Date: Tue, 5 Dec 1995 14:48:23 +0100
From: glaad@glaad.org (GLAAD)
Subject: GLAAD DEMANDS CBS ACTION ON THE WRIGHT-LPGA INCIDENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
contact: Chiqui Cartagena
Interim News Media Director
(212) 807-1700

GLAAD DEMANDS CBS ACTION ON THE WRIGHT-LPGA INCIDENT

New York, NY -- December 4, 1995 -- The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against
Defamation (GLAAD) commends Sports Illustrated (December 4th issue) for its
article "Living with a Lie" that re-examines the incident last May in which
CBS' golf announcer Ben Wright made sexist and homophobic remarks about
lesbians "hurting women's golf" and claimed that women's breasts were a
handicap to women golfers.  The incident occurred when Valerie Helmbreck, a
newspaper reporter from The Wilmington (Delaware) News Journal wrote an
article about Wright's remarks.  The Wright-LPGA incident immediately
sparked national attention.  At that time, CBS Sports president David Kenin
defended Wright on the basis of his claims that he had been misquoted and
did nothing to reprimand Wright for his actions.

GLAAD is renewing its demand that CBS Sports take immediate action against
Wright in light of Wright's recent admission to sportswriter Dan Jenkins
that he actually did make the remarks.  Although Jenkins thought Wright
might have been joking, Ken Doig, a tour caddy and part-time CBS employee
since 1977, told Michael Bamberger, a reporter for Sports Illustrated, that
he clearly heard Wright tell Helmbreck that "lesbians in the sport hurt
women's golf...It's not reticent, it's paraded.  There's a defiance in them
in the last decade."

"When the story first broke, CBS tried to raise doubt on the validity of
Helmbreck's interview and stood behind Wright without taking action.  Now
that it is clear that he did make these remarks, CBS must send a clear
message to the public that it will not tolerate such ignorant and
misogynist comments from anybody on their staff.  An apology in this case
will not suffice.  We want Wright fired," said Chiqui Cartagena, interim
News Media Director of GLAAD.

In 1988, CBS fired Jimmy (the Greek) Snyder when he said on TV that blacks
were physically better suited for sports than whites.  After GLAAD raised
objections, in 1990 CBS suspended Andy Rooney of 60 Minutes for three
months for making remarks that some gay people and black people found
offensive.  Recently, CBS was pressured into pulling another golf
announcer, Gary McCord, from this year's Masters because of pressure from
the sponsors of that tournament.

GLAAD strongly urges people to call CBS Sports president David Kenin and
Executive Producer for Golf at CBS Frank Chirkinian to ask them to take
immediate action against Wright.  The main number for CBS Sports is (212)
975-4321.

GLAAD promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation as a means of
challenging discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity.

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Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)
glaad@glaad.org
http://www.glaad.org

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, GLAAD, is a national
organization that promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation of
individuals and events in the media as a means of combatting homophobia and
all forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity.
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