Not that I expect fine journalism from the News Corp-owned New York Post, but this goes beyond acceptability:
"EVIL LESBIAN MOM LEFT TODDLER TO DIE SLOW DEATH: DA" blares the headline. The story is a tragic one, of child abuse and neglect. A New York mother is accused of abandoning her 23-month-old son to death after he was beaten by her partner. The partner is currently serving a 15-years-to-life prison sentence for the murder.
If the women did what they are accused of, then they indeed they deserve whatever sentence they get for the horrible act. The fact of their being lesbian has nothing to do with it, however, any more than sexual orientation has to do with the many cases of child abuse perpetrated by straight couples. There are many bad people in the world, LGBT and not. Percentage-wise, I think we're about even. Thankfully, it's a small percentage.
The Post could, of course, make the editorial decision to specify sexual orientation—and hey, why not race, while they're at it— in every headline, which would give us: "Straight White Daughter Finds Straight White Mom Hacked to Death in NY; Straight White Dad Is Charged," "Straight White Tycoon Perved Me at 14," and, of course, "Heath Ledger's Straight, White Body that Once Played Gay in a Movie Begins Trip Home."
GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) has released a media alert on this, and notes: "After GLAAD contacted editors at the New York Post, its representatives refused to change the offensive headline on its website."
GLAAD gives contact information as follows:
Laura Italiano
Reporter
New York Post
laura.italiano@nypost.com
Michelle Gotthelf
Metro Editor
New York Post
mgotthelf@nypost.com
Sure, the Post thinks they can take on evil lesbian moms. Wait until they see what happens when they take on the good ones.