Tuesday, January 10, 2012

a bone to pick or " what the hell, AJC, do you think its 1977 ? "

Zipping along doing the reading that all of yall are too busy to do: JMG, HUFFPO, NYT, TLo, newspaper, newspaper etc landing on this mornings AJC.

I'll zoom in
sigh.

I'm guessing that is not Jon Hamm in full , if poor mans, Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence drag. 
The story is the folks at The Advocate have an annual ranking of the " gayest cities in America ". Last year " the GayTL" ranked #1 in the 100% unscientific ,made up poll, this year, it's down to #9. Living where I live , where there are MANY more horses than people, Atlanta comes across at the gay mecca that it is. Happily so. So, nine , one, twenty... I just want everyone to be happy.

The question is who is it, sitting in downtown Atlanta ( is the AJC where it always was, or has it like everything else in Atlanta moved ? ) - drone working on the front  page layout, a lgbt story comes up , and lazy person goes to fabulous, but trite, drag queen?  This is the papers image of lgbt America 2012 ??
really?

 Why not go with Colorado Congressman Jarred Polis and his partner Marlon Reis and their beautiful new baby CJ ?
or Ellen and Portia ? everyone loves them
or the much decorated just retired Air Force Lt.Col 
Victor Fehrenbach ? He looks pretty damn gay to me.

Maybe you were going for something more local, I can understand that. Atlanta story needs some Atlanta gays.
Local and a tad racy, Mr. Atlanta Eagle and Cub, 
this is damn gay!
OR from the exact pride parade that you got your stock drag queen photo : 
My good pal Chip leading his Clemson lgbt alumni group down Peachtree, pretty damn gay AND pretty damn local, this would have been a great shot for your story.
or 
How about the good folks at St. Mark's United Methodist Church, again, right there on Peachtree Street, all rainbowed out and gay as .... well, as gay as anything in the 9th gayest city in America. 

Come on AJC, you can do better.

UPDATE :  I had a very nice email exchange with the lovely writer of the story George Mathis III, who did not ,it turns out, pick the photo, but agreed with me that the photo was not appropriate and will have a word with the person that chose it. 

1 comment:

Lovewell said...

That's too funny. Did you write to him or did he find his way to K+B via the media backlash? The AJC "drones" are probably working in newly expanded Cox HQ which is in Dunwoody (or perhaps Sandy Springs--not sure if that is Fulton or Dekalb at that point) but it is over near Paul's office. They could have taken a photo of the "queen" building right outside their window ;-) Go Saint Mark!