Date: Mon, 9 Jun 1997 10:40:18 -0400
From: glaad@glaad.org (GLAAD)
Subject: Complete GLAADAlert 6.6.97 

On Friday, only a portion of GLAADAlert was transmitted.  Sorry for the delay.

-Bill Horn
Publicity Associate

*****************************************************
GLAADALERT
June 6, 1997

The GLAADAlert is the weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance
Against Defamation

Gay Youth Suicide Stats Challenged
A recent widely reprinted Newhouse News Service article by Delia M. Rios
dismisses the oft-repeated statistics that lesbian and gay adolescents are
2-3 times more likely to commit suicide than their heterosexual peers, and
that 30 percent of teen suicides are by gay and lesbian youth. "There is no
scientifically valid evidence that it's true," Rios states, citing a 1994
report by representatives from the Centers for Disease Control, the
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the American Psychological
Association, the American Association of Suicidology and several gay and
lesbian health groups. The statistics in question, which appeared
originally in a 1989 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
report on youth suicide, has "propelled into public consciousness....a link
between gay teens and suicide," she writes, adding that the figure "has
shaped public perceptions of gay teens as emotionally vulnerable and as
victims of an oppressive larger culture who require society's
intervention.... it has become conventional wisdom with the power to
influence public policy." Rios cites Peter Muehrer, chief of the Youth
Mental Health program of NIMH, who asserts that "no scientific evidence"
supports the DHHS report's figures. As further problems with the data, he
says, many studies on linkages between gay youth and suicide and based on
interviews with gay and lesbian adults in the early 1970s, asking them to
recount their adolescent experiences, and "researchers have largely
confined their work to...gay teens in runaway shelters and counseling
centers." Rios says, "These are teens already in crisis and who may be more
predisposed to suicide."

The article ran in the Seattle Times, Cleveland's Plain Dealer and MSNBC
among other places, within the last two weeks. While challenging statistics
is a valid and important aspect of journalism, Rios fails to mention any of
the more recent studies which have indicated that lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender youth are at a higher risk to attempt suicide than
heterosexual teens. Her emphasis that the 1989 report has influenced public
policy coupled with her claim that the high rate is a "myth," seems to
throw into question the validity of public policy protecting gay youth from
discrimination and harassment as well as public programs providing specific
crisis support and gay-sensitive counseling to lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender youth. It never addresses the fact that such programs need to
exist regardless of specific numbers.

Please let Newhouse News Service, the Seattle Times, the Plain Dealer and
MSNBC know that to simply dismiss the 1989 report figures without giving
the bigger picture does a disservice to everyone and only confuses a hot
button issue, placing at-risk youth in an even more precarious situation.
Contact: Debrah Howell, Bureau Chief, Newshouse News Service, 1101
Connecticut Ave. NW, #300, Washington, DC 20036, fax: 202.296.9537; Alex
MacLeod, Managing Editor, Seattle Times, PO Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111, fax:
206.382.6760; David Hall, Editor, Plain Dealer; 1801 Superior Ave., NE,
Cleveland, OH 44114-2192; fax: 216.999.6354; Mark Harrington, Vice
President, MSNBC, 2200 Fletcher Avenue, Fort Lee, NJ 07024, fax:
201.583.5512, e-mail: opinion@msnbc.com.

Arkansas Newspaper Tells Half The Story
The Morning News Of Northwestern Arkansas published a story on June 3 that
read like a scare story from the 1950s: "Homosexuals are becoming a problem
at Beaver Lake, and Benton County Sheriff Andy Lee said he needs more
deputies to deal with [it.]" The story went on to quote Sheriff Lee as
stating "Where you have homosexuals, you also have pedophiles," and that
"any large crowd will have some undesirable people in it...".

First it should be noted that the idea that pedophilia and homosexuality
are linked is patently untrue, and has been disproven by a number of
studies; it is a hurtful lie used by small-minded bigots to hurt the
lesbian and gay community by creating a climate of fear; also the
characterizations by Sheriff Lee of gay men as "undesirable" is a shameful
one, based on bias and prejudice. Secondly, no representative of a lesbian
and gay organization was included in the story to counter Lee's assertions,
thereby letting his comments stand unchallenged.

The Morning News was contacted by GLAAD, who spoke to Rusty Turner, their
managing editor. He characterized the sheriff's comments as "out of line"
and "incorrect," and said that the paper welcomed letters regarding the
article. GLAAD discussed with Turner the need for balanced reporting;
simply letting Lee's comments stand on their own without discussing their
bias and lack of veracity is defamatory to lesbians and gay men, as well as
making it appear that the newspaper supports Lee's homophobia, which Turner
assured GLAAD they do not.

Let The Morning News know that it's simply not enough to reproduce Sheriff
Lee's comments; that fair and accurate media representation means
countering bias and homophobia when reporting on stories that concern the
gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community by exposing the lies told
about us. Use this as a opportunity to educate them about how important it
is to tell both sides of the story when it comes to our lives.
Contact: Jim Morris, Executive Editor, The Morning News, P. O. Box 7,
Springdale, AK 73764; fax 501-751-6209; Web site:
http://www.mornews.com/opinion/letter.html.

Gay Youth Suicide More Than A Numbers Game for Ann Landers
The May 25 Ann Landers column featured a letter by "Hampton, Va.," who was
a 15-year-old gay teenager considering killing himself. "I feel so alone. I
am scared," he wrote. "The problem is I am absolutely certain I am gay. I
have always wanted to get married and have children, but now I know that
lifelong dream is impossible....I have nobody to talk to, and I need your
advice more than anything.  Please, Ann, help me. I can't go on this way
much longer." Ann Landers responds definitively and positively: "You are
not alone. According to some studies, an estimated 10 percent of
individuals worldwide are homosexual.... Homosexuals are born, not made.
You need counseling to help you accept yourself as you are. Your favorite
teacher, school counselor or family doctor should be able to recommend
someone who can help you." She also gives the contact information for the
National Youth Advocacy Coalition, which is a national organization for
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth.

Please let Ann Landers know that her affirmation of the gay youth is
appreciated.
Contact: Ann Landers, c/o Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., #700,
Los Angeles, CA 90045-5600.

Anti-Gay Hate Groups Launch Media Assault on American Airlines
On June 4, a number of radical religious groups placed an advertisement in
several newspapers around the country, attacking American Airlines for its
support of lesbian and gay employees and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender community. The ad, co-signed by leaders from the American
Family Association, Coral Ridge Ministries, Christian Life Commission,
Family Research Council, Concerned Women for America and Focus on the
Family appeared in the conservative Washington Times. USA Today, the Dallas
Morning News and the Fort Worth Star turned the advertisement down. In the
ad, the hate groups objected to what they claim are "pro-homosexual"
policies at American, using misrepresentations and bald-faced lies to
justify their own bigotry and attempt to inflate their marginal importance.
Their claims are unsubstantiated and peppered with the usual baseless
archaic stereotypes and historically inaccurate statements, such as
lesbians and gay men being "universally discourage throughout history
because it is immoral, unhealthy and destructive to individuals, families
and societies."

Such inflammatory language has spurred further attacks on gay people, such
as hate radio talk show host G. Gordon Liddy. In his June 5 nationally
syndicated show, Liddy spoke with an "anonymous caller" who claimed to be a
current American flight attendant. "I understand that this caller has
something to contribute on the sensational news that American Airlines has
virtually been taken over by homosexuals, according to an ad that was
placed in Washington Times," Liddy said. In fact, even the radical
religious groups' ad had not made such a nonsensical claim. The caller said
that American had three transsexual pilots, whom Liddy then referred to as
"alleged women," adding, "they were hired as males and then they decided
that blondes have more fun or something and they went the other way.
Additionally, Liddy characterized American's support of their lesbian and
gay employees and of the lesbian and gay community "an advocacy group for a
perverted way of life."

GLAAD supports the right of every newspaper to decide its own advertising
policy, which includes whether to accept or reject an ad based on its
content. The newspapers which turned away this ad should be commended, as
advertising from hate groups of any stripe should be rejected.
Additionally, because the ad was rife with lies and homophobic propaganda,
newspapers who nixed the ad should be commended for their level-headedness.
Hate begets hate.

Please commend USA Today, the Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star
for standing up to intolerance and refusing to become a forum for the
baseless lies of small-minded bigots. Also, affirm American Airlines'
commitment to diversity and inclusivity in their workplace practices and
support of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in our struggle
for equality.
Contact: David Mazzarella, Editor, USA Today, 1000 Wilson Blvd., Arlington,
VA 22229, fax: 703.276.6585, e-mail: editor@usatoday.com; Bob Mong,
Managing Editor, Dallas Morning News, PO Box 655237, Dallas, TX 75202, fax:
214.977.8319, e-mail: 74774.2236@compuserve.com; Debbie Price, Executive
Editor, Fort Worth Star-Telegraph, PO Box 1870, Fort Worth, TX 76101-1870,
fax: 817.390.7789, e-mail: internetatfwst@onramp.net; Robert L. Crandall,
President, American Airlines, P.O. Box 619612, MD 2400 DFW Airport, TX
75261-9612, phone: 817.967.2000, fax: 817.967.2000, e-mail:
americanair@datalounge.com.

AP Takes A "Self-Described" Step Back In Time
A recent Associated Press report by Dick Pettys used unnecessary and
archaic terminology to describe Michael Hardwick, a gay man at the center
of arguably one of the most controversial legal battles for lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender rights.  The June 5 story reported on the recent
revelation that Mike Bowers, the former Georgia Attorney General who
successful defended the state's anti-sodomy law in front of the Supreme
Court, had admitted to a more than decade long extramarital affair.  The
story casually described Hardwick, the man accused of violating the sodomy
law, as "a self-described practicing homosexual."

While discussion of the details of the legal case Bowers vs. Hardwick would
warrant the mention that Hardwick was indeed having same-sex relations, the
AP story uses the information in a peculiar and unnecessary context.
"Openly gay man," would have been a perfectly acceptable term.
"Self-described" mocks Hardwick's courage as someone who stood up for the
community.

Please tell the Associated Press that Pettys' story used tired, archaic
language that does a huge disservice to all its readers.
Contact: Darrell L. Christian, Managing Editor, Associated Press, 50
Rockefeller Plaza, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10020-1666, fax: 212.621.7520,
e-mail: rgersh@ap.org.


Fresno Bee Swarms With Controversy After Gay Marriage Story
The Sunday, May 25 edition of the Fresno (California) Bee featured a
four-page story entitled, "Two Men and A Wedding," about two local gay men
going through the process of getting married, and has set off a flurry of
debate about the role of the newspaper in covering lesbian- and gay-related
issues. The article focused on John Barrow and Ray Renard's wedding
preparations and ceremony, describing the logistics, the emotions and the
legal challenges for a same-sex couple "committed to becoming traditional
lifetime partners in a world that doesn't accept same-sex marriages."
Photos accompanying the story show John and Ray exchanging vows, picking
out invitations, relaxing together on their couch after a hectic day of
wedding planning, and in a loving embrace moments after the ceremony.
Finally, a sidebar includes a "Same-Sex Marriage Q&A," which answers a host
of questions from the status of same-sex marriage to the legal
ramifications of Hawaii, and from Californians' reactions to same-sex
marriage to the number of gay unions performed in Fresno to Gary Bauer of
the anti-gay radical religious group Family Research Council explaining his
objection of same-sex marriage. On June 1, the Bee's Ombudsman, Lynne
Enders Glasser, wrote a column discussing the mixed, but overwhelmingly
negative reaction to the article. In addition, the editorial staff is
considering dropping all coverage of Pride month in the state's Central
Valley because of the hostile reaction, in part engineered by radical
religious groups, to this article and coverage of the Ellen coming out
events.

Especially in more conservative towns around America, such inclusive and
human-interest coverage of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues
and accurate portrayal of our lives are critical and doubly commendable.

Please thank the Fresno Bee for the sensitive and well-developed story on
same-sex marriage and let the paper know you look forward to their coverage
of Pride events.
Contact: Letters to the Editor/Lynne Enders Glasser, Ombudsman, Fresno Bee,
1626 E Street, Fresno, CA 93786-0001, phone: 209.441.6193, fax:
209.441.6499.

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.
Contact GLAAD by e-mail at glaad@glaad.org or by phone at
213.658.6775 (Los Angeles), 212.807.1700 (New York),
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
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of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc.