Valuing homophobia?

I was appalled by the anti-gay bigotry in Stephen Miller's latest column, "Hollywood and the Culture War" (Jan. 11, 2006). After making a number of ridiculous, baseless assertions ("the Hollywood crowd feels sympathy for the terrorists?" Are you serious?), Miller criticizes gay-themed TV shows such as Will & Grace by claiming that these shows "promote alternative lifestyles and erode traditional values." So any TV show that features gay characters undermines "traditional values?" Traditional values like what-homophobia?

I always thought Will & Grace was a wholesome sitcom about friendship and love; I had no idea that it was as harmful as Miller suggests it is. I guess Miller is afraid that people who watch Will & Grace might become more willing to accept gays as equals (God forbid).

Miller cites the critically acclaimed film Brokeback Mountain as another example of Hollywood's "leftist tripe." This claim is so ignorant as to be almost unbelievable. Brokeback Mountain is not a political film; it's a love story. The only thing remotely political about the film is the fact that some critics have described it as a plea for tolerance. But I suppose that only Hollywood radicals could create something with such a far-left message as that.

Someone should tell Miller that gay people exist, whether or not Hollywood makes movies about them. Shows like Will & Grace and films like Brokeback Mountain are not products of a "far-left agenda," nor are they intended to "promote alternative lifestyles"-as if anyone would (or even could) model their sexual orientation after what they see onscreen. Will & Grace and Brokeback Mountain are representations of Americans just like us, who have their own feelings and values. The only thing different about them is the sexual orientation of the characters.

If Miller is so concerned about the existence of gay-themed shows and films, then he should stop whining and realize that he is free to watch something else. I take the same attitude toward Fox News.

Ian Faerstein

Trinity '06