Date: Fri, 27 Feb 1998 21:46:02 -0500
From: glaad@glaad.org (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation)
Subject: GLAADAlert 02.27.98

GLAADALERT
February 27, 1998
The GLAADAlert is the weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance
Against Defamation

GLAADAlert Follow-Up: Arkansas Paper Publishes More Names
In a shocking turn of events, the February 27 edition of the Arkansas
Democrat-Gazette's "Police beat" column has published the names of four
more men arrested in relation to police raids of men seeking sex with other
men in public parks. This comes only weeks after a man committed suicide
because the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette published his name in a similar
arrest (see GLAADAlerts 2.6.98 and 2.20.98). The newspaper's executive
editor, Griffin Smith, Jr., responded to a February 12 letter from local
representatives of GLAAD, ACLU of Arkansas, the Women's Project, P-FLAG and
the Metropolitan Community Church by saying, "Publication of such items is
governed by our news policy....We believe our policy is logical,
consistent, [and] proper. We do not contemplate any change."

GLAAD Executive Director Joan M. Garry, requested a meeting in a February
27 letter to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, explained the clear double
standard in a policy allowing the printing the names of these men while not
men arrested for solicitation of female prostitutes. She also emphasized
the societal force of the closet which leads many men to feel they can only
express their sexual orientation through anonymous sexual encounters.
Finally, she states, "The suicide note left by the man to his male partner
of 31 years reads, 'My name and everything is in the paper this
morning...Goodbye. I love you.' Whether or not you believe your newspaper
holds any ethical responsibility in the suicide, you cannot ignore the
direct connection between his death and the printing of his name in your
newspaper. It was not the alleged act nor the arrest which drove him to
such extreme measures: It was the very public media exposure of his sexual
orientation and arrest." She adds, "GLAAD calls upon you to act responsibly
and, in seeking out the most newsworthy and socially valuable story,
address the issue in its full context. Full disclosure does not mean
printing names and address of those arrested. It means telling the whole
story of why the men gather in the first place."

Urge the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette to immediately change its clearly biased
policy surrounding misdemeanor sex crimes, to address its role in the
suicide of a man, and to be more socially responsible, ethical and humane
in their assessment of "newsworthiness."
Contact: Walter Hussman, Publisher, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box
2221, Little Rock, AR 72203, phone: 501.378.3485, fax: 501.372.3908.

GLAAD Makes Splash in Dawson's Creek
After a disturbing February 17 episode of the critically acclaimed WB show
Dawson's Creek, in which one brother pulls a gun on the other for calling
him gay, GLAAD spoke with the show's producer. From this conversation,
GLAAD gained assurances of closer contact with GLAAD in the future when
they deal with lesbian and gay issues. In a subplot of the episode, one of
the show's main characters, Pacey, finds his cop brother hitting on his
high school English teacher with whom he is having a secret affair. During
a hurricane, the two brothers weather a storm with her, and Pacey tells the
teacher in an aside that his brother is gay. When Pacey's brother later
asks her on a "romantic" date, she says, "I'd love to do something with
you, but you don't have to pretend with me, I know you're gay." He asks if
Pacey told her. She denies it, saying that she has gaydar from when she
used to live on Christopher Street in New York. The brother is convinced,
however, that Pacey told her he was gay, and in a rage suddenly pulls a gun
on Pacey, insisting that Pacey stop telling people he is gay. The only
discussion of this act of violence comes when the brother apologizes to the
teacher for the "gun thing." There is no discussion of how inappropriate it
is that he would feel so threatened by the possibility of being gay that he
would pull a gun on his own brother.

GLAAD spoke with Dawson's Creek Executive Producer Paul Stupin, who
apologized, saying that it had not occurred to the production team that the
scene could be perceived as a justification for violence as an acceptable
response to being identified as gay. He also indicated that in the future,
when questions arose about representation of lesbians and gay men, he would
utilize GLAAD as a resource in developing storylines.

Please commend Dawson's Creek and the WB for its responsiveness to
addressing issues of homophobia and sexual orientation in sensitive and
informed ways.
Contact:
… Jamie Kellner, President, WB Television Network, 4000 Warner Blvd.,
#34-R, Burbank, CA, 91522
… Paul Stupin, Executive Producer, Dawson's Creek, Columbia/Tri-Star
Television, 9050 West Washington Blvd., Culver City CA 90232, fax:
310.202.3797.

World's Scariest Police Chase Down Transpeople
On February 17, FOX targeted transpeople in World's Scariest Police Chases,
another "reality-based" police program. "They could be high, they could be
insane, they could be both," the voice-over says. "These suspects are so
dangerous, so reckless, and so weird that they make these chases
unforgettable." During the "so weird" section, the program shows police
forcing at gunpoint a transgendered person from a truck. Then two separate
clips are shown where either cross-dressing men, drag queens or transgender
women (the show does not make this distinction) are engaged in high-speed
chases. In the first, the voice-over identifies the suspect as a "local
football coach, well-known and well-liked." When the person is caught, the
voice-over asks, "But why did he run, and why didn't the officer recognize
him?" He snidely states that, "He was wearing a wig and women's clothing."
Between segments, a police officer explains that safety is the number-one
concern, and that they want people to be stopped, not humiliated. But the
next arrestee tells a different story. While being chased, the driver calls
911 and explains, "Brand-new dress on, that's what I got. Now they'll see
me all dressed up, and want to parade me around in front of everybody in
jail...." The arrestee says he will stop when "I get my make-up off,"
adding, "I hope this won't make the news." When the driver is arrested, the
camera fixes on his legs in hose, noting that "an officer can't help but
smile."

By prefacing the segment by calling the transpeople "weird," and lumping
that in with being "high," "crazy" or both, FOX sets viewers up to consider
transpeople "freakish." The voice-over confirms this bias against
transgendered people in its attitude toward the wig and dress of the first
driver. The second driver has a valid concern of humiliation after arrest
by police officers, who unfortunately have a long history of insensitivity
and even outright violence towards lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered
people. But this is dismissed by the officer stating that police do not
want to "humiliate" suspects. Instead of giving any context to the driver's
fear, the structure of the show makes the person appear irrational and
"weird."

Let FOX know that this kind of side-show treatment of transgender people is
unacceptable.
Contact: Peter Roth, President of Fox Entertainment Group, Fox Television
Network,  10201 West Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90064-2606, fax:
310.369.7363, or call the viewer hotline at: 310.369.3066

Washington Post on Anti-Gay Charlotte Crisis
A February 15 op-ed in the Washington Post calls Charlotte, North Carolina,
"A 'Most Livable' City--as Long as Your Art Passes Muster." Written by
Charlotte radio producer Randall Bloomquist, the article sings the praises
of the city, stating that it "seems poised to make good on all the promise
of Southern cities and to mature into a truly livable big city, one free
from the traditional woes of the first generation of American urban
centers: congestion, unemployment and divisiveness." But, he adds,
"Charlotte has lately developed a troubling condition. For well over a
year, [its] power structure has been mired in a series of controversies
stemming from the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners' obsession with
homosexuality." He discusses the Board's vote to deny support to groups
that "promote, advocate or endorse behaviors, lifestyles and values that
seek to undermine and deviate from the value and societal role of the
traditional American family" or offer "exposure to perverted forms of
sexuality." Bloomquist writes: "A new virulence has been introduced into
the city's once genteel public discourse; the arts community has been
cowed; a segment of the population feels stigmatized; business leaders
worry that the controversy is a step away from the city's progressive
tradition. And Charlotteans have been forced to confront an embarrassing
narrowness that has left them looking less like Atlanta and more like Cobb
County, which lost its piece of the 1996 Olympics because of similar
anti-gay sentiment." He cautions, "It would be haughty to suggest that
Charlotte needs 'to get over it' on the issue of gays. But if this
community is to join the front ranks of cities, the majority population had
to make its peace with those who are different....If not, it will remain a
small town with delusions of grandeur: Mayberry with skyscrapers."

Please commend the Washington Post and the South Carolina newspaper The
State, which reprinted the op-ed on February 22, for keeping readers aware
of the dire situation of intolerance in a city held hostage by the narrow
values of the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners.
Contact:
… Meg Greenfield, Editor, Editorial Page, Washington Post, 1150 15th Street
NW, Washington, DC 20071-0002, e-mail via WWW:
http://www.washingtonpost.com
… Brad Warthen, Editorial/Op Ed Page Editor, The State, 1401 Shop Rd.,
Columbia, SC 29201-4843, fax: 803.771.8639

The Trib Does the Circuit
Covering a tricky subject, the Chicago Tribune gives the "circuit party
scene" a balanced treatment in a February 23 article. "The Hearts Party [in
Chicago] is one stop on an informal international circuit of annual events
for gay men, many of which are fundraisers for AIDS research and support
services.... Mostly, they're large, loud, crowded dances," Tribune staff
writer Patrick T. Reardon writes. Interviewing a number of people with
varying viewpoints, Reardon states, "For enthusiasts, the parties play an
important symbolic and ceremonial role in the face of the AIDS epidemic and
the still ambiguous status of gays in American society....Critics argue
that the extensive use of illegal drugs and recreational sex associated
with them and the danger of AIDS cancels out whatever community-building
benefits [circuit parties] may provide." Reardon relates the criticism to
similar protests against rock concerts during the Sixties, but says that
"one major difference" exists: "The flower children never had to worry
that, high on drugs, they might engage in sex-- and transmit a virus that
could kill them." He describes the scene, noting, "This is not a crowd
that's representative of the full range of gayness. It's a party for men.
Most of the men are white, in their 30s and middle class. They're part of a
subculture among gay males that one writer termed 'the Partiers.'" He gives
historical context to such events, and describes the popular drugs of the
scene and their dangers. Lastly, he says critics complain "it's
hypocritical of AIDS organizations to sponsor and accept funding from
circuit parties with which drugs and potentially higher rates of unsafe sex
are associated." He gets a counterpoint from an AIDS organization, and
notes the Fire Island Morning Party tried to crack down on drug use and
sales last year. "Such efforts won't eliminate drugs from the circuit party
environment, But they're a start."

Please thank the Chicago Tribune for a nonsensationalist story about a
controversial segment of the gay community.
Contact: Ann Marie Lipinski, Managing Editor, Chicago Tribune, 435 N.
Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611-4003, fax: 312.222.2598, e-mail:
tribletter@aol.com.

MSNBC's Good Bi Sex on the Weekend
On the front page of MSNBC's Sex on the Weekend page
(http://msnbc.com/news/140004.asp#body), devoted to sassy Q & A on sex and
relationship matters, is an excellent response to a question about a
bisexual best friend. The letter writer, "So What If I'm Not?," explains
that his best friend, J., who just came out as bisexual, relentlessly
insists that "I am either hiding my bisexuality or a total bigot who hates
bisexuals. I've [even] tried flippantly answering that I am a trisexual
transsexual. How do I handle this? How does one prove one's sexual
orientation? Why [does] it matter to my friend that I be bisexual?"
Columnist Jennifer Kornreich responds: "For him to harass you is as
inconsiderate as all those ignorant hets who pester non-heterosexuals about
the validity of their own sexual preference. I know of no way to 'prove'
one's orientation. Sexual partners don't necessarily determine anything;
certainly marriage [doesn't]. I'd hate to play into the highly erroneous
myth that gay and bisexual people hit on straight friends, but perhaps it
is bugging him that you're not hitting on him. J. may also feel defensive
about his newfound sexuality and mistakenly believes that the best defense
is a pre-emptive offense [but] you are only fueling J.'s arguments with
your increasingly shrill insistence that you are straight. If J. is indeed
a worthy best friend, he'll knock [it] off and relate to you like a normal
human being (which is not dependent on orientation)." She adds, "P.S. The
'trisexual transsexual' thing isn't funny. Leave the jokes to me, straight
boy."

Please thank Jennifer Kornreich for her sensitive and right-on advice.
Contact: Jennifer Kornreich c/o Arlene Kim, Sex on the Weekend, MSNBC, One
Microsoft Way, Building 25, Redmond, WA 98052-8300, e-mail: sex@msnbc.com

GLAAD Media Round-Up: Ellen's Gay, Gay World
With the groundbreaking ABC show Ellen's increasing risk of cancellation ,
there has been a lot of coverage of the February 25 "It's A Gay, Gay, Gay,
Gay World" episode, in which Spence (Jeremy Piven) dreams he is straight in
a world where all but a small minority of people are gay. The media is
beginning to speculate on what has gone wrong with a show that attracted 42
million viewers for the history-making coming out episode last April 30,
but is struggling to maintain an audience now. With this kind of
speculation comes the inevitable attacks based on DeGeneres' sexual
orientation. Other articles are more balanced, looking more at the overall
content of the program, evaluating gay themes in a larger context.
REMEMBER TO WATCH THE SHOW AND TELL ABC TO SAVE ELLEN! In the meantime,
here are some of the good and bad Ellen commentaries of the last few weeks:

… The February 26 Newsday features a cartoon by "Marlette" in which Ellen
stands making an "L" with her hand on her forehead. In the background, a
long hook extends from the side of the frame to pull her offstage. In
thought bubbles, Ellen is thinking the "L" means "Lesbian!," while the
offstage caner thinks it means "Loser!"
… A balanced Knight Ridder column by San Jose Mercury News editor Ron
Miller, which ran in the February 13 Philadelphia Daily News, speculates on
the viewership dip: "Is the gay atmosphere to blame? The first half of this
season's Ellen produced some of the year's best comedy, but it may have
been a mistake to make almost every comedy situation spring from Ellen's
open gayness. DeGeneres is a funny and inventive woman, whose sexual
orientation is only an important aspect of her life, not the sole purpose
of it. Maybe the Ellen writers would have retained more viewers if they had
let her gayness take over only when they really had some fresh and funny
point to make."
… Tom Jicha, Sun-Sentinel  (Ft. Lauderdale) reviewer, says in his article,
"Tonight's episode...is a tour de force for Jeremy Piven as Spence and as
creative a use of Ellen's orientation as the coming-out show. As with all
satire, there are some instructive messages in [the episode]. But the worst
thing any viewer could do would be to take [it] too seriously. This would
only ruin a lot of fun."
… The February 25 Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal television review says, "The
problem with the show is that it's not funny....[I hoped] that Ellen would
improve after a breakthrough episode last season. This season, despite a
few good moments, the series has let Ellen's sexuality drive the show too
much. It has become DeGeneres' crusade. And unless you're Monty Python,
it's hard to find much humor in a crusade."
… USA Today reviewer Ed Martin writes in his February 25 column, "DeGeneres
is still one of the most warmly appealing women in prime time [but] Ellen's
writers have lost focus simply by focusing too intently on one aspect of
their lead character's life. This isn't difficult to understand. There has
never been a series that has dealt with this material, and it must be as
exciting to make history as to watch it happen. So occasionally giddy
overkill is to be expected and excused. DeGeneres says she fears Ellen will
not be renewed because she and her character are gay. But that wasn't an
issue at the end of last season. Of course, the show was funny at the end
of last season."

Contact:
… Jamie Tarses, Entertainment President, ABC, 2040 Avenue of the Stars, Los
Angeles, CA 90037, e-mail address: netaudr@abc.com; feedback form:
http://www.abc.com/vvoice/Viewcons1.html
… Pat Brandt, Editor, Part Two, Newsday, 235 Pinelawn Road, Melville, NY
11747-4250, fax: 516.843.2953
… John Price, Entertainment/Arts Editor, Knight-Ridder/Tribune Information
Services, 790 National Press Building, Washington, DC 20045-1701, fax:
202.393.2460
… Ron Miller, Television Editor, San Jose Mercury  News, 750 Ridder Park
Drive, San Jose, CA 95190-0001, fax: 408.271.3786, e-mail:
letters@sjmercury.com
… Brian Toolan, Managing Editor, Philadelphia Daily News, 400 North Broad
Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130-4015, fax: 215.854.5910, e-mail:
dailynews.opinion@phillynews.com
… Tom Jicha, Television Critic, Sun-Sentinel, 200 East Las Olas Blvd., Ft.
Lauderdale, FL 33301-2293, fax: 954.356.4624, e-mail via WWW:
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/SunServe/letters_editor.htm
… Rich Heldenfels, Television Editor, Akron Beacon Journal, 44 East
Exchange, Akron, OH 44328-0002, fax: 330.376.9235, e-mail:
vop@akron.infi.net
… Dennis Moore, Television Editor, USA Today, 1000 Wilson Blvd., Arlington,
VA 22209-3901, fax: 703.247.3108, e-mail: editor@usatoday.com (include
name, address and phone)

ERRATA: The 2/20/98 GLAADAlert indicated Gwen Knapp worked for the San
Francisco Chronicle. She works for the San Francisco Examiner. In addition,
the correct fax number for the Citizen's Voice in Wilkes-Barre, PA is
717.821.2249. GLAAD regrets any confusion this may have caused.

The GLAADAlert is the weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance
Against Defamation.
GLAAD promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation in the media as
a means of
challenging homophobia and 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), 415.861.2244 (San
Francisco), 202.986.1360 (Washington, DC), 404.607.1204 (Atlanta) and
816.756.5991 (Kansas City)

Feel free to pass GLAADAlert on to friends, family and associates!

Report defamation in the media by calling GLAAD's Toll-Free AlertLine!
1-800-GAY-MEDIA (1-800-429-6334)
 Visit GLAAD Online at http://www.glaad.org
"GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are registered
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GLAADAlert may be freely distributed and reprinted in all forms of media
under the condition that any text used carry the full attribution of "Gay &
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GLAAD is a national organization that promotes fair, accurate and inclusive
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are registered
trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc.