Date: Thu, 1 Jul 1999 18:27:19 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADAlert - July 1, 1999 July 1, 1999 The GLAADAlert is the bi-weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Index to Stories: 1. Is Ride BMX Just Plain "Gay"? 2. Lesbian Subarus, Gay Beer and Transgender Mineral Water 3. Seriously Comic: Doonesbury Marries Off Mark And Mike 4. Bozell Goes Off the Deep End 5. Fathers and Sons 6. Frank Morris Susa's Column Portrays the Dark Side of Being a Gay Youth 7. Chicago Tribune Dissects Gender and Intersex with Finesse 8. Country Music's Not So "Achy Breaky" Anymore Is Ride BMX Just Plain "Gay"? Ride BMX, a youth-oriented magazine for freestyle BMX riders, recently responded to concerns over its frequent use of the word "gay" as a pejorative. One example: a photo caption in the April/May 1999 issue which read "This has to be the gayest sport ever, frisbee golf." After concerns were raised by a San Francisco bicycle store owner who had placed ads in the magazine, Ride BMX editor Mark Losey explained in a letter that the publication spoke the "same language as its readers" and that the term is "not intended as a sexual epithet." Earlier this week, GLAAD explained to publisher Brad McDonald that while readers might use the term with no intended malice towards lesbians and gay men, the social stigma of its pejorative use negatively impacts lesbian and gay teens. In response, McDonald said: "GLAAD raises an interesting point in taking exception to the use of the word 'gay' as a synonym for 'lame' in Ride BMX magazine. While the origin of the use of the word in this way is clearly derogatory towards homosexuals, I do not believe that this is the intent of most people who use the term today. However, it is understandable that many people find this usage hurtful. Ride BMX magazine strives to be inclusive to individuals from all backgrounds, and for that reason we will use our best efforts to eliminate this usage of the word 'gay' in future issues. While I am under no illusion that Ride BMX magazine will change the language habits of America's youth, we will do our small part to stop perpetuating the use of this expression." Please write Ride BMX and its parent company, Times Mirror Magazines, and thank them for addressing the community's concerns. Also, please remind them that the use of "gay" as (in their words) a synonym for "lame" stigmatizes, belittles and dehumanizes the community. Contact: oMr. Brad McDonald, Publisher and Mr. Mark Losey, Editor, Ride BMX, 1530 Brookhallow Dr., Suite A, Santa Ana, CA 92705 oMs. Martha H. Goldstein, VP Corporate Communications, Times Mirror, Times Mirror Square, LA, CA 90053, e-mail: martha.goldstein@tm.com Lesbian Subarus, Gay Beer and Transgender Mineral Water The front page of the Wall Street Journal's June 29 Marketplace section had a pair of noteworthy articles focusing on marketing to lesbian and gay consumers. In "Cracking the Gay Market Code" Ronald Alsop describes how corporations are aggressively marketing to the lesbian and gay community. By using coded messages, he asserts, ads that are meant for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community can appear in mainstream publications. Alsop describes campaigns by IBM, Naya, Parliament, VW and Subaru's current ad campaign. The article also tells of mainstream ads that are re-tailored to a queer audience, complete with inside jokes. The complementary piece "Some Brewers Start to Employ an In-Your-Mug Approach," covers the beer industry, noting that the companies not only target ads at the lesbian and gay community, but sponsor community events as well, such as Bud Light's support of San Francisco's annual Folsom Street Fair. The article reproduces the clever graphic that Bud created for this event--a bottle of Bud outfitted in studded black leather straps, complete with a black leather cap. Please commend the Wall Street Journal for two articles that will encourage its business readers to recognize the economic power and clout of the lesbian and gay community. Contact: oPaul E. Steiger, Managing Editor, Wall Street Journal, 200 Liberty Street, New York, NY 10281, fax: 212.416.2658 Seriously Comic: Doonesbury Marries Off Mark And Chase For twenty-eight years and through ten thousand comic strips, cartoonist Gary Trudeau, winner of a Pulitzer and a 1995 GLAAD Media Award, has created a venerable body of work with his daily strip, Doonesbury. The strip has paved the way for a generation of animators and comic book artists to deal honestly with socio-politically progressive themes, to satirize and critique gender roles, and to contest social mores and norms. Doonesbury has truly been groundbreaking. In a recently unfolding plot line it has focused on the impending marriage of Mark Slackmeyer, "the only FM disc jockey known to have outed himself on the air," to his life partner, conservative commentator Chase Talbott. The series has a story arc that began with the fallout from the couple's announcement of their commitment ceremony and evolves with the growing acceptance on the part of Reverend Scot and other members of the Doonesbury cast. Please thank Universal Press Syndicate (UPS) for its unflagging support of Doonesbury. This plot line has drawn predictable criticism from conservative readers, such as a Fort Worth Star-Telegram reader, for example, who wrote that the "current subject matter of homosexual relationships is beyond the scope of propriety, especially in the comics." Let UPS know that this is the place for such topics to appear, especially when they are treated in such an uncompromising manner and with sensitivity. But don't take our word for it, go to www.doonesbury.com and you can view all twenty-eight years of the strip courtesy of a nifty search engine. Contact: o Mr. Lee Salem,Vice President and Editorial Director, Universal Press Syndicate,4520 Main Street Kansas City, MO 64111-7701, fax: 800.255.6734 Bozell Goes Off the Deep End Nationally syndicated columnist Brent Bozell wrote a scathing indictment not merely of the documentary It's Elementary (see GLAADAlert 6.03.99), but of homosexuality itself, in a recent piece entitled "Gay Lifestyle Promoted on PBS program." Bozell, executive director of the Conservative Victory Committee, has used the controversy surrounding It's Elementary to create a platform to spew anti-gay venom. Bozell falsely labels the work "pure propaganda" and frames it as something that "flies in the face of not only public broadcasting's supposed commitment to balance but also common sense and decency." As Bozell's rant draws to a close, he takes aim at disparaging those who supported this film -- the National Endowment for the Arts and newly-appointed U.S. Ambassador James C. Hormel. Creators Syndicate has a roster of syndicated columnists across the ideological spectrum, from Susan Estrich to Oliver North, from Molly Ivins to Robert Novak. However, this does not give its more conservative writers, Brent Bozell, purchase to lob anti-gay diatribes to a national audience. Please let Creators know that this column was sensationalistic and a thinly disguised attack against our community. Contact: oKatherine Searcy, Editorial Director, Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., #700, Los Angeles, CA 90045-5677, fax: 310.337.7625 Fathers and Sons In a poignant June 20 article entitled "Making Men: The Boy Who Doesn't Fit In," the Boston Globe's Mitchell Zuckoff chronicles the story of one Arkansas father's decision to move his family from their longtime home in order to protect his openly gay son. Zuckoff describes the Wagner family's hometown of Booneville as a "Bible Belt town of 3,408 people, where homosexuality is still seen by many as proof of the devil," and father Bill Wagner says "out here you get killed for being different." Wagner's upbringing and history in Arkansas are described in detail - as a means of relating the natural difficulties one would expect he'd face in leaving his home. But Zuckoff tells us that for Wagner, the choice was easy: "All he knew , was that it was a father's place to do the best he could for a son. " Later, he describes Willi's coming out, in which the 14-year-old said: "Mom,Dad,I'm,gay. I don't think I'm gay. I don't want to be gay. I jus t am." He explains Bill's calm reaction to his son's coming out, as well: "It wasn't that Bill didn't know that some men explode at such news, he just couldn't see why. 'I think a lot of fathers have a negative reaction because they think it reflects on him, or his manhood or something, and it doesn't.'" In the end, Zuckoff ties the two Wagners together most closely, beginning with his description of Bill's tenderness at the scene of the hate crime committed against Willi, leading to his accompanying Willi to a Pride rally in Tulsa, and closing finally with a touching scene from a Willi's first gay and lesbian prom. In a powerful and compact piece, Zuckoff managed to capture the spirit of a father whose concern and devotion to his son clearly merit attention. Both Willi and Bill Wagner come across as fascinating individuals through Zuckoff's storytelling and both are sure to serve as models for many readers. Please thank the Boston Globe for this piece - unusual in its quality for even a paper so frequently inclusive of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community as the Globe. Contact: Gregory L. Moore, Managing Editor, Boston Globe, 135 Morrissey Blvd., Dorchester, MA 02125-3338, fax: 617.929.2098, e-mail: letters@globe.com Frank Morris Susa's Column Portrays the Dark Side of Being a Gay Youth Despite the best of intentions, a recent column in the Colorado Daily by academic Frank Susa, entitled "Assumptions: Desperate for Love" falls short of showing coming out among queer youth as a positive step. In this piece, Brian (a pseudonym) is drawn as a naive, ecstasy-addicted Asian-American youth, who is beaten by his drug dealer. Since Susa does not acknowledge that the experiences of his subject are unusual, and that many lesbian and gay teenagers blossom when they come out, he unwittingly reinforces a popular gay stereotype--that the "gay lifestyle is a dead-end." While this article sensitively handles its subject, it would have been more beneficial to have profiled gay and lesbian teens who have found the support networks that exist in their communities and their schools, as the above Boston Globe article did. Please write the Colorado Daily and express your concern that positive profiles of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth be included in its pages. Contact: oPam White, Managing Editor, Colorado Daily, P.O. Box 1719, Boulder, CO 80306, fax: 303.443.9357, email: editor@codaily.com Chicago Tribune Dissects Gender and Intersex with Finesse In the June 20 issue of the Chicago Tribune staff writer Louise Kiernan performs an important service: educating the public-at-large about medical practices that arbitrarily assign a gender to children who are born with "ambiguous genitalia," often without consent of the parents. In the course of this article we hear from physicians who are brave enough to say that these protocols have been wrong and that they must change how they treat intersex children. In addition, Kiernan discusses the growing intersex community, spearheaded by the Intersex Society of North America [online at http://www.isna.org], a support and advocacy group which works to educate the public as a means of challenging societal gender norms which-among other things-have influenced their own lives. The Chicago Tribune rightly interviews an intersex activist Angela Moreno, and includes a photograph of her with her partner in the print edition. What is most compelling about this piece is its concluding paragraph, which contests the very notion of gender. Says Justine Marut Schober, a pediatric urologist, "I think gender isn't necessarily male or female. It may be a composite of qualities that resemble one (gender) or another, and in some cases it may be a true blend. But there is only one person who can decide what gender they are most comfortable with, and that is (that) person." The Chicago Tribune is one of few papers to cover intersex issues, and perhaps the only one to have run two extensive features on the intersex community in recent years [see GLAADAlert 02.28.97]. Please thank the paper for its continued coverage and let the Tribune know that you appreciate Kiernan's compassionate and wise journalism. Contact: oAnn Marie Lipinski, ManagingEditor, Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan, Chicago, IL 60611, fax: 312.222.2598, email: tribletter@aol.com Country Music's Not So "Achy Breaky" Anymore The Nashville Tennesean reported in its June 18 edition that Grammy Award-winning country superstars Trisha Yearwood and the Mavericks headlined a benefit for a local makeup artist diagnosed with cancer. What made the event particularly interesting, however, was that it was held at a local gay club called The Connection, and, in the Tennessean's words, "is believed to be the first time that a country artist [has] played an openly gay venue in Nashville." After the show, Yearwood said of the performance, "It's just not an issue for me. I have a lot of gay fans, and I'm sure there's a real cool mixture out there." Avid Ellen fans may remember that the multi-platinum artist was one of many singers who performed on the now-cancelled show. To its credit, the Tennessean managed to highlight only positive voices from the crowd and resisted the temptation to sensationalize this event. Instead, it chose to report upon an interesting story about an industry not usually perceived as being a close friend to the community. The Mavericks, and especially Yearwood, have used their voices to support our community more visibly perhaps than any other country musicians since Garth Brooks. (A GLAAD Media Award-winner for his "We Shall be Free," Brooks used the media attention gained from the hit single to advocate for lesbian and gay equality.) Please thank the Tennessean and the two top-billed performers at the Connection event for their understanding of the need for acceptance. Contact: - Gail Kerr, Managing Editor, The Tennessean, 1100 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203 , fax: 615.726.8928, e-mail: letters@tennessean.com - Trisha Yearwood, c/o MCA Records, 60 Music Square East, Nashville, TN 37 203 - The Mavericks, c/o MCA Records, 60 Music Square East, Nashville, TN 3720 3 Editor's Note: On Thursday, July 8, there will be a special GLAADAlert analyzing Pride coverage. 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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