- Playing
- 'Gays Need Not Apply'
- From
- Dick Meister
Great media attention is being paid the movie, "Milk," that depicts the extraordinary life and tragic death of gay rights hero Harvey Milk. But don't forget that not long ago there was very little media coverage of gay Americans and the blatant discrimination that many suffer. This commentary recalls an exception to the media's general indifference -- a report I made from Milk's headquarters in San Francisco's Castro District for public television. It showed the widespread extent of employment discrimination against gay workers. But though the situation for gays has improved markedly, there's still a great need for stronger legal protections. They would come about if Congress finally would pass the long-pending Employment Non-Discrimination Act, perhaps in honor of Harvey Milk.
More from Dick Meister
Good News For Our Neediest Workers
(04:03)
From: Dick Meister
Commentary: More than 850,000 minimum wage workers in 10 states will be getting raises in the new year.
Home Care Workers Need Presidential Help
(02:21)
From: Dick Meister
It's time for President Obama to help the country's home care workers.
Many Profit From Bowl Games. But Not The Players
(04:01)
From: Dick Meister
Commentary: Student athletes get very little of the millions generated by college football's bowl games.
A Free Choice For US Workers
(04:13)
From: Dick Meister
Commentary: It's time to enact a proposed law that would give workers the absolute right to unionization.
We All Need A Higher Minimum Wage
(04:33)
From: Dick Meister
Raising the minimum wage should be a key post-election priority.
Labor's Major Election Challenge
(02:41)
From: Dick Meister
Commentary: Labor faces its greatest election challenge in California.
Missing A Vital Election Message
(03:13)
From: Dick Meister
Repealing the union-crippling Taft-Hartley Act should have been a prime issue throughout the election campaign.
A Farm Worker Champion
(02:56)
From: Dick Meister
Commentary: John Steinbeck was a great champion of farm labor.
We're Providing The Wrong Kind Of New Jobs
(03:01)
From: Dick Meister
Commentary: Although we're recovering from the Great Recession, most of the new jobs are low-paying, non-union jobs.
Related Pieces
Piece Description
Great media attention is being paid the movie, "Milk," that depicts the extraordinary life and tragic death of gay rights hero Harvey Milk. But don't forget that not long ago there was very little media coverage of gay Americans and the blatant discrimination that many suffer. This commentary recalls an exception to the media's general indifference -- a report I made from Milk's headquarters in San Francisco's Castro District for public television. It showed the widespread extent of employment discrimination against gay workers. But though the situation for gays has improved markedly, there's still a great need for stronger legal protections. They would come about if Congress finally would pass the long-pending Employment Non-Discrimination Act, perhaps in honor of Harvey Milk.
Broadcast History
none
Transcript
Much media attention is being paid the movie, ?Milk,? that depicts the extraordinary life and tragic death of gay rights hero Harvey Milk. But don?t forget that not long ago, media coverage of gay Americans and the blatant discrimination that many sufrfer was just about non-existent.
I remember, for example, a news report I did for public television in 1974 from Milk?s camera shop in the heart of San Francisco?s heavily gay Castro District. As was often so with public TV, the story was on an issue that was generally ignored by the commercial media ? in this instance, employment discrimination against gays.
The fact that media coverage of the subject was so rare shows how backward things were then and, though there?s still far to go, how very far society has come since then. We were indeed a long way from treating gay workers fair and equally, as my report clearly indicated. Here?s so...
Read the full transcript
Timing and Cues
INTRO: Commentator Dick Meister says a new movie should inspire us to attack the job discrimination suffered by gay workers.
OUTRO: Dick Meister is a veteran labor and poiitical journalist.
Related Website
