Comcast Cable Will Allow Anti-Mormon LGBT Ad To Run After All
Comcast Corporation has agreed to run an anti-Mormon ad in Utah, ending a weeks-long dispute between the media company and the LGBT activist who created it.
The contentious TV spot was produced by California-based advocate Fred Karger to expose and challenge the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' tax-exempt status. "Help Us" features former members of the LDS church asking viewers to help uncover the church's "vast business holdings" and "secret political activities" by visiting mormontips.com.
Comcast originally agreed to air the ad in four Utah television markets. However, the corporation reneged on its promise two weeks ago after Karger held a news conference in Salt Lake City to announce the launch of his initiative.
While the corporation claimed that it pulled the ad because Karger was "unwilling to provide substantiation for [his] claims" against the LDS church, the LGBT-rights activist alleged that Comcast "caved" to pressure from the politically powerful religious body.
"I was assured repeatedly by our media-buying company that the commercial was cleared by Comcast's legal and technical [departments] and good to go," said Karger. "I was furious that a company the size of Comcast would pull this minuscule ad buy and deny our organization its First Amendment rights."
In response to the company's decision, Karger penned a letter of protest to Comcast CEO Brian Roberts, urging him to intervene in the matter.
After receiving the letter, Roberts invited Karger in for a meeting to discuss the ad. On Wednesday, the corporation announced that it would air the TV spot contingent upon a few minor changes, namely that Karger specify that he is speculating about the church's nearly $1 trillion in untaxed assets.
Though there is no broadcast schedule for the ad yet, it's available to watch online.
The spot comes at a time of increased speculation about the Mormon church and its practices, especially against members of the LGBT community.
In November 2015, a LDS policy was leaked to the public showing that children of same-sex parents were not to be baptized or take part in the church until they came of age and moved out, or disavowed their parents’ same-sex relationship.
Following this leak, hundreds of church members denounced Mormonism and publicly resigned from the church.
h/t: Philly.com