Report more fairly on gay rights issues

The smiling, happy faces of the lesbian couple and their little girl on the front page of the Daily Herald told the story. Michele and Shannon Fagiano had already been together 13 years, shared the same name, had a little girl and were appreciative of the recent legalized civil union that helped them make their relationship “feel real.” Who, but a hateful, homophobic bigot could possibly have reservations about such a thing?

Of course, there was no story in the Daily Herald when another homosexual couple sued Jim Walder, father of five, for declining to host their civil union ceremony at his bed and breakfast in downstate Paxton. There was no story when the state of New Mexico fined freelance photographers Jon and Elane Huguenin more than $6,600 because they turned down a job photographing a same-sex commitment ceremony. There was silence in the mainstream media this spring when kindergartners in Redwood, Calif., were taught that they could be a boy, a girl, or both.

Stories like these are beginning to pile up, but it would appear that they are routinely censored. When it comes to reporting on the homosexual rights movement, one-sided superficial stories are the norm. This is a complex issue with serious implications for individual liberty. It deserves more thoughtful, evenhanded coverage than it currently receives in the Daily Herald and elsewhere.

Teri Paulson

Hoffman Estates