Date: Mon, 20 Apr 1998 16:23:12 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADLines April 20, 1998 April 20, 1998 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE contact: Don Romesburg (415) 861-2244 romesburg@glaad.org http://www.glaad.org News and Breaking Stories about the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community GLAAD MEDIA AWARDS A HIT COAST-TO-COAST: GLAAD set record attendance at their 9th Annual Media Awards, honoring the best and brightest media representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community over the past year. The awards were held at three events in New York on March 30, Washington, DC on April 4, and last night in Los Angeles. Overall, the Media Awards were attended by more than 3,500 people and the events raised $1.4 million for the organization. Jennifer Aniston, Tony Bennett, Cher, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Douglas, Fran Drescher, Larry King, Joni Mitchell, Sigourney Weaver and many others attended. "I was awestruck by sheer size and talent that the Media Awards drew this year," said Jason Heffner, GLAAD Deputy Director. "From coast-to-coast, thousands got to see the culmination of GLAAD's work over the past, history-making year." For more information or a list of Media Awards recipients, please contact Bill Horn (GLAAD Assistant Entertainment Media Director) at (213) 658-6775, ext. 17, or via e-mail at horn@glaad.org. GAY UNITED AIRLINES EMPLOYEES PUSH FOR FULL BENEFITS FOLLOWING RULING: Coming shortly after a federal court ruling on San Francisco's ordinance requiring all businesses working with the City to provide domestic partnership benefits to employees, United With Pride, United Airlines' gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender employee group is pushing the airline to give all employees equal benefits. In the April 10 court ruling, a judge decided that while San Francisco had the right to have such a policy in cases where the city is a consumer, it cannot demand certain employee benefits from companies in cases where the city acts as regulator, such as is the case at the airport. United Airlines claimed that the suit, brought by United Airlines and other members of the Air Transportation Association (ATA), had nothing to do with trying to evade providing equal benefits to gay employees, but rather had to do with corporate rights in interstate commerce. "United's intentions on domestic partners should become clearer in the weeks following the ruling," said United With Pride Executive Director Nick Morse, adding, "United should take the lead among airlines to correct these discriminatory practices for all its employees." For more information, contact Nick Morse (United With Pride) at (415) 908-6776. AMERICA FALLS IN LOVE WITH OBJECT: This past weekend, the low-budget studio-produced romantic comedy The Object of My Affection opened a strong second at the box office, grossing an estimated $10 million. The film explores the friendship between Nina Borowski (Jennifer Aniston) and George Hansen (Paul Rudd), a gay teacher. "The early success of Object reconfirms that Americans not only accept, but embrace accurate depictions of lesbians and gay men," said Chastity Bono, GLAAD Entertainment Media Director. "Hollywood is finally reaping the rewards of non-stereotypical portrayals of gay people in a number of films.=20 Not only are these films receiving critical acclaim, but they make for good box office." For more information please contact Bill Horn (GLAAD Assistant Entertainment Media Director) at (213) 658-6775, ext. 17, or via e-mail at horn@glaad.org. EIGHTH CALIFORNIA AIDS LOBBY DAY HITS SACRAMENTO: On April 20, hundreds of people from around California will gather in Sacramento for the Eighth California AIDS Lobby Day. Throughout the day, people will meet with state legislative representatives to discuss HIV/AIDS issues and the challenges for people living with HIV and AIDS. The event, coordinated by the AIDS Budget Coalition, will bring together advocates from around the state, including AIDS Project Los Angeles, LIFE Lobby, San Francisco AIDS Foundation, Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California and the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center. For more information contact the HIV Advocacy Network (San Francisco AIDS Foundation) at (415) 487-3080. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is the nation's lesbian & gay multimedia advocacy 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.=20 "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are registered 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.