From: HawaiiGay1@aol.com Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1998 22:20:46 EDT Subject: False Prejudicial Ad hits Hawaii Airwaves September 6, 1998 Aloha Folks, Interesting new ploy by fundies and anti-Gay equality activists. Save Traditional Marriage 98 started a new commercial with language to focus prejudice against mainlanders as basis to oppose the marriage amendment on Nov. 3 ballot. Knowing that we did not have any support from other organizations locally and nationally, they are trying to say that we have the marriage lawsuit because of those pesky mainly Gay activists. Whwwwwwwwwweeeeeeeeee The following is the complaint letter to NBC KHNL TV regarding the false commercial. Within an hour of filing the formal complaint (through FAX), KHNL General Manager John Fink contacted me to tell me of receipt and him initial action. KHNL's administrative offices: (808) 847-3246 He is now contacting Rosehill and Associates, producers of the video commercial to present our complaint and to seek their response to it. He suggested I contact Rosehill and Associates directly (808) 536-2611) myself to help speed up the process. This has already been done, but no response from that organization. FYI Do good, William E. Woods, MPH ***** (GLEA Foundation Letterhead) KHNL TV John Fink - General Manager September 6, 1998 Katie Ibaraki - Assistant General Manager FAX: 8453616 Dear KHNL Administration: I am promptly writing you for your immediate action. This FAX is my formal request for action to remove a specific commercial from your airwaves apparently sponsored by Save Traditional Marriage 98. This commercial begins "In 1990, homosexual activists tageted Hawaii as the state most likely to legalize homosexual marriage".. . . Don't let mainland activists fool you. (This last statement is paraphrased by two who witnessed it and called it in to us). This statement is patently false. It presents a false statement that goes towards building discrimination of mainlanders in order to get Hawaii voters to take a specific position on the upcoming amendment issue. I conceptualized the Hawaii same-sex marriage lawsuit. I then brought together three local couples who wanted to be married legally. I then, as legal representative of these couples was designated the Hawaii Gay Marriage Project Coordinator and hired local attorney, Daniel Foley to take the case on a cost basis. The Hawaii Gay Marriage Project is a program of the Hawaii organization named GLEA Foundation (which stands for Gay and Lesbian Education and Advocacy Foundation). Importantly, the statement in the commercial is false in that no other organization locally or anywhere in the United States approved of even filing the lawsuit. It was not until the two wins at the Hawaii State Supreme Court in 1993 did almost all Gay and Civil Rights organization endorse and begin to demonstrate support for the case and its related public education. Your station has demonstrated to me in the past that you have adopted and maintained a responsible programming policy which requires truth in advertising. However, this commercial does not demonstrate such a responsible broadcast standard. For this reason I request that you stop airing this commercial through your broadcast outlets. Further I request that you directly communicate with the sponsoring organization and its marketing and production company that this commercial violates truth in advertising policies. The marketing firm, if legitimat, probably belongs to some professional association which requires them to also maintain a truth in advertising policy. Their production and use of this commercial may be a violation of their guidelines as well. They probably were not aware of the misinformation at the onset, but with this communication they should be properly informed. I request your immediate attention to this matter. Please contact me as soon as possible about this matter and KHNL's response to this request. My direct number is 537-2000. Sincerely mahalo, William E. Woods, MPH Executive Director