The S.F. Chronicle's Disappointing Journalism Related to Same-Sex Marriage

The journalism displayed in this morning's front-page feature article in the San Francisco Chronicle, Same-Sex Marriage: A Town Where It's Hard to Say "Gay," disappointed me. The article examines the personal and political views related to same-sex marriage held by a handful of the residents of Orland, a small northern California town located about 3 hrs. north of San Francisco.It seems that the Chronicle is going out of its way to portray people who do not support same-sex marriage as arcane, elderly, narrow-minded, small-town, un-informed, bigoted, Bible-thumping, Ronald-Regan-is-my-hero conservative clones, rather than recognizing that Californians of many different backgrounds hold intelligent, informed, and even humble positions in their opposition to same-sex marriage. The most politically loaded, most slanted part of the article is its title--is it really hard to say "gay" in Orland?Below are a few excerpts from the article that particularly frustrated me for the stereotypes they construct. Read the full article (though disappointing, it's an interesting read) to get the context of these quotations. I'd love to hear your comments on the article.

"The last time I was in San Francisco was in the 1950s," Vonasek said. "Too wild for me."Some residents say they don'tknow any openly gay people, and others have trouble even saying theword "gay." One man called it being "of the homosexual persuasion."As George Simons, 87, sipped tap beer from a frosty mug, he shook his head as he considered same-sex marriage. "I don't like it. I'm from the old school, where you never evenheard of that kind of thing," said Simons, who made a living drivinglogging trucks."I guess I was born in a different generation," Simons said. Like many of her neighbors inOrland, religious beliefs are at the heart of 76-year-old RaeWhitaker's opposition to same-sex marriage. She lives with her husband, who was a bomber pilot in World War II,behind their son's dentist office. The entryway wall is covered inphotos of her seven children, 24 grandchildren and threegreat-grandchildren plus one large photo of former President RonaldReagan, who Whitaker says is "just about my favorite person after JesusChrist and my husband." On her coffee table, she has framed photos ofNancy and Ronald Reagan and President Bush and first lady Laura Bush."This is an old-fashioned town. The way life used to be," said Young, who is retired from the Glenn County road department...They, too, have framed picturesin their home of Reagan and Bush as well as the late actor CharltonHeston, a former president of the National Rifle Association.