Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 09:47:44 -0800 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADAlert - March 12, 1999 GLAADALERT - March 12, 1999 The GLAADAlert is the weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation GLAADAlert Index: 1) GLAADAlert Roundup: Coverage of Billy Jack Gaither's Murder 2) Teens Learn the Truth About Homophobia 3) Rolling Stone's Exposι on the Christian Right 4) Recognizing the Covenant of Lesbian and Gay Marriage 5) Dawson's Creek Continues to Shine 6) 20/20 Leads in Coverage of Gay Parenting 7) Charleston Gazette Columnist Links Hate Crimes with Denial of Freedom to Marry 1) GLAADAlert Roundup: Coverage of Billy Jack Gaither's Murder On February 19, Billy Jack Gaither, 39, was bludgeoned to death with an axe handle by Charles Monroe Butler, Jr., 21, and Steven Eric Mullins, 25. "Mullins and Butler stated the reason they killed him was because he was a homosexual. We believe this to be the true motive," said Coosa Country Sheriff's Deputy Al Bradley. While there has been no lack of media attention on the heels of this grisly murder, the quality of coverage has been inconsistent, to say the least. Here are some notable examples: oThe Birmingham News attempted to provide balanced coverage of this tragedy. On March 4, a straightforward article on the details of the murder characterized Billy Jack Gaither as a kind son, who may or may not have been gay. On March 10, a piece entitled, "Mourners For Gay Man Decry Hatred," was unequivocal in its support of a Metropolitan Community Church service to honor Billy Jack Gaither which called for an end to violence against gays. oOn March 15 Newsweek reported that Mullins and Butler planned to murder Gaither because he had made a sexual overture towards one of them. It was irresponsible not to assert within the article that even if Gaither had made a pass, it was in no way justification for homicide. oTime's March 15, "A Burning in Alabama" was extremely thoughtful, quoting Gaither's brother Randy as saying that, "Regardless of his personal life or anything, he doesn't deserve to be killed for this." Sylvester Monroe, the reporter for this piece, elicited the comments of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and took the opportunity to reinforce the necessity to pass hate-crimes legislation across all 50 states. oThe New York Times, was among the first of the news outlets to bray "homosexual panic" as a possible justification for this murder. Its March 5 headline read, "2 Confess to Killing Man, Saying He Made a Sexual Advance." Four days later, on March 9, the Times made a 180-degree turn, in an editorial entitled, "Billy Jack Gaither's Life and Death," it stated that the response to an unwanted invitation is simply, "No, thanks." In this terse article, it also called for Alabama's hate-crimes law to be broadened to protect victims from crimes based upon sexual orientation, and made the connection that coming out is a necessary act if we are to end bigotry and prejudice. oIn the University of Iowa's March 9 Daily Iowan, Beau Elliot's "Waiting For Justice In a Burgeoning Culture," was a well-timed diatribe, reflecting on what he terms "this culture of intolerance." As Elliot observed, "The killings of Byrd and Shepard and Gaither should blare like air-raid sirens on the national conscience, if there is such an animal." His brief, yet probing, discussion made the point that conservative politics advance a culture of hate. oIn step with The New York Times, The Associated Press followed the tact that a sexual advance provided justification for Gaither's murder. oThe March 9 20/20 featured an intelligent segment on the death of Billy Jack Gaither. Interviewing friends and family, the newsmagazine examined the hateful attitudes shared by some in this small American town, attitudes which may have fueled homophobia and led to Gaither's murder. The silhouetted faces of his two sisters, fearful of the homophobia of their town and stigma attributed to the families of lesbians and gay men, told 20/20 how much they loved Billy Jack, gay or straight, and described their own parents denial over the recent revelation that he was gay. Contact: … Tom Skarritt, Editor, Birmingham News, 2200 4th Ave. North, Birmingham, AL 35203, fax: 205.325.3345 … Mark Whitaker, Managing Editor, Newsweek, 251 West 57th St., New York, NY 10019, fax: 212.445.4120, e-mail: letters@newsweek.com (be sure to include name, address, and phone number with all letters) … 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) … Bill Keller, Managing Editor, New York Times, 229 West 43rd St., New York, NY 10036-3959, fax: 212.556.3690, e-mail: letters@nytimes.com (inlcude phone number when sending e-mails) … 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 (inlcude phone number when sending e-mails) … Sarah Lueck, Editor, and Beau Elliot, columnist, Daily Iowan, 201N Communications Center, Iowa City, IA 52242, fax: 319.335.6184, e-mail: daily-iowan@uiowa.edu (include phone number and address for publication consideration) … Jay Reeves, Birmingham Correspondent, Associated Press, 2200 4th Ave. North, Birmingham, AL 35203 … Victor Neufeld, Executive Producer, 20/20, 147 Columbus Avenue, 10th floor, New York, NY 10023-5900, fax: 212.456.2969, e-mail: 2020@abcnews.com 2) Teens Learn the Truth About Homophobia During the first half of March, UPN is broadcasting "The Truth About Hate," the third edition of The Teen Files. While the first two shows dealt with substance abuse, this hour-long program explores an often overlooked topic--Hate. As host Leeza Gibbons states, "It's prejudice that keeps us separate and it's prejudice that creates hate." During the hour there are segments on racism, gang warfare, and homophobia. The third segment introduces a group of teens who share a distaste for their peers who are lesbian and gay. 16 year-old Ben freely admits, "If I had a gay friend, my family would cut off my manhood. Sometimes I do feel like I want to, you know, hit a gay guy." First this group of teens meets Gabi Clayton a mother whose son was attacked because of his sexual orientation and later committed suicide. The group is then introduced to openly gay police officer Chuck Limbert, who takes them to the Diamond Youth Center, where gay teens seek support, shelter and meals. This experience causes many of the teenagers to reconsider their earlier remarks. Whereas one of the girls stated at the opening of the telecast, "It's just wrong to be gay. It's nasty to me," she comes to the realization that "We [are] all the same people." Gibbons shares some sobering statistics at the end of the segment: o42% of all homeless youth identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual oGay youth are four times as likely to commit suicide oViolence against gays and lesbians has doubled in the last year Over the course of his career, producer Arnold Shapiro has won eight Emmys, an Academy Award for Scared Straight, his groundbreaking 1978 documentary on juvenile crime. With "The Truth About Hate," he has turned his attention to the relationship between homophobia and violence, and given teenagers the opportunity to examine their own prejudices. You can preview each of the show's segments by visiting the Teen Files website at http://www.teenissues.com . Also, check your local listings to see if "The Truth About Hate" has aired yet in your region. Please thank UPN and Arnold Shapiro Productions for their sensitivity in covering this vital issue. Contact: … Dean Valentine, President, UPN Television Network, 11800 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025-6602 … Arnold Shapiro, Arnold Shapiro Productions, 520 Broadway, Suite 220, Santa Monica, CA 90401 3) Rolling Stone's Exposι on the Christian Right Robert Dreyfuss' March 18 article, "The Holy War on Gays" is required reading. This comprehensive piece covers the creation and growth of the National Pro-Family Forum, an anti-homosexual network begun in January 1996 by a trio of conservative organizations including the Christian Coalition, the American Family Association, and Focus on the Family. Dreyfuss identifies this winter meeting as the genesis for the Right's initiative to roll back acceptance of homosexuality, and to specifically attack same-sex marriage, cataloguing how the language for the Defense of Marriage Act had its airing at the Memphis meeting. This article chronicles the persistence of religious political extremists from the overturning of Maine's 1997 Human Rights Act, to the opposing James Hormel's nomination as Ambassador to Luxembourg, to the culmination in last fall's Truth in Love, a $500,000 advertising campaign launched by religious political extremists, claiming that lesbians and gay men can walk "out of homosexuality into sexual celibacy or even marriage." Noting the savviness of the advertising strategy, Dreyfuss recognizes how the campaign and the concept of conversion allowed the Right to express a politically-correct, if false sympathy for gays-- through the bankrupt message that love will rescue and return homosexuals into the heterosexual fold. Dreyfuss' piece serves as a who's who among the religious political extremists identifying the work of Dr. Paul Cameron, as the intellectual underpinning of the movement. Cameron is founder of the Family Research Institute and ISIS, the Institute for the Scientific Investigation of Sexuality. "We're kind of the wellspring of most of the statistics about the gay lifestyle," said Cameron to Dreyfuss. The piece spotlights the work of Robert Knight and his Family Research Council (a $14 million-a-year operation that lobbies at both the Federal and state levels, and through print and radio reaches more than 400,000 homes across the nation); discusses Peter LaBarbera's The Lambda Report, which dissects the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community as seen through the eyes of a religious political extremist; and describes the Rev. Fred Phelps, an extremist's extremist, who takes hellfire and brimstone against gays literally, picketing funerals of people lost to the AIDS virus, and defining the Right-most flank of fundamentalist Christianity. Dreyfuss ends with a sobering observation: following the successful overturning of the Maine Human Rights Act Families 2000 was launched. This campaign seeks to "repealŠ special rights based on sexual behavior, and defeat state gay-adoption laws." Ending on this note reinforces the importance of the work that lies ahead, and this indispensable guide to religious extremists will educate the general populace, while empowering our community to mobilize and act. Please read the piece at http://www.rollingstone.com and applaud Rolling Stone magazine for publishing this essential article. Contact: Robert Love, Managing Editor, Rolling Stone, 1290 Avenue of the Americas, 2nd Fl., New York, NY 10104, fax: 212.767.8203, e-mail: letters@rollingstone.com 4) Recognizing the Covenant of Lesbian and Gay Marriage The Winter 1998 issue of the Union of American Hebrew Congregation's Reform Judaism magazine featured an impassioned and persuasive call to arms for the sanction of same-sex marriage within the Reform community. Rabbi Sue Levi Elwell's first-person narrative celeb\rated her union with her partner, affirming the positive strides that Reform Judaism has already taken to embrace the lesbian and gay community. Reform Jews welcome lesbians and gay men into their synagogues; the seminary ordains and hires lesbian and gay rabbis; the Reform movement has supported federal recognition of gay unions and their families. Yet Elwell asserts that the ultimate step would be for the Reform movement to recognize that same-sex marriage is holy and that, like heterosexual marriage, it deserves to be blessed as a sanctified convenant. Referring to the biblical sage Beruriah, Elwell argues that the sexual behavior described in Jewish texts was not imagined in the context of a long-term, loving relationship based on equality and mutual respect. She claims that Reform Judaism must therefore recognize that in its commitment to understanding and reforming Jewish tradition, it must include upholding the holiness of same-sex marriage. Elwell concludes, saying it "is time for Reform Jews to celebrate the kedushah, the holiness of gay and lesbian marriages, and to welcome us and our families as a new source of strength into the house of Israel." Point your browser to http://uahc.org/rjmag/1198se.html to read this enlightening article, and thank Reform Judaism for publishing Rabbi Elwell's commentary. Contact: Joy Weinberg, Managing Editor, Reform Judaism, 633 Third Ave., New York, NY 10017-6778 5) Dawson's Creek Continues to Shine In its March 3 and March 10 episodes, the WB's popular teen drama, Dawson's Creek, continued its exploration of the coming out process of series regular Jack McPhee (Kerr Smith). Jack's sexual orientation came into question in the February 10 episode, and he later came out to his family and his girlfriend Joey (Katie Holmes), on February 17. [see GLAADAlerts 02.11.99 and 02.25.99] Jack considers the possibility that he might be bisexual in the March 3 episode. His classmate Abby flirts with him and later approaches him at a party, saying, "There's no such thing as 'gay' anyway. It's just this weird label people come up with to persecute the normal inclination to go both ways Š we're all bisexual, don't you think?" Jack takes this message to heart. He explains to Joey later that it was important for him to hear a message which "made me feel like I was just like everybody else," continuing to say that although he kissed Abby, "I still would have stopped Š [but] I guess the thought of being gay just seemed like such a lonely thought. I just don't want to end up alone." Joey tells Jack, "I think everyone feels alone and wants to be normal Š [but] you're incredibly lucky to have people who support you. There's a whole other side of that," pointing to her own feelings of confusion about accepting her ex-boyfriend's sexual orientation. In the March 10 episode, Jack finds that he's not alone. He and Joey meet a young photographer, Colin (Nick Stabile), at a local fair. When Colin asks Joey to model for him, Joey takes it as a sign of romantic interest. Jack accompanies her and assists Colin, who asks him during the shoot, "So, are you two just friends," answering "good," when Jack tells him yes. Jack leaves early, and Colin asks Joey, "Is your friend, Jack," and then pauses before concluding, "dating anyone?" Jack is surprised when Joey tells him that Colin is gay. But he's shocked when he hears that she told Colin that Jack would meet him later that night. He vehemently refuses to meet Colin, explaining later, "I'm sorry, Joey. I overreacted Š Truth is, I'm just not ready. Not yet." When Joey meets Colin to break the news, he tells her it's probably not such a bad thing that Jack wasn't interested, noting that "I'm on the proverbial rebound. I just recently broke up with someone and we'd been friends a long time before that and now, I don't have the relationship or the friend Š At the time, I could think of a million different reasons [why we broke up], and now I can't think of any. Does that make any sense?" In light of her recent break-up with Dawson, Joey tells him, "Yeah Š more than you can imagine." Dawson's has added even greater depth to what was already a compelling storyline, exploring the complexity of the process and difficulties of coming out, and bringing forth the basic ties that bind us all - regardless of our sexual orientation. Please thank creator and executive producer Kevin Williamson and the WB Network for continuing to give Jack McPhee prominence and substance. Contact: … Kevin Williamson, Creator and Executive Producer, Dawson's Creek, 12233 West Olympic Blvd., Suite 210, Los Angeles, CA 90064, e-mail via WWW: http://www.dawsonscreek.com … Jamie Kellner, President, WB Television Network, 4000 Warner Blvd., #34-R, Burbank, CA, 91522 6) 20/20 Leads in Coverage of Gay Parenting On Friday, March 5, 20/20 presented a nuanced look at the implications of surrogacy and parenting for same-sex couples. Correspondent Sylvia Chase followed two gay male couples in the course of this segment. Will Halm and his partner Marcellin Simard, the first couple, have been pioneers. They have spent nearly ten years researching and preparing for parenthood. It has taken them nearly that long to find a surrogate mother to carry their child. During the broadcast, we watch the birth of their second child. John and Paul, the second couple, expect the birth of their first child in the spring of 1999. For them, it has not been as rough a journey; still, both couples comment on the level of scrutiny leveled at them. Repeatedly they have been asked, "Why do you want to be parents?" The segment also covers Growing Generations, the nation's first and only surrogacy firm specifically dedicated to serving the lesbian and gay community, and Maybe Baby, a company designed for same-sex parents who wish to start a family. Chase notes that while anti-gay organizations believe that same-sex parenting is bad for children, the American Psychological Association sees no evidence to support this contention. "We are just thrilled that we are going to be parents. That's all," offers one of the fathers, stressing the ordinary aspects of raising a family, rather than framing same-sex parenting as a political act. Please commend 20/20 for its outstanding coverage on this supportive view of gay parenting. Contact: Victor Neufeld, Executive Producer, 20/20, 147 Columbus Avenue, 10th floor, New York, NY 10023-5900, fax: 212.456.2969, e-mail: 2020@abcnews.com 7) Charleston Gazette Columnist Links Hate Crimes with Denial of Freedom to Marry Julie Pratt's March 4 Charleston (West Virginia) Gazette column supports a proposed amendment to West Virginia's hate crimes statute, which would include sexual orientation and disability. But she doesn't end there. Pratt reasons that "If we really want to stop hate crimes, we need to give some thought to the source of the hate." Pratt sees that the Defense of Marriage Act being proposed in the state, which would ban same-sex marriages, encourages bigotry which "makes hate crimes possible." She continues, "It is just plain preposterous to think that someone else's same-sex marriage could possibly threaten my own heterosexual one." Her most poignant observation circles back to hate crimes: "I'm convinced that all it takes for bigotry to prevail is for good people to do nothing." In throwing down the gauntlet, Pratt asks her readers to call their senators and delegates, to "ask them to stand up to bigotry." Please thank the Charleston Gazette for publishing this sophisticated analysis of prejudice, and political call to arms. Contact: Dan Radmacher, Editorial/Op-Ed Page Editor, Charleston Gazette, 1001 Virginia St. East, Charleston, WV 25301, fax: 304.348.1233, e-mail: letters@wvgazette.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 (LA), 212.807.1700 (NY), 415.861.2244 (SF), 202.986.1360 (DC), 404.876.1398 (Atlanta) and 816.756.5991 (Kansas City) Feel free to pass GLAADAlert on to friends, family and associates! Report defamation in the media and breaking news of interest to the LGBT community 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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