Date: Fri, 18 Oct 1996 16:50:07 -0700 From: glaad@glaad.org (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) Subject: GLAADAlert 10.18.96 GLAADALERT October 18, 1996 The GLAADAlert is the weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation The Gray Lady Rummages Through Ellen's Closet In the Sunday, October 13 New York Times, the lead story in the "Arts & Leisure" section, entitled "It May Be A Closet Door, But It's Already Open," examined the ways Ellen Morgan's coming out on ABC's Ellen would be precedent-setting yet no big deal. "The proliferation of gay and lesbian characters on television over the last 10 years has been so rapid, and so throughout, that a gay or lesbian lead is all but inevitable, and the emergence of one would mark the peak, and maybe even the end, of an era, not the beginning of one," author Frank Bruni writes. The article quotes a number of lesbian and gay sitcom writers, as well as advertisers and television producers, who all basically share the same sentiment: Where Ellen could break new ground would be unveiling the coming out process of the lead character well into the show. "Would the viewers feel duped or betrayed?" Bruni asks, "Would their affection for the character wane? Should they be gradually eased into such a revelation? Or should they be abruptly confronted with it? These are same questions that attend a coming-out in real life. The person hopes for acceptance, but tempts rejection." As far as sponsors go, Bruni notes, "While some advertisers balked, at least as many others shrugged." And many other shows with lesbian and gay characters and content have suffered little financially in recent years, if at all. Please commend The New York Times for a timely, intelligent and well-illustrated article which gives both historical and cultural context to the whole Ellen issue. Contact: Arthur Sulzberger, Jr., Publisher, The New York Times, 229 W. 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036, fax: 212.556.3622, e-mail: letters@nytimes.com. Gay Men Get on the Bus Get on the Bus, the new Spike Lee film about twenty African-American men who charter a bus to go to the Million Man March, includes two gay characters who are portrayed realistically and with dignity. The movie starts with one of the gay men, Randall, confronting the other (Kyle) about why he wants to end their relationship. When Kyle moves to a different seat, Randall asks him across the bus if he doesn't love him anymore because he's afraid to come out, effectively outing them to the rest of the bus. A litany of homophobic remarks follow, though several of the other people recognize that the homophobia is the problem, not the two gay men. Throughout the movie there are several dialogues about gay identity, differing attitudes towards women and homophobia. Kyle becomes gradually more assertive about being gay throughout the film, and after a series of confrontations, comes out victorious in a fist fight with Skip, the loudest homophobe. More importantly, through resolving his own issues, he comes to a healthy closure with Randall, saying "I am as gay as the night is long, but I also know I don't want to be your lover anymore. I want to be your friend." He and Randall hold hands and Kyle kisses his hands in an affectionate moment. Please let Columbia Pictures know that this more gay-inclusive and gay-positive Spike Lee film shows the true diversity within the African-American community, and brings an even more profound message to the film. Contact: Fred Berstein, President, Columbia Pictures, 10202 West Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232-3195, e-mail: callback@mis20.msmail.spe.sony.com Associated Press Gives Homophobe Dornan Special Rights In an October 14 Associated Press news article entitled "Rep. Dornan in Danger of Losing GOP Seat," Scott Lindlaw, the author of the article, made clear his anti-gay bias by using the religious radical buzzphrase "special rights" in lieu of the non-bigoted and accurate "equal rights" when referring to protections for lesbians and gay men. As he describes the differences between Southern Californian incumbent Representative Bob Dornan (R) and his Democratic challenger Loretta Sanchez, he notes, "Dornan and Sanchez disagree on virtually all the issues. He is zealously anti-abortion; she favors abortion rights....He opposes special rights for gays; she favors them." The use of the politically charged phrase "special rights" in this context is both wholly offensive and totally inaccurate. By choosing the term, Lindlaw editorializes, claiming that providing laws preventing employers and others from discriminating against people on the basis of their sexual orientation is somehow "special" treatment. The term "special rights" is an invention of anti-gay religious radicals to cloud the otherwise self-evident truth that everyone, including lesbians and gay men, should be given the same opportunities to fully participate in our society without fear of discrimination on the basis of race, religion, disability, gender or sexuality. To use the term in a political speech is shameful; to use it in a supposedly "objective" news article is inexcusable. Write the Associated Press and let them know that reporter Scott Lindlaw's singling out lesbians and gay men for "special" discrimination is ignorant, unethical and unforgivable. Contact: Steve Loper, News Editor, Associated Press, 221 S. Figuera Street, Suite 300, Los Angeles, CA 90012, fax: 213.346.0200. RuPaul Talks the Talk Making television history, RuPaul became the first openly gay African-American drag queen to host his own ongoing national talk show when The RuPaul Show premiered on VH-1 October 12. His first featured guest was trans-fabulous Chicago Bulls star Dennis Rodman, who gave Ru a big kiss to the delight of the audience. The two went on to discuss Rodman's own show on MTV as well as youth and sexuality. RuPaul's style is very natural and comfortable, and his presence on the airwaves is both positive and entertaining. The next show, airing October 19, will feature fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi, makeup artist and author Kevyn Aucoin and "the surreal gourmet," cookbook author Bob Blumer. Let VH-1 know that entertaining and progressive programming like The RuPaul Show not only breaks new ground for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, it's also a lot of fun. Contact: John Sykes, President, VH-1, 1515 Broadway, New York, NY 10036, fax: 212.258.7955, e-mail: vh1@here.viacom.com Bubbeh Knows Best Bubbeh Lee and Me, a 35-minute short film by gay San Francisco filmmaker Andy Abrahams Wilson airing tonight (October 18), October 21 and 27 on HBO, is a sensitive and light-hearted video documentary about a visit to his grandmother Lee Abrahams in West Palm Beach, Florida. In his narration, Wilson describes the time with his bubbeh as time spent grounding himself and exploring his Jewish roots. He also draws parallels between her toughness and his own courage to come out as gay. Abrahams admits that she has trouble accepting it, but that her love overpowers any disapproval she feels. The film is an excellent example of how the closeness of a family can help break through intolerance and misunderstandings about lesbians and gay men. Please thank HBO for giving this simple and optimistic independent film strong airplay, and encourage them to continue to do so. Contact: Jeff Bewkes, President and CEO, HBO, 1100 Avenue of the America, York, NY 10036, fax: 212.512.5517; WWW feedback form: http://www.hbo.com/cmp/feedback.html Gay Bashers on America Online! America Online (AOL) is the online home to many gay men and lesbians across the country, yet gay bashers lurk throughout the massive online community. In an informal search conducted by GLAAD for various anti-gay and -lesbian keywords, at least 33 profiles were found. In most cases, the person would list "gay bashing" or "killing 'fags'" as their hobby or occupation. Another example is someone who wrote, " KILLING AND TAKING DOWN ALL GAYS AND FAGS AND ALL WHO OPPOSE ME." Another person wrote, "The only good gay is a dead gay." According to America Online's Terms of Service, more commonly known as TOS, "You may not post or use AOL to: 1) harass, threaten, embarrass or cause distress, unwanted attention or discomfort upon another Member or user of AOL or other person or entity." It also states that no person may, "transmit any unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, hateful, racially, ethnically, or otherwise objectionable content." America Online has always been respectful of its gay and lesbian members, but it is important to remind the TOS General that while opposing view points are welcome for healthy discussion, gay bashing-which often leads to physical violence-is not acceptable on America Online or anywhere else. Remind them that a large segment of their membership is gay and lesbian and that all their members should be able to navigate around AOL free from harassment. Contact: Steve Case, President, and TOS General, America Online, 8619 Westwood Center Drive, Vienna, Virginia 22182-2285, e-mail: SteveCase@aol.com (Steve Case) and TOSGeneral@aol.com (TOS General). I Was A Teenage Lesbian The November issue of Seventeen magazine features a cover story about young lesbians who are coming out in high school and the issues that they face. The article, entitled "It's Who I Am," both describes the broader problems like institutional homophobia and the individual quests for love and acceptance. As 16-year old Nicole from Mountain Top, Pennsylvania says, "'In sixth grade, I started realizing I was different. I just felt so out of place.'" But then in the summer before eighth grade, she kissed her first girlfriend. "'I was like, Wow. I was so happy.'" Author Sadie Van Gelder also gives a number of resources, including the National Center for Lesbian Rights, PFLAG and the National Gay/Lesbian/ Bisexual Youth Hotline, and weaves the role of these organizations into the experiences of the young women interviewed. Please congratulate Seventeen on an excellent article which details many of the challenges and joys of being an openly lesbian teenager. Contact: Caroline Miller, Editor-in-Chief, Seventeen, 850 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10022, fax: 212.407.9899, e-mail: ask17ol@aol.com. Backward Christian Soldiers On Sunday, October 13, the Washington Post ran "Dole's Lost Army of Christian Soldiers," a commentary by Martin Mawyer, President and founder of the Christian Action Network (CAN), criticizing Bob Dole lack of "strong commitment to family values," and saying "little or nothing" about gay and lesbian issues. About education issues, Mawyer says "Bob Dole seems not to have noticed that our schools have begun to teach our children that homosexuality is normal, natural, and healthy." He goes on to criticize recognition of gay and lesbian Federal employees, citing the Transportation Department's celebration of Gay Pride Day and Commerce Secretary Mickey Cantor's acknowledgment of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Awareness Month in a memo. Mawyer questions whether or not a Dole administration would "stop such practices," and makes sweeping statement about gays contributing to "moral decline" with a "gay rights agenda in virtually every Washington agency." Mawyer, whose organization produced anti-gay political ads during the 1992 presidential campaign, uses rhetoric and untruths to promote his own agenda. His hate filled language only fuels misunderstandings about the rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender people. While a variety of opinion is an important component of the "Outlook" section of the Washington Post, voices of bigotry should not go unanswered. Remind them that the inclusion of gay and lesbian voices to counterpoint commentaries like Mawyers is necessary. Contact: Steve Luxenbourg, Outlook Editor, The Washington Post, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, DC, 20071, phone 202.334.6000, e-mail: webnews@washpost.com. A Not-So-Great Debate - The Media Round-Up While President Clinton and Bob Dole went head-to-head in a town hall-style debate on Wednesday, October 16, they both shied away from fully addressing the questions asked by a lesbian minister of the Metropolitan Community Church and a gay male travel agent. The travel agent asked the candidates if they supported the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA): Clinton did, Dole did not. Clinton changed the subject to the economy after just a few words on ENDA. The minister asked them to explain the term "special rights," neither candidate did. The media coverage of lesbian and gay issues during the debate has mirrored their meager coverage of gay issues throughout the campaign. Below are some scant highlights of the day after: =85 Both The New York Times and the Washington Post printed whole transcript= s of the debate. The Times headed the minister's question appropriately under "Equal Rights" while the Post headed the section, "Equal Rights or Special Rights." With the ENDA question, The Times labeled the discussion under the burdensome and confusing term "Homosexual Bias," while The Post headed it, accurately, under "Barring Discrimination." =85 The Washington Post also ran an article entitled, "Perot Addresses Lifestyle Issues After Debate," which reported that on CNN's Larry King Live, Perot responded to a question about same-sex marriage and sex education in the schools by saying, "I can't imagine why you would want to teach that sort of thing in school." =85 The Los Angeles Times, under the headline "Discord Over Gays," noted tha= t "Clinton said he supported legislation that would protect gay men and lesbians from discrimination on the job. Dole declined to support the legislation, saying he supported equal treatment, but not special rights for particular groups." Nowhere else were lesbians and gays mentioned. =85 The San Francisco Chronicle also gave gay issues passing comment, primarily to highlight Dole's struggle to connect with the audience, saying "To one woman who said she was unemployed, Dole said the first thing to do was to get her a job. But when another woman asked about equal rights for gays and lesbians, Dole's primary response concerned equal rights for the disabled." The GLAADAlert is the weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. GLAAD is the lesbian and gay news bureau and the only national lesbian and gay multimedia watchdog organization. GLAAD promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation as a means of challenging all forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. Copies of articles referred to in the GLAADAlert are available to our members by contacting GLAAD. Contact GLAAD by e-mail at glaad@glaad.org or by phone at 213.658.6775 (Los Angeles), 212.807.1700 (New York), 413.586.8928 (Northampton), 503.224.5285 (Portland, Oregon), 202.986.1360 (Washington, DC) or 415.861.2244(San =46rancisco). Report defamation in the media by calling GLAAD's Toll-Free AlertLine! 1-800-GAY-MEDIA (1-800-429-6334) Visit GLAAD's Web Site at http://www.glaad.org "GLAADAlert," "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~= ~~ 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. 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