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Taxpayer money promotes 'gay' Valentine's cards

Drew Zahn

During yesterday's "Morning Edition" program, Selena Simmons-Duffin shared a story on air – and expanded in an online article – titled "Greeting Cards that Celebrate a Rainbow of Loves."

"It can be especially hard to find the perfect Valentine's Day card for your special someone if you're in a same-sex relationship," Simmons-Duffin writes. "That's because no major greeting card company carries a line of cards geared toward members of the lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender community."

Her article then explains that while Hallmark has only tried LGBT cards in limited markets, a private company called A Little to the Left is thrilled to make them available.

"I was always frustrated because I could never find a tasteful card to send to [my son and his partner]," card maker Sandi Timberlake said, "and certainly no card that said 'to son and son-in-law.' I knew I couldn't be the only mother or family of a gay person who needed this kind of card."

Now that Timberlake is in the business of making the cards, she boasts in NPR's article, "My potential market could be anywhere from 60 to 90 million people, or more!"

The NPR article also quoted Hallmark senior writer Andre du Broc explaining that while the nation's largest greeting card company hasn't produced LGBT Valentine's cards, it's same-sex-marriage cards were "performing on par with our regular wedding cards" following a 2008 California Supreme Court decision attempting to legalize same-sex marriage.

The NPR radio spot concluded with a du Broc quote: "I don't think there's a difference between, you know, love between a man and a man, a woman and a woman, a man and a woman."

NPR claims it "receives no direct funding from the federal government," but does admit that a small portion of its budget is derived from competitive grants from federally funded organizations such as the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, or CPB, National Science Foundation and National Endowment for the Arts.

In addition, NPR's admits its largest share of income comes from member stations, who in turn use federally funded CPB money to purchase NPR programming.

On the same day it promoted the "gay" Valentine's cards, NPR also issued a statement thanking President Obama for proposing in his newest budget an increase in CPB funds.

"Public broadcasting received a vote of confidence today from the Obama Administration," the statement reads. "The president's FY 2012 budget submission to Congress included $451 million for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) for the two year advance appropriation for FY 2014, an increase of $6 million over FY 2013 funding."

NPR President and CEO Vivian Schiller said, "We are grateful to the Obama Administration for recognizing the importance of public radio to the life of communities across the nation. Every day, over 900 public radio stations present fact-based local, national and international news, as well as local arts, music and cultural programming that can't be found anywhere else."

She concluded, "At a time when our country is confronting many difficult challenges, public broadcasting is providing an essential service by informing and educating 170 million Americans every month. This mission is more relevant than ever."

www.wnd.com/

Feb. 15, 2011

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