Former reporter digs up stories of anti-gay bias
DetNews.com, MI - 2 hours ago
(The son of a Jehovah's Witness, he was sent to the principal's office as a Saginaw third grader for refusing to say the Pledge of Allegiance -- years after ... Call him the story finder. Since graduating from Michigan State University, award-winning journalist Joel Engardio has tracked down compelling stories for ABC television's "20/20," the Los Angeles Times and his own documentary, "Knocking," which explores Jehovah Witnesses' quiet impact on everything from First Amendment rights to surgical techniques. Engardio's path took an unexpected turn three years ago when he bumped into Matt Coles, who needed, well, someone skilled at finding gotta-listen-to stories. Coles, the top gay-rights litigator at the American Civil Liberties Union, wanted gay couples whose tales tug heartstrings. "I was sitting in my office thinking, 'Who knows how to do this? To find gay people who've experienced the terrible consequences of being treated as legal strangers,'" Coles recalls. "I needed someone who knows how to vet people, to look for the weak points and the skeletons. That's a reporter." Engardio turned out to be a whiz at finding perfect combinations of couples for marriage lawsuits. One Baltimore columnist raved, "If you were going to create a Noah's Ark of homosexuality, you'd pick these people -- there's a lawyer, a dentist, several ex-military men, a former police officer, an engineer, a couple of nurses." Now Engardio's assignment is finding stories that convey the pain of anti-gay or anti-transgender job bias. The Democratic takeover of Congress means the Employment Non-Discrimination Act has a strong shot at passing. So, the ACLU has teamed up with the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the Human Rights Campaign to ask victims of job discrimination to fill out surveys on their Web sites. Infuriating stories are pouring in. Far more people have been hurt by job bias than could possibly testify on Capitol Hill , of course. So, Engardio will help pull together the most effective mix of storytellers. Others will be asked to talk to individual lawmakers and the news media before the ENDA vote. "I really didn't know what to expect," says Engardio, who felt the sting of bias long before coming out as gay. The son of a Jehovah's Witness, he was sent to the principal's office as a Saginaw third grader for refusing to say the Pledge of Allegiance -- years after Witnesses won the right to abstain.) "It's been more than I would have thought. You see more problems in 'Red' states," he says. "And the true harms, the real discrimination stories, they really pop out. You can't miss them." Take, for example, the closeted male couple who installed major appliances in a Northeast state. Co-workers figured out they were gay and complained to the boss, who fired them. Or, the gay southerner who planned to hold his commitment ceremony in the hotel where he worked. He sent out invitations; his supervisor fired him. Today, in 33 states, including Michigan , it's perfectly legal to fire someone for being gay. Transgender firings are legal in 42 states, including Michigan . "If you build into society the notion that this discrimination is wrong, people aren't going to do it," Coles predicts. But lawmakers need to hear why new safeguards are needed. "You can have the greatest story in the world, but if that person isn't willing to testify in front of Congress, it's not going to make an impact," says Engardio. "Somebody has to speak up." If you've suffered anti-gay job discrimination, turn your setback into a victory: Tell the story finder. Reach Deb Price [email protected]. Danny wrote to Deb got reply below: Thanks Danny. You might want to know more about Joel's documentary, which will be aired on pbs in coming weeks. go to knocking.org. cheers, deb
MANY PBS STATIONS WON'T SHOW KNOCKING !
by DannyHaszard 79 Replies latest watchtower scandals
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DannyHaszard
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abbagail
Hey Danny, I am on Bill Keller's daily email list (www.liveprayer.com). He has a TV show every late night M-F over in the Tampa, FL market. And he has been on Howard Stern's radio show twice in recent weeks (Howard turned his show over to him for an entire hour, twice!)
Anyhoo, I emailed a copy of this "KNOCKING" info to Keller today, since exposing cults is one of his "specialties." (He loves to tear apart the Scientologists, Mormons, and sometimes the JWs, but not as often as the others). I said he might want to warn his viewers about this "sympathetic" documentary since it will be on PBS and many people might see it.
He replied with this brief note (he didn't specifically say he would mention it on the air, but I'm thinking he probably will sometime between now and May 22nd, and he may be invited back to Howard Stern's show between now and then also):
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From: "Bill Keller" [email protected]
Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2007 12:53:50 -0400
To: "L2TC" liiberty.2.the.captives@...
Subject: RE: "Sympathetic Cult Documentary" Coming to PBS - Re: DailyDevotional-Wed. 4/11/2007-Liveprayer.com
thanks my friend, perfect example of how we promote and exalt and glorify a cult leading millions to hell...thanks for the heads up
Know that I am praying for you, be richly blessed,
Bill Keller
Founder, www.liveprayer.com
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XJW4EVR
I am not especially pleased that some PBS stations won't show Knocking, nor am I pleased at the effort to censor this program from being shown. I think all views should be aired. I have emailed the local PBS affiliate and suggested that if this program is aired here, that there should be a round table aring after Knocking, in which the other side of the story is given equal opportunity. I also linked them with Freeminds, as a contact for the opposing view.
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DannyHaszard
BELIEVE: New public television series debuts with a look at the... Catholic Online, CA - 14 minutes ago
[email protected]write producer
Upcoming programs include: Episcopal, Judaism, Methodist, Jehovah's Witness, Assemblies of God, Pentecostal, Buddhism, Latter-day Saints. ... -
DannyHaszard
This is a printer friendly version of an article from The Detroit News
To print this article open the file menu and choose Print.April 9, 2007
Deb Price
Former reporter digs up stories of anti-gay bias
Call him the story finder.
Since graduating from Michigan State University, award-winning journalist Joel Engardio has tracked down compelling stories for ABC television's "20/20," the Los Angeles Times and his own documentary, "Knocking," which explores Jehovah Witnesses' quiet impact on everything from First Amendment rights to surgical techniques.
Engardio's path took an unexpected turn three years ago when he bumped into Matt Coles, who needed, well, someone skilled at finding gotta-listen-to stories. Coles, the top gay-rights litigator at the American Civil Liberties Union, wanted gay couples whose tales tug heartstrings.
"I was sitting in my office thinking, 'Who knows how to do this? To find gay people who've experienced the terrible consequences of being treated as legal strangers,'" Coles recalls. "I needed someone who knows how to vet people, to look for the weak points and the skeletons. That's a reporter."
Engardio turned out to be a whiz at finding perfect combinations of couples for marriage lawsuits. One Baltimore columnist raved, "If you were going to create a Noah's Ark of homosexuality, you'd pick these people -- there's a lawyer, a dentist, several ex-military men, a former police officer, an engineer, a couple of nurses."
Now Engardio's assignment is finding stories that convey the pain of anti-gay or anti-transgender job bias. The Democratic takeover of Congress means the Employment Non-Discrimination Act has a strong shot at passing.
So, the ACLU has teamed up with the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and the Human Rights Campaign to ask victims of job discrimination to fill out surveys on their Web sites. Infuriating stories are pouring in.
Far more people have been hurt by job bias than could possibly testify on Capitol Hill, of course. So, Engardio will help pull together the most effective mix of storytellers. Others will be asked to talk to individual lawmakers and the news media before the ENDA vote.
"I really didn't know what to expect," says Engardio, who felt the sting of bias long before coming out as gay. (The son of a Jehovah's Witness, he was sent to the principal's office as a Saginaw third grader for refusing to say the Pledge of Allegiance -- years after Witnesses won the right to abstain.)
"It's been more than I would have thought. You see more problems in 'Red' states," he says. "And the true harms, the real discrimination stories, they really pop out. You can't miss them."
Take, for example, the closeted male couple who installed major appliances in a Northeast state. Co-workers figured out they were gay and complained to the boss, who fired them. Or, the gay southerner who planned to hold his commitment ceremony in the hotel where he worked. He sent out invitations; his supervisor fired him.
Today, in 33 states, including Michigan, it's perfectly legal to fire someone for being gay. Transgender firings are legal in 42 states, including Michigan. "If you build into society the notion that this discrimination is wrong, people aren't going to do it," Coles predicts.
But lawmakers need to hear why new safeguards are needed.
"You can have the greatest story in the world, but if that person isn't willing to testify in front of Congress, it's not going to make an impact," says Engardio. "Somebody has to speak up."
If you've suffered anti-gay job discrimination, turn your setback into a victory: Tell the story finder.
Reach Deb Price at or (202) 662-8736 or [email protected].
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DannyHaszard
KNOCKING ANNOUNCEMENTS (lots going on this week!)
*Please forward to interested friends not on our mailing list*
PBS LAUNCHES SPECIAL KNOCKING WEB SITEhttp://www.pbs.org/independentlens/knocking/
You'll be surprised at what PBS has done in creating a special web site
for
KNOCKING. The amount of content and detail is incredible. If you like
it, be
sure to thank PBS by clicking on the "contact us" or "talkback" buttons
on
the web site. Use the same buttons to let PBS know what you thought of
the
film after you watch it. The site also features up-to-date Q&A
interviews
with the film's subjects. Read how they are doing now. -
DannyHaszard
http://discussions.pbs.org/viewforum.pbs?f=203
PBS Knocking thread has opened up,easy one step register Join in.
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DannyHaszard
CHECK THIS OUT http://www.pbs.org/mormons/ NOW Will this PBS piece on Mormon convert the world to LDS?
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Sunspot
Gill said:
JWs are NOT an issue with people at the moment. People in general to not give two hoots about the silly cult. BUT, if their attention can be diverted to the WTBTS and a spotlight shone on the bOrg, the cracks may well appear when rational people ask for the opposing view.
To me, I think it is a risk worth taking.
Let's put the WTBTS under the spotlight and make its faults and cracks become apparant.
Let them make the first move and then those that oppose the lies of the WTBTS can jump in to fill in all the gaps.
I had pretty much the same idea.....but my nonJW hubby has a totally different take on this. He has seen and experienced firsthand---JUST what involvement and association with the WTS has done to OUR family....shredding us all to bits and people not even willing to SPEAK or be CIVIL to one another for YEARS now---ALL DUE TO WHAT THE WATCHTOWER DEMANDS of its followers!
He has (strongly) suggested that I ask YOU here on JWD, to write to the stations and ask, en masse, for them NOT to show anything that might call undue attention to this cult....or present them in any kind of favorable light! Who knows who might be sympathetic and invite them in (as *I* did) and their whole family will be affected in the aftermath.
I see his point, and I do agree! So, I said I would tell you what he said, and I am still unsure of what I, personally will do---to write to the station--or not to bother.
Annie
