Date: Mon, 21 Oct 1996 17:09:40 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADlines 10.21.96 GLAADLINES contact: Don Romesburg (415) 861-2244 romesburg@glaad.org http://www.glaad.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 21, 1996 News, Tips, and Breaking Stories about the Gay & Lesbian Community "JENNY JONES" ANTI-GAY MURDER TRIAL CONTINUES: After a dramatic first week in the "Jenny Jones" anti-gay murder trial, Jonathan Schmitz continues to grab the national media spotlight with his TV version of the outmoded "homosexual panic" defense. Last week, Jonathan Schmitz admitted to murdering Scott Amedure after the taping of the infamous "Secret Crush" episode of the Jenny Jones Show. The episode which had never previously aired, was shown in its entirety on Court-TV. Defense attorneys are trying to place the talk show on trial for the killing, along with Schmitz's bouts with depression, alcoholism and Grave's disease. But as talk show host Ricki Lake commented on the October 17th Entertainment Tonight, "it wasn't about the Jenny Jones Show going too far; it was about homophobia in our country and that was the issue that nobody addressed." For more information contact Jeffrey Montgomery (Triangle Project) at (313) 537-3323. SAN FRANCISCO CELEBRATES GAY HISTORY WITH HARVEY MILK DISPLAY: The James C. Hormel Gay & Lesbian Center at the San Francisco Public Library is celebrating Lesbian & Gay History Month with two new displays, "Harvey Milk" and "Shedding a Straightjacket." The Harvey Milk exhibit traces the important role that Milk played in San Francisco and gay politics by focusing on his political career, assassination and its aftermath, and his legacy. Using photos, original documents and other artifacts, the exhibit shows familiar images juxtaposed with previously unseen materials. "Shedding a Straightjacket: Homophile Civil Rights/Homosexual Liberation, 1961-1966," is an exhibit documenting through photos, publications and original documents the ways in which homophile leaders across the country worked to shatter the silence around homosexual issues and oppression. The displays will be on view through November 14, 1996. For more information contact Eleanor Shapiro (Community Relations, SF Public Library) at (415) 557-4277. GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY FREEZES OUT GAY CENTER: Citing Virginia's sodomy law, the George Mason University (GMU) Board of Visitors is withholding a previously approved $15,000 in funding for a gay/lesbian/ bisexual/transgender resource center. At the September 18 Student Affairs Committee meeting, the board's rector Marvin Murray, echoing the sentiment of several other board members, stated that "the activities of these [gay] people we are discussing are illegal in the Commonwealth of Virginia....The university ought not to be spending resources supporting that sort of activity." Beth Armitage, a graduate student who is involved with the move to reinstate funding, noted that "spitting is illegal in Virginia, too, but you don't see the Board of Visitors trying to block funding for basketball." The Board of Visitors reconvenes November 20 to further discuss the issue. For more information contact Beth Armitage (GMU) at (703) 993-2851 or e-mail: barmitag@osf1.gmu.edu. YOUNG GAY SOUTHERNERS GATHER FOR CONFERENCE: Reaching Out In The South: The Second Annual Southeastern Conference for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth, their Advisors and Counselors, will be held at the University of South Carolina, Columbia on October 25-27. A host of speakers will include keynote addresses by Pam Parsons, national speaker and former basketball coach at University of South Carolina, and Bob Bernstein, author of Straight Parents, Gay Children. Workshops will address coming out issues, being gay at school and diversity. For more information contact Gaurav Shroff (Bisexual, Gay and Lesbian Association at USC) at (803) 771-0008 or e-mail: uscbgla@vm.sc.edu. TEACHERS GO BACK TO SCHOOL ON GAY ISSUES: On October 26 in Union City, California (outside San Francisco), over 500 educators are expected to attend United In Diversity: West Coast Conference on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Issues in Education. The event, sponsored by BANGLE/GLSTN (Bay Area Network of Gay and Lesbian Educators/Gay, Lesbian and Straight Teachers Network), will feature a keynote speech by Elaine Eastin, the California Superintendent of Public Instruction and feature over 50 workshops, including: Why Schools Need to Address Homophobia and Heterosexism-Preparing a Teacher In-Service and The Rights of Gay Teachers. For more information contact Bob Latham (BANGLE) at (510) 234-3429 or e-mail: BobLatham@aol.com. To report events that merit media coverage, or news stories breaking in your area, please contact us. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is the nation's lesbian & gay news bureau and the only national lesbian & gay multimedia watchdog organization. GLAAD promotes fair, accurate, and inclusive representation as a means of challenging discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. To subscribe contact Don Romesburg at (415) 861-2244 or at romesburg@glaad.org. 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