Categories degrassi next class diversity fandom fans homophobia lgbt season 11 season 12

In Defense of… Tristan Milligan

This year I’m planning on doing an “In Defense Of” series in which I choose a Degrassi character who is controversial in the Degrassi fandom and write about why they are a great character. And who better to start with than Tristan Milligan? Tristan is a character who went through a lot during his time on Degrassi. He was always the kind of character that people had very strong feelings about, but since the end of Degrassi: Next Class I personally feel that the fan hatred towards Tristan has only intensified. A lot of people don’t like Tristan because of the way in which he lashes out at other characters. Hopefully this post will help to bring some compassion and understanding to people who feel like they can relate to Tristan.

As a little disclaimer, this post is not meant to shame or criticize anyone who doesn’t like Tristan. We all bring our own experiences and points of view when watching Degrassi, and therefore we all have different interpretations of the characters and storylines. I firmly believe that this is what makes Degrassi so beautiful.

Continue reading In Defense of… Tristan Milligan

Categories FFA homophobia issues lgbt much music

Media Responses to the FFA Controversy

The FFA/Degrassi controversy is continuing to make headlines this week. Various media outlets have commented on the situation, showing their support for Degrassi, and giving their thoughts on why this is still an issue. The Much Music article in particular, written by Much contributor Allison, goes beyond the FFA controversy and discusses the impact Degrassi has had on generations of young people. Here is some of what Xtra, Perez Hilton, and even Much Music had to say.

Xtra: Conservative group slams transgender plot line
During the two-part transgender episode, the organization Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) ran a public-service announcement and an online educational program on its website.
All I can say is thank goodness that for every rightwing bigot out there, there is also someone with an open mind and a willingness to educate people on different lifestyles and the struggles that many of us go through.

Perez Hilton: Boo! Florida Family Association Boycotts Degrassi Due To Gay/Transgender Characters
We continue to thank you for supporting an important cause and helping spread awareness/understanding about gay and transgender issues, Teen Nick!
As for the Florida Family Association, we can only hope that one of these days they’ll come to their senses and realize that they’ve been acting out of ignorance. Such a shame!

Much Music: Sex, Drugs, and Degrassi: Why We Need To Keep The TV On
In its 30 years on air it would seem that Degrassi has covered every topic imaginable. From the death of parents to the death of classmates, domestic abuse, homelessness, bullying and more, it was difficult to believe that any waters had been left unchartered by the Epitome production company. That was until the tenth season of the new generation hit MuchMusic and Teen Nick last fall and viewers met Adam Torres, played by the brilliant Jordy Todosey, the first transgender character on youth programming. Suddenly, Degrassi was once again reminding viewers and critics why the longevity, praise and loyalty that had followed the little show from Toronto was more than warranted – Degrassi was and is the institution that gives a voice to the voiceless in mainstream media.
The outpouring of support and acceptance of Adam’s character has been undeniable. When the episode My Body is a Cage aired, viewers discovered that Adam had been born Gracie and transferred to Degrassi as a result of bullying received because of his transgender identity. On the MuchMusic website viewers expressed compassion and understanding for the teenage character, with many relieved to finally see their struggle identified by a character on TV.

How has Degrassi impacted your life? Is there one particular storyline that made you look at things differently? Can you relate to a particular character? Send your story to DegrassiTalks@gmail.com, and we’ll share some of our favourites.

Categories FFA homophobia issues lgbt

Degrassi Boycotted by FFA; Author Sarah Dessen Responds

Yes, this is happening again Degrassians.

The Florida Family Associations‘ campaign against Degrassi has caught the attention of The Huffington Post as well as author Sarah Dessen.

The FFA continued its email campaign against Degrassi with an email blitz last Tuesday. Their main target is Adam’s storyline, in which “millions of young teens and children witness this irresponsible affirmation of a transgender lifestyle.” Once again, they are going after Degrassi’s advertisers. However, this time, they are clearly aware of the intense support from Degrassi fans. Choosing not to publically post articles, the FFA instead is simply emailing their supporters. They recently sent out an email which said: “Many large main stream companies have since stopped advertising on Degrassi. However, this article will not include the names of the dropped advertisers to prevent the very active proponents of Degrassi from launching a reverse email campaign as they did with Kodak and State Farm.”

This blatant promotion of intolerance, hate and ignorance has already caught the attention of the Huffington Post. They interviewed David Canton (the founder of the FFA) who said “How many high schools have a gay first-string quarterback who becomes lovers with someone else on the team? This relationship is extremely unlikely and they shouldn’t open this to dialogue … And I think that it is statistically improbable that you will have a female-to-male transgender who is in love with a lesbian or bisexual in a school setting.” Because apparently Degrassi is guilty of promoting acceptance and inclusion. Liz Owen, the Director of Communications for PFLAG offered support for Degrassi, telling THP that “the episode acknowledges that there are trans people out there and, due to bullying and harassment in a school setting, they really have a hard time … Our message boards got overwhelmingly positive feedback, from trans kids saying how much it helped them to kids saying that, while they didn’t have any transgender kids in their school, they would act positively if they did.

Best selling author Sarah Dessen also responded to the controversy, after she found herself a target of the protest. Apparently her publisher had bought advertising time during Degrassi, and Dessen suddenly discovered that she had 1,060 new emails. Despite the fact that Dessen has little control over where and when her ad airs, she found that many of these emails were personally attacking her. Dessen took to her blog to react, saying:

I will say this, though. I don’t watch Degrassi, it came along after my time. But I believe in equal rights for ALL people, regardless of race, sex, or sexual orientation. If that makes me “depraved” and “lacking integrity” (both things I have been accused of today, more than once) then, well, okay. I’ll take it. I was raised to stand by what I believe, and I believe in equality. You don’t have to agree with me. That’s what’s great about this world. But you don’t have to be nasty about it, either.

I encourage you all to read Sarah Dessen’s full blog entry on the controversy right here!

As Degrassi fans, we have all been influenced by the show in one way or another. Whether you’re life has been personally changed by a storyline, or you just enjoy Degrassi for the characters and the drama, we have all seen the impact that this show has had. Adam’s storyline, in particular, has been groundbreaking for teen television. Just like Marco paved the way for more gay characters on TV, I have no doubt that Adam will do the same for the transgender community. As young people, we have an obligation to stand up for our peers and fight for what we believe in. I hope that we can all take this for what it is. There is always going to be negativity in this world, but Degrassi fans will continue to move forward and support this amazing TV show.

I have no doubt that other media outlets will pick up on this soon. I will keep you guys updated, and edit this post as new information becomes available.

EDIT: Unsurprisingly, this story made it to Perez Hilton.

Categories charity homophobia jordan todosey ray ablack

Degrassi Cast Members Join Love Is Louder Campaign

Various CTV celebrities (including the cast of Degrassi) have joined the Love Is Louder campaign to build an online support network for victims of bullying. According to CTV’s website, “this movement strives to amplify the momentum of other inspiring online campaigns and invite anyone who has felt mistreated, misunderstood or isolated into the conversation.” As part of the campaign, CTV and its affiliate networks have been airing widespread coverage during National Bullying Awareness Week. They have also created these PSAs featuring Degrassi’s Ray Ablack & Jordan Todosey. For more details on the campaign & how you can get involved, visit LoveIsLouder.com or CTV’s own Love Is Louder page.

Categories FFA homophobia stephen stohn

FFA Continues Homophobic Anti-Degrassi Email Campaign

Yesterday it was reported that the FFAil claimed that Kodak stopped advertising during Degrassi because of the FFAil’s offensive email campaign. Word quickly spread, with Perez Hilton even picking up the story. Kodak soon fought back, sending out this email to Degrassi fansites and other bloggers:

Our new ‘So Kodak’ advertising campaign, featuring Rihanna, Trey Songz, Pitbull and Drake (who–we know!–started his career on Teen Nick), will continue to run on Degrassi. What you’re seeing is a planned pause in our media schedule. We’ll be back on next week, so keep an eye out for us!

Despite their mistake, the FFAil doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon. They are continuing their email campaign to Degrassi’s advertisers, encouraging people to visit their website and voice their concerns over Degrassi’s “irresponsible content.” My personal opinion is that this is just a way to get our attention and upset Degrassi’s growing fanbase.

However, this afternoon on Twitter, Stephen Stohn came up with a clever way that we can all fight back. All you have to do is visit FFAil’s Degrassi page and then click on the link that says “Click Here.” Put in your name and email address and change the subject line to something like “Thank you for supporting Degrassi!” Stephen suggests the text be something like this:

My family and I are so supportive of this wonderful series which empowers teens as they face an increasingly complex and diverse world. Thank you for your support of this groundbreaking series which for 30 years has been applauded worldwide for its morals and storytelling.

Send it, and it will go to all of Degrassi’s main advertisers!
As Degrassi is about to be presented with a 30 year tribute at the Gemini Awards tomorrow, I think it’s obvious that only shows that truly mean something are able to survive that long. Degrassi has touched all of us with its honest and thought-provoking storylines. From those of us who have been watching for the full 30 years, to the fans who only just discovered Degrassi this season, Degrassi fans are a passionate and loyal group of people. We will continue to support Degrassi for years to come.

Categories FFA homophobia

Update: Kodak Takes a Pause in Advertising

Update: Kodak is speaking out, contacting a bunch of us, and confirming what many of us suspected. They were simply taking a pause in advertising this week and will be back next week. That is that.

Update #2: Degrassi made Perez Hilton today at least???

A few right wing news sources are reporting today that Kodak has pulled its ads from Degrassi on TeenNick. This apparently happened after the Florida Family Association began an email campaign to Kodak regarding its sponsorship of Degrassi. The FFA is claiming that Kodak received “thousands of emails” from their supporters. This news comes just days after this article appeared, accusing Degrassi of promoting “irresponsible” behaviour. However, it should be noted that their only “proof” is that they haven’t seen a Kodak ad for Degrassi this past week.

The FFA’s website features an entire page on Degrassi and it’s supposed sins. The language used here is very offensive. According to the organization, “the theme of DeGrassi revolves around Riley Stavros, the high school football team’s first string quarterback and his homosexual lifestyle.” On the website, they list the “irresponsible content” (which mostly focuses on Riley) that they lifted from TeenNick.com. You have to wonder if they even watch Degrassi, seeing as they are simply referring to TeenNick’s website and claiming that Riley is the central character.

When news of this spread today, Degrassi stars and fans were quick to voice their outrage on Twitter:
@Lauren_Collins This is so incredibly sad and disgusting. Thanks for ruining all my Kodak moments with homophobia and fear… http://tinyurl.com/2ufu8h7
@AdamoRuggiero If thats true, 2 words: GROW UP! Gay kids need guidance. And guess what! That could be UR kid. we’re #bornthisway http://tinyurl.com/2ufu8h7
@shenaeSG It’s truly mind boggling how some ppl remain such ignorant,irrational thinkers at this day in age. Kodak makes me sick http://bit.ly/bua0vj

We agree wholeheartedly.
I would take this all with a grain of salt at the moment, seeing as there are very few legit news sources reporting this information. Nonetheless, I know that many of you are furious that Degrassi would be targeted. Sometimes we forget how much hate & ignorance is truly out there. If you want to contact Kodak, you can do so through their website.