Reaction to The View
Sharon Letterman
By Jerome Whitehead
GBMNews Columnist
One on One with Sharon Lettman, Executive Director of The National Black Justice Coalition
As some of you may already be aware, on June 22, 2010, comments were made on ABC’s “The View” that can be construed as unfair to some, and downright inflammatory to others. The comments stated that the cause for the high rate of newly diagnosed cases of HIV in African American women were due to African American gay and bisexual men.
After viewing the comments made, I believe that the host (Sherri Sheppard) and guest (D.L. Hughley) were making an attempt to inform the public of this health crisis. However, according to the statistics provided by the CDC, the information broadcasted that day was highly inaccurate, and as a direct result, the organization “GLAAD – Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) have made repeated attempts to reach out to the executives of ABC and “The View” to create a dialogue about this issue and correct the misinformation broadcast that day.
As of July 14, 2010, ABC released the following statement to CNN:
” On June 22, during a discussion about blood donation and the transmission of HIV/AIDS, a guest moderator on the show expressed his interpretation of data about one way the virus can be transmitted. The topic of HIV/AIDS has been raised many times over the show’s 13 years, with many voices and opinions contributing to a conversation that we expect to continue as long as The View is on the air.”
What perhaps makes this issue so disturbing is that in the course of presenting this information to the public, no where in the comments made by “The View” was the message conveyed that maybe the reason why African American women were being infected at such large number is due to their heterosexual counterparts having multiple sexual partners. No where did they mention that African American women should protect themselves by having safe sex. This, of course is not to imply that African American women are to blame for the rise in the rate of HIV infection, but clearly, everyone must do their part to stop this disease from spreading. Instead, the comments made on the talk show simply placed the blame for this epidemic at the feet of the African American Gay and Bisexual community, and that’s a shame.
I spoke with Sharon Lettman, Executive Director of the National Black Justice Coalition to get her reaction to the comments made by D.L.Hughley and Sherri Sheppard. I posed four questions of importance regarding this issue and she answered them candidly.
GBM: What was your initial reaction to the comments made on “The View”?
SL: I was taken aback like everyone else that heard them. My initial reaction was “how can someone who sits in the public eye make comments that could possibly create a negative impact on a group of people that are already stigmatized in society? I believe that everyone is entitled to make a mistake, however, if you don’t correct the mistake, you run the risk of further alienating a portion of society that are already presented with challenges just in being.
GBM: What actions is your organization taking in addition to the efforts made by GLAAD to get the television executives at ABC to have an apology and/or retraction issued?
SL: We support any and all efforts made by GLAAD wholeheartedly. We also have scheduled meetings with the Whitehouse, AIDS Council and Department of Health and Human Services in the hopes of creating an honest and open dialogue about this issue. We also need to take the necessary steps to ensure that accurate information is given in all of our communities including educating all of the members of our communities that may be at risk.
GBM: In a world where everyone has the right to freedom of speech and since the norm is that everyone has an opinion, what would your response be if this is the route that ABC chooses to pursue in defense of the comments made?
SL: I believe in free speech. It’s one of the building blocks that formed our country. However, free speech coupled with misinformation is the issue at hand. I am calling on ABC and “The View” to speak the facts and speak the truth. The assumption is that you would want to be a responsible agent. What we are asking you to do in this arena is to use free speech to set the record straight.
GBM: In the course of listening to the comments made, it appears as if no accountability for the rise in newly diagnosed cases of HIV infections among African American women are being placed at the feet of African American women. This is not to say that African American women are solely responsible for the increased rate of HIV infection but education seems to be key, and yet there was no mention of African American women protecting themselves. Do you agree that this is where the first line of prevention lies and if so, how do we get this message across to the population?
SL: Prevention really is key to preventing the spread of HIV infection. We all know this. It is everyone’s responsibility to take care of themselves to make sure that they maintain their own HIV negative health status. If you had high blood pressure, whose responsibility would it be to make sure that you took your medication? This is no different. Now more than ever, we have to take responsibility for ourselves. No one is going to do it for us. And while I am in no way trying to imply that the rate of HIV infection among African American women is exclusively their fault, I also believe that we are no longer afforded the luxury of blaming anyone for our mistakes. To imply that gay and bisexual men are solely responsible for the rise in HIV infection in African American women is ludicrous. There are so many other issues going on here, but the first thing that needs to happen is that he executives of ABC and “The View” need to realize that a mistake has been made. They have the opportunity to make this right, and they need to do so.
With all of that said, once again, I came away with a sense of urgency. Too many people watch “The View” and those same people may take what is said as gospel. Some people may think that because incorrect information is presented in an intelligent format, that somehow makes it true and valid. We know that this is not the case.
Tomorrow is another day, and hopefully, we all may learn something from this. Still, this is a grim reminder that with all of the progress that the LGBT Community has made over the years, we still have a long way to go.
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