LGBT community lobbies to include special interest programming

The Bravo Channel and Independent Film Channel (IFC) were added to the basic Tufts cable package in February in an attempt to increase LGBT television programming on campus.

The initiative to expand the cable package, spearheaded by LGBT Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate Representative Patrick Brown, began last October.

The Tufts cable package offers an array of channels ranging from BET to TV Japan, Fox Sports, a variety of international news channels, and Lifetime.

The Bravo Channel and IFC were previously available to students through Falls Earth for an added monthly charge.

However, Brown said his constituents felt that despite the broad selection of channels, the previous options lacked enough LGBT programming.

"Arriving on campus last fall, I noticed a lack of queer-related programming on the Tufts Cable package," Brown said.

After he shred his concerns with English professor Jonathan Strong, they contacted Tufts Computing and Communications Services (TCCS) together to request the addition of Bravo, the station that airs "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy."

Bravo has a reputation of airing progressive LGBT programs including "Boy Meets Boy" and "Gay Weddings," a series that followed same-sex unions.

Strong offered faculty support on this issue because he felt it was important for the Tufts community. "If the campus is going to pay for other interest groups' programs, then they should add programming for gays and lesbians," he said.

LGBT oriented shows like "Will and Grace" and "It's All Relative," which air on NBC and ABC, respectively, have always been part of the basic cable package.

Many students felt that the addition of Bravo appealed to a broad base of students, providing both LGBT-themed programs and more mainstream programs including "Inside the Actors Studio" and "West Wing" reruns.

While most students welcomed the addition of the Bravo/IFC package, others questioned why these channels were selected instead of HBO or Cinemax.

"It's nice to have Bravo, but I don't really understand the reason. Maybe they could add HBO or Cinemax, which also offers gay and lesbian programs," sophomore Meg Simpson said.

Cinemax has two prominent LGBT series, including "Queer as Folk" and "The L-Word," a new show portraying the lives of lesbian women in Los Angeles.

HBO and Cinemax would cost the University and additional $3.50 per television per month, while the Bravo/IFC package costs Tufts an extra 30 to 50 cents per television per month.

The Tufts cable package is provided through Falls Earth Station, which provides cable service to several universities throughout the country including Duke University, Hamilton College, and Marist College.

"The package provided by Tufts is definitely much more inclusive than other universities," Falls Earth Programming Director Crystal Pierce said.

While universities including NYU and Wake Forest have free cable packages which include HBO and HBO on Demand, other schools such as MIT and Harvard's older dorms do not have as comprehensive a package as the options provided by Tufts.

Although students were generally pleased with the new addition, there is the question of whether now other minority groups will feel like they are no longer being evenly represented in Tufts' cable package.

"I think it's great that Bravo was added, but there must be other groups that don't feel represented," sophomore Lily Risch said. "Perhaps the [TCU] Senate could work toward finding channels for them," she said.

Many students want to see the addition of other channels, which they felt will represent a broad group of students on campus, including HBO and ESPN. Students are free to send suggestions to Falls Earth, which would then be reviewed by the university, Pierce said.

In addition to the Bravo/IFC package, Tufts also added the Travel Network, the Food Network, and Home and Garden Television to its programming.