The highly respected gay Southern Voice newspaper has accused mainstream media for not reporting Father Mychal Judge's sexual orientation although numerous stories were churned out following his death. The Fire Department of New York (FDNY) chaplain was killed on September 11 while administering last rites to an injured rescue worker at the World Trade Center.
The late Father Mychal Judge
Rex Wockner, an established gay journalist said he had confirmed it with several sources about his orientation. "We were very careful to make sure we weren't outing him."
Judge was also said to be a active in the gay community. Tom Ryan, a 20-year veteran of the FDNY who came out in the late 1990s told the Voice, "I heard about him through other people, especially in the gay community, that behind the scenes, he was very active within the gay community and fighting for gay rights.
Gay community leaders have expressed their disappointment with the media for not mentioning Judge's orientation although some did mention his Irish heritage. Almost all the media reports depicted him as a kind and caring man who loved, and was wholeheartedly loved by, his firefighters and as a hero.
Cathy Renna, news media director for the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation said, "It doesn?t do justice to who he was by not reporting that he was gay," she said. "Our stories die with us if we don't do something."
Mitchell Stephens, professor of journalism and mass communication at New York University, agreed that reporters should have discussed that Judge was gay. "I think it's important for the community to understand that gay people die heroes, just as straight people do."
Stephens also added that the media could sometimes be too reticent when reporting on the lives of gay people. "You wouldn't hide his religion or ethnicity... Why would you hide this?"
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