Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1999 17:56:11 -0700 From: GLAAD Subject: GLAADLINES 08.23.99 GLAADLINES Contact: Sean Lund, GLAAD (323) 658-6775 x18 lund@glaad.org http://www.glaad.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: AUGUST 23, 1999 News and Breaking Stories about the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (lgbt) Community GLAAD SAYS 1999-2000 PRIMETIME TV LINEUP "BARELY REALISTIC": In its annual Fall TV Scoreboard, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has voiced concerns over the lack of diversity and depth in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (lgbt) prime-time representations. "The upcoming television season is barely realistic in the portrayals of lesbian and gay characters," said GLAAD Entertainment Media Director Scott Seomin, noting that of the new season's 28 lesbian, gay and transgender characters (there are no bisexual representations on the fall schedule) on broadcast and cable networks, the majority are small, recurring roles; and of the nine gay lead or supporting roles, all are male and only one is a person of color. There are some bright spots, Seomin observed, such as soap-opera actor Russell (Dan Montgomery) on the ABC drama Wasteland and the elderly gay couple Wally & Gus (voices of Tom Kenny and Nick Jameson) included in the WB animated series Mission Hill. Returning shows, including the WB's Dawson's Creek, NBC's Will & Grace and ABC's Spin City, also show promise in their gay representations. "These are shows with integrity," Seomin noted, "but they need to further develop their gay characters." GLAAD is appealing to the networks not only to include more lgbt representations on television, but also to make the representations more diverse and more fully realized. For more information, contact GLAAD Entertainment Media Director Scott Seomin at (323) 658-6775, ext. 14, or via e-mail at seomin@glaad.org . GLAAD's TV Scoreboard can be found on-line at www.glaad.org . TESTIMONY CONCLUDES IN SCHMITZ TRIAL; DEFENSE PAINTS VICTIM AS STALKER: After three days of witnesses (and only three hours of defense testimony), the second trial of Jonathan Schmitz for the murder of Scott Amedure will likely go to the jury after closing arguments on Wednesday (see GLAADLines 08.16.99). Killed by Schmitz after revealing his affections on an unaired episode of The Jenny Jones Show, the openly gay Amedure was painted by the defense as an obsessed stalker, suggesting that given Amedure's provocation, his death at Schmitz' hands represented manslaughter - not second-degree murder. "Had Schmitz 'humiliation' caused him to attack Amedure right after the show, there might be some question of intent," said Jeffrey Montgomery, executive director of the Triangle Foundation. "But when you look at the three-day interval between the show and the murder, the purchase of a gun and ammunition, and the deliberate way in which Amedure was murdered, this was clearly a premeditated act." For more information, contact Triangle Foundation Executive Director Jeffrey Montgomery at (313) 537-3323. E*TRADE CEO GIVES $300,000 TO DEFEAT ANTI-GAY CALIFORNIA INITIATIVE: Kathy Levinson, president and CEO of E*Trade Group, Inc., and her partner have donated $300,000 to "No On Knight," a statewide effort to defeat the controversial California initiative to ban gay marriages. "This initiative is unfair, divisive and intrusive," Levinson said in a recent statement. "Government ought not pass any law that intrudes into the private lives and decisions of individuals and singles out one group of people for discrimination." The so-called "Knight Initiative" -- named after chief sponsor State Sen. Pete Knight (R-Palmdale) -- would restrict civil marriage in California to one man and one woman. "If the Knight Initiative passes here in California, Pete Knight and his right-wing allies will use it to attack hospital visitation rights, domestic partnership laws and even local non-discrimination laws that give gay and lesbian Californians the same equal rights and responsibilities that all Californians deserve," said Mike Marshall, campaign manager for Californians For Fairness, organizers of the "No On Knight" campaign. For more information, contact Californians For Fairness Campaign Manager Mike Marshall at (415) 227-1020. GIULIANI TO ADDRESS LOG CABIN REPUBLICAN CONVENTION: New York City Mayor (and likely GOP Senate candidate) Rudolph Giuliani will deliver the keynote address at "Liberty for All" - the 1999 Log Cabin National Leadership Conference on Saturday, August 28 in New York City. The conference, the largest annual gathering of gay and lesbian conservatives in the nation, will also include a plenary debate on the state of the gay movement featuring author Andrew Sullivan, Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund Executive Director Brian Bond, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute Director Urvashi Vaid and Richard Tafel, executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans. The conference also will focus on increasing civic activism by gay Americans through workshops on fundraising, campaigning and grass-roots organizing. For more information, please contact Log Cabin Republicans Director of Public Affairs Kevin Ivers at (202) 347-5306. GLAAD, the nation's lesbian & gay media advocacy organization, 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.