Date: Fri, 22 Nov 1996 16:44:47 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADALERT 11.22.96 GLAADALERT November 22, 1996 The GLAADAlert is the weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation 1. Washington Post Makes "Every Girl's Dream" (The Washington Post (print media)) 2. L.A. Times Sheds Light On Lesbian and Gay Domestic Violence (Los Angeles Times (print media)) 3. Blade Takes a Stab at Ingnorance (Miramax (production company), Swing Blade (film)) 4. Papers Ask "Will The Real Predator Please Stand Up?" (Courier Post (print media), San Francisco Examiner (print media)) 5. Melrose Matt Willing To Go All The Way, But No Kissing (Fox (television network), Melrose Place (television drama)) 6. "Walk The Talk" (Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph (print media)) 7. Antigay College Prank No Laughing Matter (The DePauw (college newspaper)= ) 8. Cumberland Times-News Pops The Question (Cumberland Times-News (print media)) 9. The Bitter End: The Schmitz Anti-Gay Murder Trial Media Round-Up (Larry King Live (television talk show), Omaha World-Herald (print media), Detroit Free Press (print media), The Hollywood Reporter (entertainment media trades)) 1. Washington Post Makes "Every Girl's Dream" The November 20 edition of the Washington Post featured an in-depth article entitled, "Every Girl's Dream," about the wedding of a lesbian couple. The story takes a look at the lives of Angela Powell and Elise Young in the exciting and sometimes frantic days leading up to their wedding, along with some of the twists along the way. Elise's parents e-mail her letters from Hawaii to let her know that they support her and will attend. Angela's Southern parents, who have always been supportive of her, surprise and disappoint her by refusing to come. The article illustrates the many ways in which lesbians and gay men creatively circumvent legal marriage with weddings and commitment ceremonies. "Their wedding won't change their legal status," the article states, "Congress passed a bill this fall that in effect bans same-sex marriages under federal law. It authorized states to reject gay marriages performed in other states. But their wedding isn't about joint tax returns, health insurance plans or pension benefits....'When she gets old, I want to wipe her drool,' says Angela. They want to retire near Disney World....This is a marriage." Please commend the Washington Post for a charming, entertaining and sensitive article about same-sex marriage and all of the joys and struggles of relationships and family-gay or otherwise. Contact: Leonard Downie, Editor-in-Chief, The Washington Post, 1150 15th Street, NW, Washington, D.C., 20071, e-mail: webnews@washpost.com. 2. L.A. Times Sheds Light on Lesbian and Gay Domestic Violence The November 19 Los Angeles Times featured an important article about the frequently hidden problem of domestic violence in lesbian and gay relationships. Author Joseph Hanania wrote that, "Although sexual orientation has little impact on the frequency of domestic violence, it can strongly affect how and when society intervenes." Discussing the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center's new program to publicize and prevent gay domestic violence, the story identifies how difficult it can be to respond to abuse within gay relationships. "A straight woman fleeing domestic violence may seek a women-only shelter that bars her batterer. A lesbian fleeing domestic violence may seek the same shelter only to find her batterer there too," Hanania writes. "Police often view same-sex domestic violence as either a manifestation of 'boys will be boys' or a 'cat fight,' sometimes doing little to ensure the victim's safety." The story explains strategies the Center suggests for victims of same-sex domestic violence, as well as resources for counseling. Let the Los Angeles Times know that by covering this critical subject, they are helping open a dialogue about the complicated issues surrounding same-sex domestic violence. Contact: Shelby Coffey, Editor-in-Chief, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053, fax: 213.237.4712, e-mail: letters@latimes.com. 3. Blade Takes a Stab at Intolerance John Ritter has come a long way since he "played gay" for Mr. Roper on television's Three's Company. In the new film Sling Blade, Ritter portrays Vaughan, a quiet, sensitive gay man. In it he worries about the safety and future of his battered best friend, and her young son, Frank, who has just befriended the film's main character Karl (Billy Bob Thornton), a developmentally disabled man released from an asylum after 25 years. At first Vaughan worries about his "family's" safety because of Karl's past, but comes to recognize their common concern for Frank and his mom over the actions of her abusive boyfriend. The difficulties of being gay and living in a small, Southern town are also explored. Reviews have noted Ritter's strong, "image-breaking" performance. Sling Blade makes many important statements about the notions of family and the boundaries of love, none as important as the one it makes about Vaughan and his ability to be a good role model for young Frank . At film's end, it is made clear that family and parenthood should be defined by the love and support that people have for one another, not by sexual orientation. Please thank Miramax for letting Ritter's quiet Vaughan shine with warmth, sincerity and courage. Contact: Harvey Weinstein, Bob Weinstein, Co-Chairs, Miramax, 7920 Sunset Boulevard, #230, Los Angeles, CA 90046, fax: 213.969.9840, e-mail: webmaster@miramax.com 4. Papers Ask "Will The Real Predator Please Stand Up?" The Army's action against sexual predators in the military is drawing attention to President Clinton's policies regarding gays in the military. Bringing the issue to scrutiny are the editors of both the Courier Post (Cherry Hill, New Jersey) and the San Francisco Examiner. The November 17 Courier Post featured a two-panel editorial cartoon where a neanderthal of a military officer spouts the tired rhetoric that "We in the army have fought for years to exclude gays 'cuz we got no room for perverts..." and continues in the next panel with him saying "Right, sugar cheeks?" while smacking a female soldier's derriere. The Examiner editorial starts out with the bold headline of "End the hypocrisy," then questions how senior officers could have been unaware of continuing abuses against women soldiers. It links the sexual misconduct charges with President Clinton's "don't ask, don't tell," noting that, under the policy, "male and female homosexuals are obvious targets for harassment, blackmail and worse. If sexually harassed, how can a secretly gay or lesbian soldier file a complaint and testify without coming out of the barracks closet? If so, the complainant is booted out of the military. This is not only unfair but stupid. As the Aberdeen scandal shows, the military has plenty of heterosexual problems to occupy it." Give thanks to the editors of these publications for a reasoned voice on gays in the military. Contact: Skip Hidley, Managing Editor, Courier Post, P.O. Box 5300, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034, fax: 609.663.2831, e-mail: couriernj@aol.com; Phil Bronstein, Editor, San Francisco Examiner, 110 Fifth Street, San Francisco, CA 94111, fax: 415.512.1264, e-mail: sfexaminer@examiner.com. 5. Melrose Matt Willing to Go All The Way, But No Kissing The November 18 episode of Melrose Place featured a prominent story line involving the gay character, Matt, and his new love interest Dan, played by Greg Evigan. Matt and his new beau have been negotiating the terms and closeness of their relationship over the last three episodes, "taking it slow" since Dan is Matt's former drug counselor. This week, Matt invited Dan to spend the night at his place, but after much ado decided it would be too soon. In parting, they give each other a nice warm...hug. GLAAD has some advice for Matt: If you don't feel comfortable kissing someone goodnight, you probably shouldn't invite them for a sleepover. For a show that has no problem showing excesses of heterosexual sex, why won't =46ox allow their gay characters any physicality beyond hugging and long, hard stares? Please write Fox and say that although we appreciate the inclusion of prominent gay characters in the show, enough is enough. Let Matt kiss, already. Contact: Chase Carey, Chairperson/CEO, Fox Broadcasting Company, P.O. Box 900, Beverly Hills, CA 90123, fax: 310.369.1433, e-mail: foxnet@delphi.com. 6. "Walk the Talk" In the midst of a public debate over the rights of students at a local high school to write articles on lesbian and gay issues for their school paper, the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph featured an op-ed on November 18 which makes an appeal against censorship. "Finding True Love," an article published recently in Palmer High School's The Lever, probes the difficult process of coming out, and has prompted the District 11 School Board to consider an editorial policy that would, as Board President Kent Olvey stated, "reflect the traditional Judeo-Christian, heterosexual standard." =46. Mike Miles, vice chairperson of the Pikes Peak Human Relations Coalitio= n Board of Directors, writes in the Gazette Telegraph that "Intolerance starts by repressing information about the issues; hatred grows from denying that a group of people, like homosexuals, share in our constitutional democracy. Democracy does come hard. If you believe in the Bill of Rights, then you must accept the freedom of expression for both Colorado for Family Values and the gay community." At the end, Miles sums up the Human Relations Coalition's stance for freedom: "The board hopes that District 11 will demonstrate true leadership and make an unequivocal statement supporting the rights of homosexuals to express their views. We are not a hate city, and it is time to 'walk the talk.'" Please thank the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph for including this illuminating and concise op-ed, and urge the newspaper, as an older sibling to Palmer High's The Lever, to take a stand for the freedom of the press and support the students' rights to free expression. Contact: Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph, P.O. Box 1779, Colorado Springs, CO 80901, fax: 719.636.0202, e-mail: gtnews@usa.net. 7. Antigay College Prank No Laughing Matter Earlier this month a number of student staff members from the school paper of Greencastle, Indiana's DePauw University took part in the production a patently homophobic mock of the DePauw's rival school's paper. Originally The Bachelor, Wabash College's paper was renamed The Bachelorette and contains such items as the "Football Team Panics After Towel Boy Accident" and "Rectal Scanner." Page after page is filled with homophobic stereotypes and ugly hate designed to embarrass Wabash by implying that the school is actually a haven of depraved, sex hungry homosexuals. A number of those involved in the paper's production have apologized claiming that the publication "was meant as a joke, we were negligent in allowing the publication, which we wanted to be a spirited satire of our rival school, to become insensitive...and terribly uncreative." They also made it clear that while they used DePauw facilities to create the offensive paper, it was not a production of the University. Rivalry is never an excuse for ignorance. If Wabash College was primarily made up of Jewish students for instance, would an anti-Semitic mock paper been so easily produced. What is clear here is that there is a failure to understand fundamental the ways in which stereotypes and oppression operate. Please let The DePauw know that the sentiment and production of The Bachelorette was offensive, rude and bigoted. Hate is not a laughing matter. Contact: Richard Roth, Department of English, The DePauw, DePauw University, 328 Asbury Hall, Greencastle, Indiana 46135, e-mail: richroth@depauw.edu. 8. Cumberland Times-News Pops the Question The Cumberland Times-News-published in rural Maryland, home of Congressmen Roscoe Bartlett and Cas Taylor who are both historically hostile towards lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people-recently ran a pleasantly surprising "Question of the Week." Reporter Mark Simmons asked six locals the question: "Should same-sex marriages be legally recognized in the U.S.?" Five of the six responded in the affirmative. As Terri Parks, an Ocean City, Maryland, respondent stated, "they should be entitled to all the rights all citizens enjoy." In a publication that rarely (according to a local gay reader) covers lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues at all, giving this kind of visibility to such an important topic should be encouraged. Contact: Lance White, Managing Editor, Cumberland Times-News, 19 Baltimore Street, Cumberland, MD 21502, fax 301.722.4870, e-mail: tnews21502@aol.com. 9. The Bitter End: The Schmitz Anti-Gay Murder Trial Media Round-Up =46ollowing the November 12 verdict finding Jonathan Schmitz guilty of secon= d degree murder for killing openly gay neighbor Scott Amedure after he revealed a crush on Schmitz during a taping of the Jenny Jones show, the media continued its head-in-the-sand attitude toward the obvious bigotry, homophobia and hate that motivated the crime and the growing nationwide trend of anti-gay and -lesbian violence. Instead, talk-show-on-trial tunnel vision prevailed until the bitter end. When all is said and done, the pathetic record of the mainstream media can only be seen as a widespread denial of anti-gay hate crimes. Following are (hopefully) the final destructive words claiming that the Jenny Jones show, not homophobia, helped Schmitz pull the trigger: =85 The November 13 Larry King Live on CNN featured guests that danced aroun= d the issue of homophobia, including talk-show host Gordon Elliot and Amedure's brother. Elliot remarked that he doesn't do shows about "sexual perversion...because, quite frankly, I'm not into that." King facilitated the denial, remarking to Amedure's brother that, "There was no reason to kill your brother except for that program." =85 The historically anti-gay Omaha World-Herald jumped on the bandwagon wit= h a November 19 editorial entitled, "Brought to You By the Jenny Jones Show," in which its sympathies lie with Schmitz, completely disregarding Amedure. The talk show "will never have to face prison, as Schmitz does," it states. "Shaming guests, humiliating them and contributing to the inner horror of mental illness are not crimes in the legal sense. But they certainly are in the moral sense. What their people did to poor, troubled Schmitz is an outrage." =85 The Detroit Free Press ran an editorial on November 14 that came close t= o addressing the issue of anti-gay hate, saying that, "Casual references to the Schmitz trial as the 'Jenny Jones case' distorted its focus. Mr. Schmitz, not Ms. Jones, brandished the shotgun. It is appropriate to hold him responsible for his action." Then it pulls back onto the well-paved road of ignoring the central issue, spending the rest of the editorial railing against the talk show and talk show standards. =85 In a single bright spot, The Hollywood Reporter on November 13 quoted Jeffrey Montgomery from the Triangle Foundation, a Michigan group fighting anti-lesbian and gay violence, calling the murder a hate crime and stating that, "The verdict says that humiliation and sexual orientation are not reasons to kill." Still, the lead to the story is, "In a case that put 'ambush television' on trial...." 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). 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