Date: Fri, 6 Mar 1998 18:07:51 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADAlert 03.06.98 GLAADALERT March 6, 1998 The GLAADAlert is the weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation No Time For Gay People or AIDS The much-publicized 75th Anniversary special issue of Time (March 9), tells the story of the last three-quarters of a century of history, and according to its telling, neither the struggle for lesbian and gay people's equal rights nor AIDS ever happened. It is understandable that Time would not include the 1969 Stonewall Riots (the symbolic kick-off the modern movement for gay civil rights) because the magazine's early coverage of gay issues was scant at best. But during the 1980-1989 section, entitled "Comeback," neither gay issues nor, shockingly, AIDS, is ever mentioned in any of the sections, from "Nation" to "World." Even in "Milestones," instead of mentioning the death of Rock Hudson, the significant historical marker is "Divorced. Elizabeth Taylor Hilton Wilding Todd Fisher Burton Burton Warner." "1989-1998: Transformation," ignores the global pandemic of AIDS which has left millions dead and many others living with HIV, and the critical discovery of protease inhibitors is also ignored. Yet the Heaven's Gate cult suicide of 39 gets space. While "Seinfeld Calls It Quits" gets a deserved mention, Ellen DeGeneres and her historic "Yep, I'm Gay" cover gets nary a mention, neither is it included on the cover of the issue, despite the fact that 92 covers from the last 75 years are featured. In fact, of the 92 covers, just one includes anything about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or AIDS-related subjects: a 1950s cover with James Baldwin which does not mention his sexual orientation. Under "Miscellany," the Ellen cover is finally cited in brief, listed as the tenth "heaviest reader mail" generated in Time's history, and mentioned in a footnote as one of nine "female cover subjects in 1997." "GLAAD, and many Americans, are dismayed by Time's skewed perspective on history that excludes the lesbian and gay civil rights movement, which has had a profound effect on the political, legal and cultural landscape of America," said GLAAD Executive Director Joan M. Garry. "Even more startling is the magazine's silence on AIDS. This disease has transformed the world in countless ways during the 1980s and 1990s. We urge Time to publicly account for these glaring omissions. We expect more from one of the most important news magazines of the century." Let Time know how disappointing their lack of historical vision regarding gay people and AIDS is. Contact: Walter Isaacson, Managing Editor, Time Magazine, Time-Life Building, 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020, fax: 212/522-8949, e-mail: Letters@time.com (include phone and address with all correspondence) 60 Minutes Wrestles With Issue of "Ex-Gays" On March 1, a 60 Minutes segment with Leslie Stahl began with the question, "What happens when your son tells you he's gay and doesn't want to be?" Stahl then introduces an anti-gay radical religious group called Exodus "which claims to change the sexual orientation of gay people, with a course of Bible study, behavioral modification and peer counseling." They present a "PFOX" (Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays) meeting where several parents ask what they did to "make" their children gay. The main PFOX mom interviewed is so ashamed that she remains in shadow with her voice disguised. Her son has been in Exodus for two years and she claims he is happier now. She states her stereotypical view on being gay: "It's the end of life as far as I'm concerned.... you've no family, no children, no life....God didn't make anybody gay." Then the show features John Polk, a current spokesman for Exodus (the two founders of the organization have long since condemned the organization and become comfortable with their real sexual orientation). Polk has been married for four years to a "former" lesbian and they have one child. Stahl asks for Exodus' success rate, but not surprisingly, they refuse to provide it. Then Stahl interviews Cathy Tuerk, whose son came to her when he was eight years old and said, "I hate myself--I think I'm a fag." Tuerk tells a deeply moved Stahl about trying to toughen him up, concluding, "I abused my son." Next, Doug, an openly gay man, relates his own experience with two exorcisms and five years of religious-based "conversion therapy" without success. He tells Stahl that, "Being an ex-gay is like being an ex-black." Stahl then refocuses on Tuerk, who eventually went to PFLAG (Parents, Friends and Families of Lesbians and Gays), found herself among other parents who care deeply about their children, and is now president of a PFLAG chapter. The closing shot is of her at last year's Youth Pride Day telling the crowd "I am a proud mom of a gay son, and I am here to tell you, you are not alone." Write CBS and 60 Minutes and thank them for their balanced portrayal, while mentioning that it should be more strongly emphasized that the American Psychological Association does not consider homosexuality to be an illness and therefore it cannot be "cured" by these so-called conversion therapies. Contact: … Andrew Heyward, President, CBS Television Network, 524 West 57th St., New York, NY 10019-2902, fax: 212.975.9387 … Don Hewitt, Executive Producer, 60 Minutes, 555 West 57th St., New York, NY 10019-2925, fax: 212.975.2019 More On Nothing Sacred's Suppressed Episode As reported in the January 16, 1998 GLAADAlert ("ABC Buries Nothing Sacred Gay Episode"), ABC has refused to air a Nothing Sacred episode about a gay priest with AIDS. In the March 1 New York Times, Rev. Andrew M. Greeley says viewers should see the episode, entitled "H.I.V. Priest: Film at 11." According to Greeley, ABC Entertainment President Jamie Tarses has kept it off the air due to the objections of "the ultraconservative Catholic League," but she said it was, "'likely [the episode] will turn up at some point.'" Calling the episode "the best story about the Roman Catholic priesthood since Graham Greene's classic 1940 novel The Power and the Glory," Greeley says, "The decision to suppress the episode is based on a curious kind of anti-Catholicism, the conviction that Catholics are really unsophisticated and would react in shocked horror to the suggestion that a priest might have AIDS....[But] the emphasis of the story is not on AIDS or homosexuality. [It] is about forgiveness and new beginnings [and] the loyalty to one another that is part of the priestly tradition....It is the story of the power and the glory of the priesthood radiating through the fragility of the humans who exercise the priestly function." He adds that "Catholics have realized all along that priests can be drunkards, loafers, tyrants, liars, thieves, and worst of all, rotten preachers....The Catholic laity have realized that priests can also violate their vows of celibacy and even be sexual predators. Many lay people know of a priest who has died of AIDS. [The laity] are not mindless cement-heads who see a political attack on Catholicism in a series that in fact celebrates the priesthood. Most Catholics would be proud of Ray as he persuades Jesse to remain as loyal as he can to his vocation....There is not a hint of anti-Catholicism in Nothing Sacred and especially in 'H.I.V. Priest.' The series is almost embarrassingly pro-Catholic. ABC should let everyone judge for themselves." GLAAD had an opportunity to see the un-aired episode, and is shocked that ABC would refuse to air it and questions the network's motivations. "This episode, like the program in general, is compelling and honest and addresses real issues in the Catholic church today," said GLAAD Executive Director Joan M. Garry. "ABC should allow its viewers to make their own decisions." Urge ABC to air this program and stop kow-towing to the tyranny of a vocal radical religious minority seeking force their own skewed view of reality on the free-thinking American television audience. Also, thank the New York Times for giving Greeley a forum for his perspective. Contact: … Jamie Tarses, Entertainment President, ABC, 2040 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, CA 90037, fax: 310.557.7679, e-mail: netaudr@abc.com, or call ABC at: 310.557.7777 and ask to be connected to their audience response line … Howell Raines, Editorial/Opinion Page Editor, New York Times, 229 West 43rd St., New York, NY 10036-3959, fax: 212.556.3690, e-mail: letters@nytimes.com (include phone number when sending e-mails) Anne Heche Gets A Life The March issue of the fairly conservative magazine Life features Anne Heche discussing her sexual identity and her relationship with Ellen DeGeneres. Entitled, "What's Love Got to Do with It? Everything.," the introduction states, "When Anne Heche and Ellen DeGeneres went public as a couple, Heche was accused of latching on to the comedian's star. Never mind Heche's own resume and the roles waiting for her in the wings.... Looking back, Heche talks about why she risked it all for love." The article features a Herb Ritts photo of the couple from behind, walking down the street arm in arm. "It's amazing to be what I call the last minority to come out," Heche says, adding that lesbian, gay and bisexual people are "an inside minority, not an outside minority. But...this is as much a part of me as my skin color, yet I'm not allowed to say it? We're as O.K. as anybody else." When asked if she defines herself as a lesbian or bisexual, she responds, "Neither. I didn't know I was open to women. The definition of gay is that you're attracted to the same sex; there are people who are born attracted to the same sex." When asked if she thinks she was born that way, she responds, "No, I think I was born attracted to a human soul....I knew the second I met Ellen I would be with her forever." Please commend Life for an excellent and up-front profile of Anne Heche. Contact: Jay Lovinger, Managing Editor, Life Magazine, Time-Life Building, 1271 Avenue of the Americas, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10020, fax: 212.522.0379, e-mail: lifeedit@life.timeinc.com Newsday Profiles Two Gay Dads The Sunday, March 1 edition of Newsday contained an extensive profile of Jon and Rob Cooper, a gay male couple who adopted five children and whose family exemplifies the modern definition of an American family. "[T]he Coopers present an idyllic image of a well-adjusted family," writes Newsday reporter Ching-Ching Ni, who also quotes the couple's oldest son, Daniel, who said: "It's just like a regular house. Everybody cares about you. Everybody loves you." Throughout the piece, Ni shows the family to be just what it is: loving, healthy, and "normal." Ni examines the factors which have enabled the Coopers to create such an exceptional environment, including their financial prosperity, their devotion to one another, and their commitment to their family. But he paints the picture as "a lucky exception" to a harsh reality, and lauds their efforts not only toward fostering such a positive family environment, but also towards effecting change in their community's attitudes. He looks at the discrimination which the parents themselves often face and the prejudice which can affect the children, but focuses mostly on dispelling the notion that children of lesbian or gay parents will necessarily suffer. Please thank Newsday for this heartwarming profile of the Cooper family. Contact: Robert Brandt, Managing Editor, Newsday, 235 Pinelawn Road, Melville, NY 11747-4250, fax: 516.843.3464, e-mail: letters@newsday.com GLAAD Media Round-Up: Getting the Boy Scouts Story "Morally Straight" A media flurry on gay men has been prompted by the March 2 New Jersey appeals court's decision in a case involving highly decorated Scout leader James Dale in which the court ruled that the Boy Scouts of America's ban of gay members violates the state's anti-discrimination law. In addition, a recent decision by the City of Chicago to sever ties with the Boy Scouts because of their requirement of belief in God and their ban of gay people. While some media outlets have been clear-headed about the issue, others have tapped into the not-so-hidden fears of the much-stereotyped but totally unfounded connection between gay people and child molestation. The fact is that studies by the FBI and others have concluded that the vast majority of pedophiles are heterosexual males who are heterosexually oriented in their adult relationships. Indicative of all serious scholarship in this area is one study by Children's Hospital in Denver, Colorado, which found that in a one-year period, only 1 of 387 cases of suspected child molestation involved a gay perpetrator. It is illuminating to consider that while any man-boy molestation is considered by some to be an indictment of all male-male sexual orientation--even though the two things are completely unconnected--the reverse is not true of heterosexuals whenever a man-girl attack is committed. Below are some of the good and bad commentaries: … The February 9 Tampa [Florida] Tribune states, "The ACLU asserted that the Scout's ban on gays was discriminatory. Only a very peculiar group could find sinister the Scouts' prudent safeguards against pedophiles. The Scouts take every precaution not to put boys at risk, and we know from so many hideous incidents that make the news that such precautions are necessary. The generalized prohibition against homosexuals may seem to some to reflect undue concern, but in the environment of Scouting, that concern is self-evidently appropriate." … The March 4 San Francisco Chronicle lead editorial states, "The Boy Scouts can continue with a costly, indefensible lawsuit that highlights the hypocrisy of denouncing young men whose character was formed by the scouts. Or, it can do the right thing and admit gays as members and leaders." … The "Southern Style" section of the March 4 edition of Jackson, Mississippi's Clarion-Ledger has columnist Orley Hood commenting on the New Jersey decision, saying, "First thing that enters your mind entered mine as well: Campouts. Homosexual Scout leader. Twelve-year-old boys...." … On March 5, the National Review web site, www.nationalreview.com, under the heading "Freedom of Association, RIP," cites as its "Outrage Du Jour" the New Jersey decision. … The New York Post editorial cartoon from the "Page Six" column on March 4 initially seems to be about the reading of Princess Diana's will and a "tax man" trembling with joy at the prospect of getting an estate tax. But through the window of the lawyer's office in the cartoon is a scene of three Boy Scouts and a sheep dressed as a Boy Scout pointing at the crotch of a cross-dressed troop leader named "Dale" as another troop leader scolds, "Now Dale, that's not how we pitch a tent in the Boy Scouts." Contact: … Bruce Witwer, Managing Editor, Tampa Tribune, 202 South Parker St., Tampa, FL 33606-2395, fax: 813.259.7676 … Jerry Roberts, Managing Editor, San Francisco Chronicle, 901 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 94103-2988, fax: 415.543.7708, e-mail: chronletters@sfgate.com … Jana John, Lifestyles Editor, Clarion-Ledger, 201 South Congress, Jackson, MS 39201-4202, fax: 601.961.7211 … Editor, National Review, e-mail: letters@nationalreview.com … Ken Chandler, Editor, New York Post, 1211 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036-8790, fax: 212.930.8540, e-mail: letters@nypost.com 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 trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc. 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