Date: Mon, 19 Oct 1998 15:20:39 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADLines October 19, 1998 GLAADLINES Contact: Liz Tracey (212) 807 1700 X18 tracey@glaad.org http://www.glaad.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 19, 1998 News and Breaking Stories about the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community I WANT MY LGBT TV!: The Museum of Television and Radio Los Angeles will be conducting 2 panels this week on lesbian, gay and HIV-positive images on television. The panels, entitled "AIDS and Gay Images on Television" (October 20) and "Come Out Laughing: Gay and Lesbian Characters in Situation Comedies" (October 22), will examine the groundbreaking shows that brought members of the lesbian and gay community into American living rooms and changed the dialogue around our issues. Among those participating will be Richard Kramer (thirtysomething, Tales Of The City) Howard Rosenberg (TV Critic, Los Angeles Times), David Crane (Friends), Tim Doyle (Ellen) and Maxine Lapiduss (Ellen, Roseanne). GLAAD Executive Director Joan M. Garry, who will be participating in the October 22 panel on situation comedies, commented, "Television has played such a multifaceted role in the evolution of lesbian and gay visibility that this opportunity to look at how far we've come is sure to be both illuminating and entertaining." For more information about the panels, contact Nick Adams (GLAAD) at (213) 658-6775. PERPETUATING PREJUDICE: A study published this month by Harvard University finds that while reporting on lesbians and gay men over the past fifty years has improved dramatically, serious problems remain in the coverage afforded the community. Lisa Bennett, a recent Harvard fellow and faculty member at New York University, wrote the report surveying the past 50 years using Time and Newsweek magazines as a window into how the issues have been framed and discussed. Among the findings of The Perpetuation of Prejudice In Reporting on Gays and Lesbians: the significant imbalance in reporting on lesbians versus gay men up until the 1990s; the continuing equation of the lesbian and gay community with sex, and the unquestioning acceptance of "experts" on these issues. Bennett's recommendations include: questioning derogatory comments, instead of letting them stand on their own; insistence upon evidence supporting stereotypes and allegations; challenging powerful sources who may be given credence without having to defend statements based on bias or personal prejudice. To order a copy of the report, contact the Joan Shorenstein in the Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government at (617) 789-0692. Lisa Bennett may be contacted via e-mail at Benscribe@aol.com. HEALTH CONFERENCE FOR THE TRANS COMMUNITY: On Saturday, October 24, 1998 the 4th Annual Transgender/Transsexual Health Empowerment Conference will be held in New York City at The Audre Lorde Project. "Transworld," as it is known, is geared toward enabling transgender/transsexual people in taking charge of their own well-being, and creating an informed consumership when seeking out health care. For more information, please contact Rosalyne Blumenstein (Gender Identity Project, NYC Lesbian & Gay Community ServicesCenter) at (212) 620-7310. OUT OF THE PAST, INTO THE FUTURE: In continuing observance of Lesbian & Gay History Month, the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN) is spearheading a grassroots campaign to show the award-winning documentary Out of The Past for educators and students from Greensboro, N.C. to Los Angeles. The film, which won the Audience Award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival, and which will air on PBS this fall, chronicles 300 years of American lesbian and gay history. GLSEN hopes to have "Out of the Past" screened for educators and youth, as well as in classroom settings as a teaching tool. "We see this as a tremendous opportunity to open discussion in our school, and to give students a more accurate sense of their history," said Judy Vreeland, director of the Boston-area Walden School. Press kits are available for the film. For more information, contact Matt Lavine (GLSEN) at (212) 727-0135, or via e-mail at lavine@glsen.org. 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 Wonbo Woo at (212) 807-1700 or at woo@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 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.