In October 1990, Donald L. DeMuth of Camp Hill summarily fired accountant Daniel C. Miller under the grounds that homosexuality was a breach of their contract. Then, Miller went on to start his own business. DeMuth sued Miller for over $100,000 because he opened a competing firm within five years. Miller appealed the lawsuit, arguing that DeMuth was using the court system to enforce his bias against homosexuality and violating his constitutional right to equal protection in the process. However, the state Superior Court upheld the payment, and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court refused to hear the case.

Both The Sentinel and The Patriot-News reported on this case extensively, and the language used is similar. However, the quotations used by either Miller, DeMuth, or their respective advocates vary by article. Some early reports from The Sentinel in 1993, for instance, quote Miller saying that even though he knew he was gay, he felt coerced into signing the contract because he wouldn’t have opportunities otherwise.¹

I felt I didn’t have much of a choice. Actually I liked the job very much… I felt like if I didn’t sign it, I wouldn’t have a job. I felt sort of coerced…

Daniel Miller, 1993, The Sentinel

Others, such as a 1994 article from The Sentinel titled “Gay Accountant’s Case Coming Up,” quote DeMuth and his side of the defense without getting a quote from Miller at all.² At the very least, they did provide a statement from Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund attorney Beatrice Dohrn, who emphasized the importance of the case to the gay rights movement. She is a frequent name within these articles as well.

The Patriot-News had a more balanced coverage. There were some Editorial columns supporting Miller as well as statements against him, but one article in particular stuck out as trying to provide a “both sides” sort of argument. In the article “Midstater’s Private Job-loss Dispute Grows into Public Gay-Rights Cause,” Charles Thompson first opens the article with Miller being thrust into the gay rights movement after struggling with his sexual orientation for years.³ Thompson then goes into the opportunity the case offered to the gay rights movement to end state-wide discrimination based on homosexuality and how Miller has been helping the movement with his case.

Then, Thompson tells DeMuth’s side of the story, beginning with an emotional appeal alongside the contractual one. “Essentially, he had been duping me for all these years,” said DeMuth.

After that, DeMuth explains that he is well within his right to forbid gay people from working with him, using the quote previously stated. Then, the article goes back to Dohrn, who explains that the case could decide whether gay people are protected by law from discrimination.

The case, then, hinges on the argument that any court-ordered enforcement of the jury’s award amounts to “state-based discrimination.”

Charles Thompson, The Patriot-News

Headlines and Handling

In terms of headlines, most highlighted the fact that the case was about a “gay worker” or a “gay accountant.” However, The York Dispatch instead reported on this case one time, in which they borrowed copy from The Associated Press and named the article, “Court Won’t Help Fired Gay in Business Competition Dispute.”⁴ Rather than call Miller a “gay worker” or instead a “gay accountant,” Miller is instead simply referred to as a “gay.” This takes away from Miller’s status as a qualified worker and reduces him to his sexual orientation.

Even worse, the article does not quote anyone from Miller’s side of the defense. Instead, The York Dispatch and the Associated Press use the second part of DeMuth’s quote above: “It’s something I feel I didn’t want to be associated with either professionally or personally.” By removing the first part of DeMuth’s statement, it removes the sting of prejudice and gives both the Associated Press and The York Dispatch leeway in coverage.

The Lancaster New Era was a bit more subtle in terms of handling. Having only one article, the New Era has a small summary of the case on page 32 of the edition, where many people may not even bother to read events beyond the headline. It’s placed on the bottom left corner of the page and reads, “Fired Gay Worker Must Pay Award to Ex-Boss.”⁵ In terms of summarizing the case, it presents the basics. However, the writer gives three paragraphs, one of them a quote, for DeMuth’s side of the case, and only one at the very end that tells the reader Miller’s perspective.

1. “Gay Accountant Loses 2 Lawsuits.” The Sentinel, 23 June 1993, p. A1-A4. Newspapers.com, https://www.newspapers.com/image/346300409/. ↩︎
2. “Gay Accountant’s Case Coming Up.” The Sentinel, 4 June 1994, p. A2. Newspapers.com, https://www.newspapers.com/image/346237893/ ↩︎
3. Thompson, Charles. “Midstater’s private job-loss dispute grows into public gay-rights cause.” Patriot-News, The (Harrisburg, PA), FINAL ed., sec. A SECTION, 1 June 1994, p. A1. NewsBank: Access World News, https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info%3Asid/infoweb.newsbank.com&svc_dat=AWNB&req_dat=0F70140CF1734230&rft_val_format=info%3Aofi/fmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Actx&rft_dat=document_id%3Anews/10D8A47548445CE4.  ↩︎
4. “Court Won’t Help Fired Gay in Business Competition Dispute.” The York Dispatcher, 21 Feb. 1996, p. 2A. Newspapers.com, www.newspapers.com/image/554135152/. ↩︎
5. “Fired Gay Worker Must Pay Award to Ex-Boss.” Lancaster New Era, 21 Feb. 1996, p. D6. Newspapers.com, www.newspapers.com/image/565509317/. ↩︎