.GAY May Face Unexpected Opponent: Obama Admin

[err0r]

In an interview today, Scott Seitz, founder of SPI Marketing and chief executive of dotGAY, discussed why he's planning to ask the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to approve a disputed new top-level Internet domain: .gay.

 

Seitz plans to submit his proposal alongside as many as 115 others including .movie, .nyc, and .web though he could run into some unexpected opposition: the Obama administration.

 

As PCMag.com reported last week, a new proposal could empower the U.S. government - or any other member of the 100 countries in the Governmental Advisory Committee - to veto "objectionable" top-level domain names.

 

"Any GAC member may raise an objection to a proposed string [gTLD] for any reason. If it is the consensus position of the GAC not to oppose objection raised by a GAC members or members, ICANN shall reject the application," according to the proposal.

The proposal, called an "assault on Internet freedom" by Syracuse University professor Milton Mueller, could torpedo Seitz's efforts as the U.S. government seeks to shore up fragile relationships with conservative governments in the Middle East.

 

"It's problematic, and it's discrimination on a terrible level," Seitz said of the veto proposal in the interview. "It's not even appropriate for countries (to have the ability to veto) because of freedom of expression. Anything beyond (restricting speech that) incites violence is discrimination."

 

With clients ranging from Absolut Vodka to American Express, Scott Seitz has built a powerful brand onf "full service" gay marketing, public relations, and event planning through SPI Marketing. His role as chief executive of dotGay ups the ante in the domain name donnybrook.

 

".gay will be a venue for enhancing our ability to interact with each other as a community. It also became a global networking opportunity, linking community centers," Seitz explained. "It's really going to be a hybrid not for profit and for profit--that's really the vision. There is a business plan in place. There is, I believe, a way to have a happy middle of the road. Our goal is to reach out to the initial community that's out, including the gay and lesbian business community."

 

Whether Seitz's passion and expertise will be enough to shepherd .gay into your address bar remains to be seen. Without the threat of federal veto, controversial domains have gotten tangled up in ICANN. One need look only as far as .xxx, which, introduced in 2004, still awaits verdict.

 

 

Source: William Fenton