Date: Sat, 07 Mar 1998 09:25:35 -0600
From: ACTION ALERT Moderator 
Subject: ACTION ALERT: TIME Magazine

[ submitted by GLAAD ]

No Time For Gay People or AIDS

The much-publicized 75th Anniversary special issue of Time (March 9), tells
the story of the last three-quarters of a century of history, and according
to its telling, neither the struggle for lesbian and gay people's equal
rights nor AIDS ever happened. It is understandable that Time would not
include the 1969 Stonewall Riots (the symbolic kick-off the modern movement
for gay civil rights) because the magazine's early coverage of gay issues
was scant at best. But during the 1980-1989 section, entitled "Comeback,"
neither gay issues nor, shockingly, AIDS, is ever mentioned in any of the
sections, from "Nation" to "World." Even in "Milestones," instead of
mentioning the death of Rock Hudson, the significant historical marker is
"Divorced. Elizabeth Taylor Hilton Wilding Todd Fisher Burton Burton
Warner." "1989-1998: Transformation," ignores the global pandemic of AIDS
which has left millions dead and many others living with HIV, and the
critical discovery of protease inhibitors is also ignored. Yet the Heaven's
Gate cult suicide of 39 gets space. While "Seinfeld Calls It Quits" gets a
deserved mention, Ellen DeGeneres and her historic "Yep, I'm Gay" cover
gets nary a mention, neither is it included on the cover of the issue,
despite the fact that 92 covers from the last 75 years are featured. In
fact, of the 92 covers, just one includes anything about lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender or AIDS-related subjects: a 1950s cover with James
Baldwin which does not mention his sexual orientation. Under "Miscellany,"
the Ellen cover is finally cited in brief, listed as the tenth "heaviest
reader mail" generated in Time's history, and mentioned in a footnote as
one of nine "female cover subjects in 1997."

"GLAAD, and many Americans, are dismayed by Time's skewed perspective on
history that excludes the lesbian and gay civil rights movement, which has
had a profound effect on the political, legal and cultural landscape of
America," said GLAAD Executive Director Joan M. Garry. "Even more startling
is the magazine's silence on AIDS. This disease has transformed the world
in countless ways during the 1980s and 1990s. We urge Time to publicly
account for these glaring omissions. We expect more from one of the most
important news magazines of the century."

Let Time know how disappointing their lack of historical vision regarding
gay people and AIDS is.

Contact: Walter Isaacson, Managing Editor, Time Magazine, Time-Life
Building, 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020, fax:
212/522-8949, e-mail: Letters@time.com (include phone and address with all
correspondence)

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