Search form

Scroll To Top
News & Opinion

Tennessee TV Station Refuses To Run Marriage Equality Ad

buzzfeed-soldier

The ad features Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld, a gay republican and military physician, who was unable to marry his boyfriend.

Image via Jesse Ehrenfeld/Buzzfeed

WRCB, an NBC affiliate in Chattanooga, Tennessee, is refusing to run a commercial about marriage equality. The station had no policy against ads about same-sex marriage until reviewing this one, which will be airing next week on stations in Nashville and Memphis.

"It's just a very controversial and personal issue, and we just choose not to air a commercial on either side of that debate," Tom Tolar, president and general manager of WRCB, told Buzzfeed.

The ad features Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld, a gay republican and military physician, who recently returned to Tennessee from a tour of duty in Kandahar. In the commercial, he talks about not being able to marry his boyfriend, Judd Taback, in Tennessee, and states that the freedom he fought for is "for everyone."

In an interview with Buzzfeed, Ehrenfeld stressed the importance of the commercial because it represents people in his community:

"I just got back in April from my tour in Afghanistan, where I put my life on the line to fight for our freedom. I believe so strongly in the right to our freedom, and I was disappointed that this is the position of the TV station, that they are not interested in engaging in an important discussion about those freedoms today."

Watch the full commerical below:

Advocate Channel - The Pride StoreOut / Advocate Magazine - Fellow Travelers & Jamie Lee Curtis

From our Sponsors

Most Popular

Latest Stories

Glenn Garner