ARKANSAS – A newspaper in Arkansas has insulted a local gay man by omitting him from the obituary of his partner of ten years. Terrance James had submitted an obituary of his partner John Christopher Millican to The Batesville Daily Guard which the paper then edited by removing James’ name.
Subsequently, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) launched an online action, calling on community members and allies to contact the Guard to demand an apology and a re-run of the obituary that includes recognition of Terrance James. GLAAD, together with the HRC, local organizations and Queerty.com reached out to the paper to address the injustice. The paper’s spokesperson, Oscar Jones, told GLAAD, “When a gay person loses their partner, the loss is no less, and they need to be treated the same.” He confirmed that the paper was in the process of re-writing the obituary policy.
Instead of moving forward with this commitment, the paper reversed course completely and printed a full page attack against James, insisting that excluding a surviving partner of ten years from his partner’s obituary was justifiable. The paper wrote that “free obituaries do not list life partners or significant others, nor does it list in-laws or ex-spouses” and that they do “not owe Mr. James a free obituary or an apology.”
The HRC then launched an online petition and took out a full page ad in the Guard, calling on the paper to change their policy.
“When someone is mourning the loss of the most important person in their life, it only adds to the immense pain to have a newspaper edit away your very existence and effectively erase the years of love, struggle, and good times,” said Herndon Graddick, senior director of programs at GLAAD. “The Guard’s editorial reaction was even more hurtful and disrespectful. Now is the time for an apology and for policies to ensure this never happens again.”
