Why CBS Was Still Wrong to Air the Focus Ad

The Super Bowl advertising controversy over Focus on the Family -- or, as many might like to call it, the gift that kept on giving to the blogosphere -- is finally history. Millions are waking up this morning playing Monday-morning quarterback, wondering if progressives overreacted to the advertisement, given how cuddly, cute and tame it came across on national television. Was this the Puppy Bowl, or the Tim Tebow advertisement?

Was the advertisement the extreme anti-choice message that some folks feared? No, it wasn't. But the content of the advertisement was never entirely the sole issue here. The controversy was sparked mostly by the double standard that CBS created in order to air the ad, rewriting their own internal advertising policies in order to accommodate Focus on the Family. In years past, CBS refused advocacy advertisements from MoveOn, as well as the United Church of Christ.

As far as advertisements go, the United Church of Christ ad rejected a few years back was equally as tame as the Focus on the Family advertisement last night. But beyond that, the issue here has always been about the organization behind the advertisement. Last night, 100 million viewers were told at the end of the Focus on the Family commercial to go visit their Web site. And while Tim and Pam Tebow might not have had anything controversial to say during their 30 seconds last night, the Focus on the Family Web site doesn't waste any time in getting their homophobia on.

The Focus Web site is full of nuggets that belittle and dehumanize LGBT people. From the "God created marriage as a loyal covenant between one man and one woman only" speak to commentary that "gay marriage and civil unions" have put marriage in a state of crisis, there's a lot more behind the curtain of the Tim and Pam Tebow ad. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Focus on the Family also writes on their Web site that gay marriage will lead to recognition of polygamy, and they openly advocate for ballot measures that take away civil rights for lesbian and gay couples.

But the homophobic comments don't stop there. Wait 'til you see Focus on the Family's section dedicated to the evils of gay adoption. There you'll find out that Focus on the Family believes that gay adoption hurts children, and that same-sex parents can't provide the right kind of love for their children. You'll even find a knock that same-sex families are unhealthy, and that kids raised in same-sex parent households have a higher rate of emotional abuse, suspension from school, and drug abuse.

Yup, that's the Web site that was flashed before 100 million people last night. And that's the real tragedy behind the Focus on the Family advertisement. Pam and Tim Tebow may have been the sugar-coating, but there's a really bitter pill behind the message that viewers who made their way to Focus on the Family's Web site likely found.

The ad's tagline that appeared with the Web site was "Celebrate Family. Celebrate Life." It might as well have said Celebrate Homophobia, too. Because that's a good chunk of what you'll find at Focus on the Family when you look behind the Pam and Tim Tebow curtain.

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