Date: Mon, 11 Oct 1999 17:12:59 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADLines - October 11, 1999 GLAADLINES - October 11, 1999 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Wonbo Woo GLAAD Communications Manager (212) 807-1700 x24 woo@glaad.org http://www.glaad.org News and Breaking Stories about the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community 1) SOULFORCE MEETS WITH JERRY FALWELL 2) FEDERAL & IOWAN EXECUTIVE ORDERS ON MILITARY & EMPLOYMENT SIGNED 3) ONLINE RESOURCES EXPAND ON NATIONAL COMING OUT DAY 1) SOULFORCE MEETS WITH JERRY FALWELL: Outspoken conservative minister Jerry Falwell will meet with openly gay Rev. Mel White, in Lynchburg, Va., on Saturday, Oct. 23, to discuss rises in violence and rhetoric used against their respective communities. White was a ghostwriter for many prominent conservatives, including Falwell himself on his autobiography, Strength for the Journey, before coming out in 1993. This Summer, White set in motion a series of open letters between Falwell and himself, in which he objected chiefly to language Falwell had used in his fundraising appeals, noting that such rhetoric held the potential for inciting prejudice and violence. As a result, the two leaders met in August, and Falwell subsequently invited White and members of his organization, Soulforce, to the campus of Falwell's Liberty University to discuss the issues further. In a statement issued last month, Falwell said, "I continue to believe that God has given us unmistakable Divine instructions for living - and homosexuality is not a part of it. The message of God's Word is clearŠany sexual activities outside the heterosexual bonds of marriage is - very plainly - sin. However, I have promised Mel White and his supporters one thing - that I will ensure that no rhetoric from any of my ministries has the connotation of condoning aggression toward homosexuals." White responds that "Falwell is sincere, but sincerely wrong. The Bible is a gay-friendly book, whether he knows it or not. It will be very difficult for him to condemn hate speech sincerely when he is a primary source of it. We're going to Virginia to help him understand that his false and inflammatory rhetoric leads directly to acts of violence." White's organization, Soulforce Inc., is an ecumenical group working to advance the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons through the application of the non-violent teachings of Gandhi, King and Christ. To read the letters exchanged by White and Falwell, visit Soulforce's website at http://www.soulforce.org . For more information, contact White by phone at (949) 455-0999 or by e-mail at soulforce1@aol.com . 2) FEDERAL & IOWAN EXECUTIVE ORDERS ON MILITARY & EMPLOYMENT SIGNED: President Clinton signed an executive order on Wednesday, Oct. 6, amending the Manual for Courts-Martial and allowing the military to apply more stringent sentences to perpetrators of hate crimes based on race, color, religion or sexual orientation. The signing comes in the wake of the beating murder of PFC Barry Winchell in July at Ft. Campbell, Ky., and precedes the court martialing of his alleged killer [see GLAADLines 09.27.99], although the New York Times reports that White House officials say the order was in process before Winchell's death. The order also creates a limited confidentiality privilege between psychotherapists and service members - protecting service members from having their sexual orientation disclosed by therapists in criminal proceedings. Unfortunately, most military discharges based on sexual orientation are through administrative - not criminal - actions. Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) called the therapist privilege "a good first step," but called for the military to apply the protections to administrative actions as well. For more information, contact Michelle Benecke or C. Dixon Osburn, SLDN's Co-Executive Directors, at (202) 328-3244. Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack also signed an executive order last week: signed Thursday, Oct. 7, the order protects state employees from discrimination based on categories that include both sexual orientation and gender identity. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) noted in an Oct. 7 release that Vilsack's order is thought to be the first of its kind to include gender identity and extend protections to transgender persons. For more information, contact Randy Palmer of the Gay and Lesbian Caucus of the Iowa Democratic Party at (515) 244-9202. 3) ONLINE RESOURCES EXPAND ON NATIONAL COMING OUT DAY: In honor of National Coming Out Day, Gay.com and NeoPlanet, Inc., today released the first lesbian- and gay-specific Internet browser. With features including a personalized start page through the creation of a profile on Gay.com, navigational links to key Gay.com channels, and connections to Gay.com's Rainbow Query search engine, the software provides users with immediate and specific access to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender resources on the Web. "Your Gay Browser" is available free to PC users running Windows 95, 98 or NT and can be downloaded by visiting Gay.com at http://www.gay.com . Among the newer resources now available online is the just-launched Outpath Coming Out Archives of !OutProud!, the National Coalition for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth. The site features personal accounts by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people as well as stories told by family members who have come to terms with the sexual orientations or gender identities of their relatives. Outpath visitors can browse the archives or perform searches for stories told by those similar to themselves -- matching relatives' or youth's stories by gender and age range. "The growing number of resources available online is testament to the community's growth in visibility and activism," said GLAAD Interactive Media Director Loren Javier, "The Web gives people access to vital resources which are oftentimes unavailable to them in their local communities. With its discussion of people's struggles to come out, Outpath in particular highlights the need to provide safe forums online for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons who fear persecution in their offline lives." For more information on the Gay Browser, contact John Finco at (415) 252-6700 x2222 or by e-mail at: john@onlinepartners.com . For more information on Outpath or !OutProud!, contact !OutProud! at (415) 460-5452 or by e-mail at: info@outproud.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. 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The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is a national organization that promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation of individuals and events in the media as a means of combating homophobia and 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.