Subject: False Prejudicial Ad hits Hawaii Airwaves
From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1998 22:20:46 EDT

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