Ask Tracy Morgan to Resign from 30 Rock
During this season of celebrating gay and lesbian pride and commemoration of the Stonewall riots, the undersigned members of the LGBT community and their allies call upon NBC to remove Tracy Morgan from "30 Rock." We do so because Mr. Morgan recently stated in a "comedy routine" that he would kill his son if his son were gay and spoke in an effeminate voice, and stated several other hateful and vile things about the LGBT community. Several media outlets called Mr. Morgan's publicist for a comment on the routine. At first, Mr. Morgan's representative merely made an icy response - essentially, "no comment." It was only after word of Mr. Morgan's encouragement of killing gays spread on Facebook and other online media that Mr. Morgan made a public apology. From the timing of events, it is clear to see this is not a heartfelt apology. Mr. Morgan clearly would have liked to avoid even a simple apology for his remarks, and only did so when he realized it was necessary to maintain his status as a celebrity and highly paid actor. Within the United States and internationally (where, of course, 30 Rock will be syndicated), violence toward and killing of LGBT people is no laughing matter. It happens all the time, and is often unreported because of the shame and self-hatred felt by the victims. The undersigned may be criticized for discouraging free speech. This petition (and the boycott it contemplates) are part of the long civil rights tradition of minorities criticizing hate. This petition and contemplated boycott are a pledge to refuse to financially support people who would violate our rights to life and bodily security. The undersigned are not asking the government to do anything, and the First Amendment does not come into play here. Accordingly, the undersigned pledge not to watch 30 Rock if Tracy Morgan returns to the show, and also pledge to boycott sponsors of the show if Morgan returns.
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