week saying the segment “began on the wrong foot by even suggesting that television programs with positive portrayals of gay characters could negatively impact teens.”

“Fox Houston should not only apologize and correct the misinformation in this segment, but needs to think twice before elevating hurtful messages and anti-gay attitudes,” GLAAD president Jarrett Barrios said.

GLAAD is demanding a public apology and says that “a representative of the station implied that an apology was in order” during earlier conversations. The organization also says anchor Damali Keith “contributed her own uninformed and anti-gay commentary.” Fox has not issued a statement.

“This is the second decade of the 21st century. I don’t really understand why this conversation is even being held,” Hill said during the interview.

The video is available on the myfoxhouston.com site and has been picked up by several national outlets, including Salon, the Hollywood Reporter and Entertainment Weekly. A GLAAD petition asking for an apology had almost 3,000 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon.