Date: Mon, 15 Nov 1999 06:20:18 -0800 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADAlert - November 11, 1999 GLAADAlert November 11, 1999 The GLAADAlert is the bi-weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation SF Weekly Scrutinizes Ammiano Coverage In the Nov. 10 SF (San Francisco) Weekly, editor John Mecklin deftly addresses a troubling pattern of media stereotyping in the coverage of the upcoming Dec. 14 runoff election between incumbent San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown and openly gay Board of Supervisors President Tom Ammiano. Ammiano's second-place finish (with 25 percent of the vote) culminated a vigorous, eleventh-hour write-in campaign that made headlines across the nation. Mecklin's focus, however, is on San Francisco-area coverage that seems to be playing up Ammiano's sexual orientation as a way to trivialize his candidacy. Drawing a parallel to the papers' coverage of Mayor Brown, Mecklin adroitly asks if the Examiner and the Chronicle would similarly tolerate treating race as an issue in the campaign. "Ammiano has been a major public figure here for years now," Mecklin observes. "(Y)et the local press seems to find it necessary to describe him as a gay former comedian in every daily election story, even though the same press finds it (quite properly) unnecessary to describe Brown as a black former lawyer." Clearly, the residents of San Francisco deserve election coverage that deals with the candidates' positions on policy and city administration -- not innuendo and excessive emphasis on sexual orientation. Please thank SF Weekly for its conscientious, responsible monitoring of the media coverage surrounding this important election. Contact: John Mecklin, Editor, SF Weekly, 185 Berry Street, Suite 3800, San Francisco, CA 94107, email: jmecklin@sfweekly.com Journal of Country Music Explores Industry's Last Taboo Doug Stevens. Alix Dobkin. Patrick Haggerty. Pamela Brandt. They and many others are part of the small, nearly invisible community of lesbian and gay artists in the country music industry. In the November issue of Journal of Country Music, editor Chris Dickinson traces the history of gay and lesbian artistry and activism in a genre that has historically been hostile toward same-sex couples and relationships. Stevens -- who writes for both lesbian and gay audiences -- notes that genre's very nature has worked to shut out the gay and lesbian community, and that as an out country artist, he felt obligated to create music with more inclusive themes. "(Country music) was about straight people, it was about men loving women and women loving men. And nothing really applied to us. We could identify with it, but I really wanted to have country music that was specifically about gay relationships." With the recent formation of the Lesbian & Gay Country Music Association, Stevens and others are actively challenging this exclusion. "At the heart of LGCMA beats one common belief," the LGCMA says. "That the emotional core of country music -- with its evocative emphasis on loss, heartbreak, and the healing possibilities of love -- belongs to anyone who finds comfort and expression in it." The lengthy Journal article, which profiles both members of LGCMA and many of the lesbian and gay pioneers in the country music industry, gives long-overdue visibility to these overlooked members of the country music community. Please thank the Journal of Country Music for this comprehensive, breakthrough feature. Contact: Ms. Chris Dickinson, Editor, Journal of Country Music, 4 Music Square East, Nashville, TN 37203, e-mail: jcmeditor@aol.com The GLAADAlert is the bi-weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. GLAAD is dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of individuals and events in all media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. Contact GLAAD by e-mail at glaad@glaad.org or by phone at 323.658.6775 (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! 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The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of individuals and events in all media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are registered trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc.