Date: Mon, 18 May 1998 15:20:14 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADLines May 18, 1998 GLAADLINES FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 18, 1998 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 -EDITOR'S NOTE: Due to the Memorial Day holiday, next week's GLAADLines will be released on Tuesday, May 26.- 1) FALL TV SEASON LOOKS PROMISING FOR GAY INCLUSION 2) AFTER BEN WRIGHT APOLOGIZES, GLAAD ENCOURAGES WHITE TO DO SAME 3) LESBIAN JOURNALIST CHARGES U.S. WITH HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION OF FREE SPEECH 4) AT&T REACHES OUT AND TOUCHES DOMESTIC PARTNERS 5) AFRICAN-AMERICAN LESBIANS GATHER IN NATION'S CAPITAL FALL TV SEASON LOOKS PROMISING FOR GAY INCLUSION: The three major networks announce their Fall primetime schedules in New York this week, and the number and quality of lesbian and gay characters already looks promising. Most notably, NBC has picked up Will & Grace, a sitcom revolving around the lives of a gay male and his straight female best friend. This show will signal the return of a gay lead character to primetime after ABC's cancellation of Ellen. Also, a number of shows returning this fall already have strong lesbian and gay regular characters, including Spin City (ABC) and Mad About You (NBC). "The TV lineup is already looking extremely positive with regards to lesbian and gay inclusion," said Chastity Bono, GLAAD Entertainment Media Director. "I believe that when the schedules are set and the viewers tune in this Fall, they will see a variety of well-rounded and diverse representations of our lives." For more information, contact Bill Horn (GLAAD Assistant Entertainment Media Director) at (213) 658-6775 or horn@glaad.org. AFTER BEN WRIGHT APOLOGIZES, GLAAD ENCOURAGES WHITE TO DO SAME: Following former CBS golf analyst Ben Wright's admission in the May 18 Sports Illustrated (SI) that his anti-lesbian comments during the 1995 LPGA Tour were "wrong," GLAAD is encouraging NFL player Reggie White to clarify his own anti-gay comments. Wright told SI that his comments were "dumb" and "wrong." In related news, on May 12, Reggie White told a group in Rancho Mirage, California that, "The devil does his best to make you look bad when you preach the gospel-not only to look bad but to make you look dumb," hardly apologizing for claiming that gay people were equivalent to "back-stabbers, liars and cheats" in a March speech to the Wisconsin State Assembly. GLAAD Communications Director Jennifer Einhorn said, "GLAAD calls upon White to follow Wright's example and apologize for his disparaging remarks which serve only to promote a climate of fear and intolerance. All Americans, regardless of their sexual orientation or identity, are entitled to work and live free from discrimination." For more information, contact Jennifer Einhorn (GLAAD) at (212) 807-1700 or pgr. (888) 656-9045. LESBIAN JOURNALIST CHARGES U.S. WITH HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION OF FREE SPEECH: On behalf of a journalist whose employment was terminated owing to her off-hours political activity, the Magnus Hirschfeld Centre for Human Rights (MHCHR) has charged the United States government with a series of human rights violations after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to consider an appeal of her case. Sandy Nelson, who was fired in 1990 from her reporting job at the Tacoma [Washington] News-Tribune for working towards lesbian and gay equal rights outside of work, appealed to the nation's high court after the Washington Supreme Court found in favor of her employer as justified in its action. In 1997, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case without comment. "In 1992, the U.S. became a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political rights, which among other things guarantees the right to freedom of expression and assembly and the right to participate in the political process," said MHCHR Executive Director William Courson. "Absent a showing by her employer that Ms. Nelson's off-duty political activity bore some rational nexus to her performance as a journalist, which hasn't happened, I believe this is clearly a violation of the U.S.'s legal obligations to the international community, much less its own citizens and residents." For more information, contact Associate Director Camille Zanni (MHCHR) at (201) 237-3406. AT&T REACHES OUT AND TOUCHES DOMESTIC PARTNERS: Last week, AT&T announced a tentative agreement to offer full domestic partnership benefits to employees' designated same-gender partners. This agreement, made with the Communication Workers of America and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, will give health, dental, vision and group legal coverage. "This is historic," said Linda Escalante, co-president of LEAGUE, AT&T's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered employee group. "LEAGUE congratulates AT&T, CWA and IBEW on treating AT&T employees with equity and fairness in the bargaining process." For more information contact Linda Escalante (LEAGUE) at (908) 658-6790. AFRICAN-AMERICAN LESBIANS GATHER IN NATION'S CAPITAL: On May 23, hundreds of African-American lesbians, friends and family will be in Washington, D.C. for CLOAVE DC '98, sponsored by Collective Lesbians of African-Descent Voices Everywhere. Featured guests include comedian Karen Williams, filmmaker Aishah Shahidah Simmons, Revs. Irene Monroe and Tanya Rawls and many others. For more information contact Nailah Talibah (CLOAVE) at (202) 544-9298. 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. "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.