Date: Tue, 16 Jun 1998 15:45:08 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAAD CONDEMNS SENATE MAJORITY LEADER'S BRAZEN AND DEPLORABLE COMMENTS MEDIA RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jennifer Einhorn GLAAD Director of Communications phone: (212) 807-1700, ext. 14 e-mail: einhorn@glaad.org pager: (888) 656-9045 GLAAD CONDEMNS SENATE MAJORITY LEADER'S BRAZEN AND DEPLORABLE COMMENTS GAY AND LESBIAN MEDIA ADVOCACY GROUP SHOCKED BY LOTT'S BLANKET CONDEMNATION OF HIS FELLOW CITIZENS NEW YORK, NY, TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 1998-The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) expressed outrage in response to comments issued by Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott during an interview with a television journalist yesterday. The Associated Press reported that "Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott said Monday that he believes homosexuality is a sin, and that gay people should be assisted in dealing with it 'just like alcohol...or sex addiction...or kleptomaniacs.'" The report also quoted Lott as saying, "There are all kinds of problems, addictions, difficulties, experiences of things that are wrong, but you should try to work with that person to learn to control that problem." Joan M. Garry, GLAAD Executive Director, said that "We remind the Senate Majority Leader that his hurtful and indelible remarks extend well beyond the adults he wishes to appease and the 'sinners' he hopes to demoralize. As a parent, I am shocked that my eight year old will hear such shameful rhetoric, likening her mothers to criminals and kleptomaniacs, coming from one of the most powerful elected officials in this country." Jennifer H. Einhorn, GLAAD Director Of Communications, said, "We could not have scripted remarks which would reveal more clearly the platform which a portion of the conservative leadership is slowly but surely embracing. The more vocal the Majority Leader is about acknowledging his intolerant and fearful disposition, the sooner the American public will seek to replace him with a leader who celebrates diversity and healthy debate." GLAAD is the nation's lesbian and gay media advocacy organization that promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation of individuals and events in all media as a means of combating homophobia and all forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. -30- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) glaad@glaad.org TO REPORT DEFAMATION IN THE MEDIA - Call GLAAD's Alertline at 1.800.GAY.MEDIA or go to the GLAAD Web Site at www.glaad.org and report through our Alertline Online. TO JOIN GLAAD AND RECEIVE GLAAD's DISPATCH AND QUARTERLY IMAGES MAGAZINE, call 1.800.GAY.MEDIA or join on the Web today at www.glaad.org/glaad/join/join-about.html TO SUBSCRIBE TO GLAAD-Net, GLAAD's electronic mailing list, send e-mail to majordomo@vector.casti.com with the message "Subscribe GLAAD-Net" TO UNSUBSCRIBE, send e-mail to majordomo@vector.casti.com with the message "Unsubscribe GLAAD-Net" GLAAD is a national organization that promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation as a means of challenging discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are registered trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc.