A recent public service announcement produced by the Partnership for a Drug Free America (PDFA) has been branded homophobic by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), a media watchdog organization based in New York City.
The ad, scheduled to air nationwide this month, depicts a teenager named David whose life plummets downhill because of an addiction to heroin. The ad concludes with the narrator saying, “And now I have sex with men for money, to support my habit. … I wish I didn’t have to be like this.”
According to GLAAD, the ad suggests that drug use ultimately leads males to engage in homosexual sex and portrays homosexuality as a social ill more severe than drug use. “The spot sends a misguided message to America’s young people and specifically to lesbian and gay youth,” stated GLAAD managing director William Waybourn. “The ad has the potential to exacerbate higher-than-average risks gay and lesbian youths face for substance abuse and suicide by implying that being gay is worse than being addicted to heroin.” Although GLAAD has voiced their objections about the PSA to the Partnership, PDFA President Richard Bonette responded that he will not pull the ad. “While I appreciate your concerns, I simply disagree with your perspective and, therefore, cannot honor your request to remove ‘David’ from distribution,” said Bonette.