Date: Fri, 8 Nov 1996 16:37:01 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADAlert 11.08.96 GLAADALERT November 8, 1996 The GLAADAlert is the weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation It's Not Funny, Butt-head The first pressing of a soundtrack for the soon-to-be-released Paramount major motion picture Beavis and Butt-head Do America, suffers from an ugly anti-gay twist. In the movie, the hippie high school teacher of the animated duo, best known for their antics on the MTV ratings-winner Beavis and Butt-head, sings "Lesbian Seagull," a quirky, romantic ballad, inspired by an actual scientific study. However, it is the arrangement sung by Engelbert Humperdinck, heard on the CD and during the closing credits of the film, that may alarm many lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgender people. A surprise ending of "Lesbian Seagull," unbeknownst to its writer Tom Wilson Weinberg, was added to the song in the recording studio. At the end of this new version, one can hear (lesbian) seagulls in the air, followed by a load shotgun blast, silence, a thud, and then laughter from Beavis and Butt-head. Within one day of being contacted by Weinberg, Paramount and Geffen Records, the CD's label, agreed to remove the violent sound effects from any further pressings of the CD and assured him that it would not be included in the film. Weinberg stated that "when I explained to them that gay and lesbian imagery combined with a gunshot is not okay...they heard me and responded quickly. On the other hand, they were unwilling to recall the 200,000 CD's already manufactured for stores and radio stations, nor have they issued a statement of apology." Please let both Paramount and Geffen Records know that while their response to this problem is appreciated, there are still CD's on store shelves and at radio stations that include this violently, homophobic sound effect. Remind them that our community is subject to the largest percentage of hate-crimes in this country, and that this only adds to the perception that those crimes are socially acceptable. Contact: Sherry Lansing, Chairperson and CEO, and Abby Terkuhle, Executive Vice President, Paramount Pictures, 5555 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, e-mail: clayton_carlisle@paramount.com; David Berman, President, Geffen Records, 9130 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90069, fax: 310.274.6721. Gay Marriage is a Way of Life The November issue of Life magazine features a strong, affirming story entitled, "When We Talk About Gay Marriage, What Do We Really Mean?," featuring Steve Habgood and Mark Sadlek, a Dallas gay couple. As with most articles in the magazine, the story is told primarily through a series of photographs: A two-page spread of the two men relaxing in bed with their dog, Chevas; a traditional black-and-white of the two exchanging vows at their commitment ceremony; a shot of the two mowing their lawn; a full-page view of Mark shaving while his ten-year-old nephew looks on; Mark and his old fraternity brothers and all of their spouses (including Steve) at a reunion; Steve chairing a meeting of the local American Cancer Society; and the couple attending church with Steve's sister, Karen. The images show the traditional and upstanding nature of the two men's relationship and life. Accompanying text explains how in Texas, "even their cohabitation is illegal." It also notes that, "though they would like to marry legally, says Mark, 'legislation won't give our relationship any more emotional value.'" It discusses how the families of both partners came to accept and embrace them, and how unequal governmental treatment is for gay couples then it is for straight couples. Finally, it states that the two "find it ironic that much of the opposition to civil marriage comes from churches. Says Steve, 'Christianity is about acceptance and love,' Those, they say, are their family values." Life's more conservative readers will undoubtedly be sent negative letters about the article. Please write Life and let them know how important it is to provide such positive and honest portrayals of our lives together. Contact: Life, Time & Life Building, Rockefeller Center, New York, NY 10020, fax: 212.522.0379, e-mail: lifedit@life.timeinc.com 20/20 Coverage of Etheridge/Cypher While the November 1 20/20 presented an interesting and in-depth interview with rock star Melissa Etheridge and her partner Julie Cypher about their relationship, their expected child and lesbian and gay parenting in general, they also fell into the now archaic trap of interviewing an anti-gay religious radical. Under the guise of "balanced journalism," 20/20 featured infamous homophobic radical Lou Sheldon of the hate group the Traditional Values Coalition, who spewed his hatred by condemning lesbian and gay families. Would a show about interracial parents and their children have a member of the Ku Klux Klan for "balance?" A hate group is a hate group, whether it deals with race, sexual orientation or religion, and such groups should not be dignified as a valid "opposing viewpoint" in an otherwise engaging and balanced story. The interview with Etheridge and Cypher tells the story of how in love and devoted they are to one another, how they met and how excited they are about their child. 20/20 also provided viewers with information about how the children of lesbian and gay parents neither suffer great discrimination nor have any more issues about their own sexuality or gender roles due to having same-sex parents. Tell 20/20 that the story and information about parenting was great. However, the piece fell flat by giving hate a soapbox from which to preach. Contact: Victor Newfeld, Executive Producer, 20/20, 147 Columbus Avenue, New York, NY 10023, fax: 212.456.2969, e-mail: abcaudr@ccabc.com. Lesbian Latifah Butches Out In Set It Off Set It Off, director F. Gary Gray's latest effort, portrays life in the projects of South Central Los Angeles, and stars rapper/actor Queen Latifah as Cleo, a tough lesbian who leads her friends into the business of robbing banks. Within the first five minutes of the film, Cleo and girlfriend Ursula (Samantha MacLachlan), a silent ultra-femme, kiss passionately in the parking lot of their project. Cleo is butch, hard, tequila-swilling and gun-toting. While she's the leader of the group, she's also the most violent and messed-up of all the women, and serves as the film's great antihero. The edgy film movie takes an unflinching look at the multi-layered issues of race, class, gender and sexual orientation. In doing so, Gray and Latifah have made the representation of Cleo a complicated one. While her swagger and anger are justified by the conditions in which she finds herself, the character is also something of a stereotypical butch without many dimensions beyond anger, hot-headedness and unbounded sexual energy. It's problematic that the gender roles of the couple seem to be aping the stereotypical male view of lesbian couples as one being "the man" and the other "the woman." It is almost as if the "macho" Cleo has something to say by virtue of her "male-like" persona, but Ursula, as a femme sex object, is literally rendered silent. Inform F. Gary Gray and New Line Cinema that while presenting a tough African-American butch lesbian is valuable and commendable, and utilizing an African-American lesbian couple in Set It Off is groundbreaking, the representations are over-simplified. The characters deserved more complexity than was granted them. Contact: Robert Shaye, Chairman-CEO, New Line Cinema, 116 North Robertson Blvd., Suite 200, Los Angeles CA, 90048, fax: 310.854.1824, e-mail: webmaster@newline.com, feedback form on WWW: http://www.newline.com/feedback.html. Doonesbury Lovers Talk It Out On The Air After a week of on-air debate between Mark, a liberal talk show host and his conservative guest, Chase, Doonesbury artist Garry Trudeau surprised readers on November 4 by having the two characters come out as a couple while on the air. The entire week has been devoted to a dialogue between interested listeners and the left-right couple. When in the November 6 strip one caller asks Mark, "Isn't a right-wing apologist kind of a weird match for you?" Mark replies, "I resent that question. Political beliefs don't always reveal the person behind them. Besides, Chase has a first-rate mind. I like having my cherished assumptions tested by a formidable intellect." Chase interjects, "Tell him about my spinach casserole," and Mark adds, "Also, I'm finally eating right." Please let Garry Trudeau know that his continued inclusion of and discussion about gay men is clever, meaningful and appreciated. Also, encourage him to continue to expand his progressive message by introducing lesbian, bisexual and transgender characters. Contact: Garry Trudeau, Doonesbury, 459 Columbus Avenue, Suite 113, New York, NY 10024. Exit Polls Show Strong Numbers of Out Voters While the results of Election Day themselves were arguably a mixed bag for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender voters, one interesting note is that, according to the Voter News Service exit poll, 4 percent of the voting public identified themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual. As one activist noted, "Keep in mind that this is the number of people comfortable with their sexuality to express their real preference to a total stranger. When one considers all the closeted people in the community, 10 percent [of the general population as gay, lesbian or bisexual] looks better and better. And 1 percent looks like a joke." Whatever the case, please let the Voter News Service know that it is especially noteworthy and valuable that they are considering "bisexual" in their surveys along with "gay" and "lesbian." In doing so, they recognize the validity, and political visibility, of an identity too often dismissed as transitory if it is mentioned at all. Contact: Voter News Service, c/o National Assignment Desk, ABC News, 47 West 66th Street, New York, NY 10023, e-mail at ABC: abcaudr@ccabc.com. The Philly Inquirer Explores Gay Cyberspace The October 31 edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer featured an article about the particular ways in which our community has benefited from the Internet explosion of the last few years. The story examines how coming out online can be a safe and nurturing part of the coming out process, as well as the vast resources available for lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgender people on the Net and the Web, who often lack a sense of community. "'One of the big things about homosexuality is that it's such a taboo that having even unbiased information causes a big brouhaha,'" says Ron Buckmire, founder of Queer Resources Directory. "'The minute you mention homosexuality, the Right says you're "promoting" it. And so its important to have a place to go. And being able to access information anonymously is something the Internet is designed to do.'" Additionally, the article examines the ways that the community's presence online has expanded recently and how cyberspace has become an important tool for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender organizations. Commend the Philadelphia Inquirer for contributing to the interesting and vital dialogue about our community and its presence in cyberspace. Contact: James Naughton, Executive Editor,Philadelphia Inquirer, PO Box 8263, Philadelphia, PA, 19101, fax: 215.854.4794, e-mail: inqsmash@delphi.com. 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), 202.986.1360 (Washington, DC) or 415.861.2244(San Francisco). 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. 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 the nation's 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 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.