Date: Mon, 13 Oct 1997 19:20:16 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADLines 10.13.97 GLAADLINES FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 13, 1997 News, Tips and Breaking Stories about the Gay & Lesbian Community contact: Don Romesburg (415) 861-2244 romesburg@glaad.org http://www.glaad.org ELLEN FINDS OUT NOT ALL KISSES ARE CREATED EQUAL: The parental advisory at the beginning of the October 8 episode of ABC's Ellen, in which Ellen and her friend Paige (Joely Fisher) shared a humorous kiss, set off a firestorm of controversy, with ABC defending its position by claiming it had to "warn" parents, and Ellen DeGeneres maintaining the advisory implied that displays of same-sex affection, even when done in a comedic context, are somehow more "adult" than male-female displays. "There have been a number of kisses in sitcoms over the years between same-sex characters, from Laverne & Shirley to Spin City," said Chastity Bono, GLAAD Entertainment Media Director. "Since ABC has been so supportive of Ellen in the past, we're surprised by the double standard applied with the parental warning." For more information contact Liz Tracey (GLAAD Associate Communications Director) at (212) 807-1700 or pgr. (800) 946-4646 pin# 1423527. NEA KEPT OUT OF SCHOOL BOARD MEETING, WILL HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE: In the ongoing fight to protect lesbian and gay youth in the Wayne-Westland (Michigan) Community School District, the latest maneuverings by anti-gay school board members will block a representative of the National Education Association's (NEA) Gay and Lesbian Caucus from speaking. Earlier this year, the board voted to remove the words "sexual orientation" from the district's non-discrimination policies. The NEA representative asked to be placed on the October 15 agenda in advance of the board meeting, but the school board filled the agenda, effectively squeezing the NEA out and making it impossible to address them and present a letter from NEA President Bob Chase expressing concern about the policy change. The NEA will hold a press conference at the meeting at 7:55 p.m. at the Timothy Dyer Building of the Wayne-Westland Community Schools District at 36745 Marquette Road in Westland. For more information contact Trish Brown (former School Board president) at (313) 397-1856. AIRLINE LEGAL ATTACK ON SAN FRANCISCO DOMESTIC PARTNERS UNDERWAY: On October 10 in a U.S. District Court in Oakland, California, the City of San Francisco began to defend its law requiring companies doing business with the City to provide the same benefits to domestic partners as they do to spouses of employees. The lawsuit, brought by Air Transport Association, the trade organization for the nation's major airlines, and the Airline Industrial Relations Conference, an industry lobby group, argues that only the federal government and not local bodies can impose such mandates on airlines. The City states that local governments have the authority to dictate how taxpayers' money is spent and the terms for doing business on city property. Joining San Francisco in the defense are the American Civil Liberties Union, the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund (LLDEF) and the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Officials in other cities considering similar equal rights laws, including Seattle, New York and San Diego, are closely following what City Attorney Louise Renne calls "a critical civil rights case." The ATA filed the suit after the Board of Supervisors granted United Airlines an extension on compliance so they could lease new space at the airport. United Airlines was to review the law, which they did, and then refused to comply. For more information contact Supervisor Tom Ammiano at (415) 554-5144. SOUTH CAROLINA GOP PROSECUTOR COMES OUT OF THE CLOSET: Last week, David Schwacke, chief prosecutor for Charleston and Berkeley counties in South Carolina, announced he is gay after local Republicans accused him of using his office computers to download pornography from the Internet. Schwacke has denied the allegations, and is the first openly lesbian or gay person to hold office in South Carolina. In a (Charleston) Post and Courier interview, Schwacke said, "I still consider myself as pro-family as the next person." Some fellow Republicans now are attempting to get him to step down, citing, as Rep. John Graham Altman II (Charleston) says, "actions that the Bible calls sin and state law calls a felony." "This appears to be a clear case of homophobia, where fundamentalist members of the Republican party are trying to dictate what the whole party stands for," said Brian Bland, a spokesperson for the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund. "Once again, extremist individuals are pushing their agenda on the rest of the party. This seems like a groundless attack to push Schwacke out [of the party]." For more information contact Kathleen DeBold (Victory Fund Communications Director) at (202) 842-8679. TOWN MEETINGS AROUND COUNTRY ADDRESS ANTI-GAY CRIMES: In preparation for President Clinton's national hate crimes summit in Washington, D.C. on November 10, the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) recently announced a number of town meetings to address anti-gay violence in towns and cities beginning October 13 in Alameda, California and ending November 5 in Houston. At each meeting, NGLTF will provide petitions for participants to record their own experiences of hate violence. The petitions will be delivered to President Clinton by NGLTF Executive Director Kerry Lobel. For more information contact Mark F. Johnson (NGLTF Media Director) at (202) 332-6483, ext. 3314 or pgr. (800) 757-6476. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is 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. "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) glaad@glaad.org TO REPORT DEFAMATION IN THE MEDIA - Call GLAAD's Alertline at 1.800.GAY.MEDIA or go to the GLAAD Web Site at www.glaad.org and report through our Alertline Online. TO JOIN GLAAD AND RECEIVE GLAAD's DISPATCH AND QUARTERLY IMAGES MAGAZINE, call 1.800.GAY.MEDIA or join on the Web today at www.glaad.org/glaad/join/join-about.html TO SUBSCRIBE TO GLAAD-Net, GLAAD's electronic mailing list, send e-mail to majordomo@vector.casti.com with the message "Subscribe GLAAD-Net" TO UNSUBSCRIBE, send e-mail to majordomo@vector.casti.com with the message "Unsubscribe GLAAD-Net" GLAAD is a national organization that promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation as a means of challenging discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are registered trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc. Date: Tue, 14 Oct 1997 10:56:19 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADLines Errata: For the October 13 1997 issue GLAADLines Errata: For the October 13 1997 issue Please note the following errors in yesterday's GLAADLines. 1. The press conference at the Wayne-Westland Community School District is October 14, not October 15. This press conference will be held at 7:55 p.m. at the Timothy Dyer Building of the Wayne-Westland Community Schools District at 36745 Marquette Road in Westland. For more information contact Trish Brown (former School Board president) at (313) 397-1856 or Liz Tracey (GLAAD Associate Communications Director) at (212) 807 1700, pager number 800 946 4646 PIN# 1423527. 2. Brian Bond of the Lesbian and Gay Victory Fund was erroneously identified as Brian Bland. We apologize any confusion this may have caused. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) glaad@glaad.org TO REPORT DEFAMATION IN THE MEDIA - Call GLAAD's Alertline at 1.800.GAY.MEDIA or go to the GLAAD Web Site at www.glaad.org and report through our Alertline Online. TO JOIN GLAAD AND RECEIVE GLAAD's DISPATCH AND QUARTERLY IMAGES MAGAZINE, call 1.800.GAY.MEDIA or join on the Web today at www.glaad.org/glaad/join/join-about.html TO SUBSCRIBE TO GLAAD-Net, GLAAD's electronic mailing list, send e-mail to majordomo@vector.casti.com with the message "Subscribe GLAAD-Net" TO UNSUBSCRIBE, send e-mail to majordomo@vector.casti.com with the message "Unsubscribe GLAAD-Net" GLAAD is a national organization that promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation as a means of challenging discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are registered trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc.