Date: Fri, 23 Feb 1996 08:37:37 +0100
From: glaad@glaad.org (GLAAD)
Subject: GLAADLines 02.23.96

GLAADLINES
Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
contact:  Claudia Manley
  (212) 807-1700
manley@glaad.org

News, Tips, and Information about the Gay & Lesbian Community

February  23, 1996--

HERESY HEARINGS BEGIN FEBRUARY 26TH:    The Ecclesiastical Court of the
Episcopal Church will be hearing arguments in the heresy trial of Bishop
Walter Righter. Righter has been charged with teaching a doctrine contrary
to that held by the church because he ordained an openly gay man, Barry
Stopfel, in 1990.  The hearings begin on Monday, February 26th with
arguments to be heard on Tuesday and Wednesday.  A ruling is expected on
Thursday, February 29th.  Three evenings of prayer and meditation in
support of Bishop Righter will be held at St. George's Church in Maplewood,
New Jersey where Barry Stopfel is priest.  For more information contact Kim
Byham (Integrity) at (212) 468-6136.

GLAAD CONTINUES ANTI-CENSORSHIP WORK:  GLAAD has been invited to become a
permanent part of CyberPatrol's CyberNOT Oversight Committee.  CyberPatrol,
an Internet filtering software program manufactured by Microsystems
Software, Inc., was criticized by GLAAD for blocking some gay and lesbian
resource Web sites.  Shortly thereafter CyberPatrol worked with GLAAD to
bring gay and lesbian people to the discussion. The CyberNOT Oversight
Committee will set policy and definitions for the criteria that the
software will block.  GLAAD has also become a member of the Coalition to
Stop Net Censorship, a group of organizations fighting for free speech on
the Internet.  For more information contact Loren Javier, Director of
Information Systems, at (213) 658-6775.

CENSORSHIP AT WOMEN'S RIGHTS PARK:  Lesbians living in the Seneca Falls,
New York area have formed the Coalition for Lesbian Visibility to rally
support against censorship at Women's Rights National Historical Park. A
photograph of a woman holding a sign that reads "BLACK, LESBIAN, FEMINIST"
was removed from a lobby display on December 8, 1995.  After initial
protests the photo was reinstalled on an obscure wall on the second floor
of the museum.  The Coalition is working for the photo's original full
inclusion in the lobby display.  For more information contact Becky Bly at
(315) 568-9364.

BUCHANAN MAKES ANTI-GAY STATEMENTS:    Republican presidential candidate
Patrick Buchanan commented on February 20th that he would not hire anyone
openly gay for a staff position in a Buchanan administration.  "Buchanan is
clearly appealing to the homophobia of the religious right and working
class who fear that gays and lesbians and other minorities want 'special
rights' and 'privileges'," said Mark F. Johnson, News Media Director for
GLAAD.  Johnson encourages the news media covering the presidential
campaigns to press the Republican candidates on these kinds of statements.
For more information contact Mark F. Johnson at (212) 807-1700.

NEW ENGLAND STUDENT LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE:  The Bisexual, Lesbian, and Gay
Alliance of Clark University is sponsoring a student leadership conference
in Worcester, Massachusetts on February 23rd through 25th.  The conference
hopes to equip students with leadership tools, breakdown both external and
internal homophobia, create a network of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and
transgender students in the New England area, and instill a sense of pride
in the community.  Participants include comedienne Georgia Ragsdale, author
Lynda Privitera, and author Michelangelo Signorile.  For more information
contact Patrick Beaudry at (508) 754-1292.

If you know of an event that merits media coverage, or if there is a news
story breaking in your area, please contact us.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation is a national organization
that promotes fair, accurate, and inclusive representation of individuals
and events in all media as a means of combating homophobia and all forms of
discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. To subscribe
contact Claudia Manley at (212) 807-1700 or at glaad@glaad.org.

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Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)
glaad@glaad.org
http://www.glaad.org

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, GLAAD, is a national
organization that promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation of
individuals and events in the media as a means of combatting homophobia and
all forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity.
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