GLAAD/LA Reports - June Issue Carl Matthes, Editor FAX (213) 257-5878 Family of Pride... GLAAD/LA To Celebrate with CSW June 26 & 27 We Invite You to Join Us On June 26 and 27 GLAAD/LA will be joining Christopher Street West (CSW) for the 1993 Gay & Lesbian Pride Parade. The theme of this year's event is "Family of Pride," and includes Jehan Agama, immediate past co-president of GLAAD/LA, as one of the Parade's Community Grand Marshals. All GLAAD/LA members, families and friends are invited to join us to help celebrate. GLAAD/LA will be participating in three ways: 1) Having a marching contingent in the Parade on Sunday, June 27. 2) Supplying Media Escorts for the press covering the Festival. 3) Working in the GLAAD/LA information booth during the two day Festival. Those who are able to be a part of the marching contingent on the morning of June 27, will be treated to "Brunch on the Truck" by the GLAAD/LA Board of Directors. Marchers need to meet in the staging area (Crescent Heights and Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood) by 10:00 am. Please reserve for Brunch by June 24 to (213) 413-1981. The Parade steps off at 11:00 am. Those who would like to volunteer as Media Escorts and to help in the information booth, please call Carol Anderson, Community Outreach Ch (213) 463-3632 by June 15. Your help and the help of your friends and families is vital to this important community effort. We look forward to welcoming you. Co-President's Column by Dean Hansell Chances are when you call the GLAAD/LA office, receive something in the mail from GLAAD/LA, or even read the articles in this newsletter, the work that made that possible was done by a volunteer. Dozens of volunteers do the work of this organization. Indeed, with a staff of only two full time people and a limited budget, GLAAD/LA could not function without the tireless efforts of our volunteers. Volunteers assist GLAAD/LA by helping to answer phones in the office, provide computer assistance and data input, assist with special events, provide graphics assistance, help with fund raising, work on the development of our media archives, do public speaking, serve on the monitor/response committee, advise the Deputy Director about media strategy, staff booths, design floats and sets, work with the media, prepare letters, meet with editors, sit in numerous committee meetings, balance budgets, orga r monthly membership meetings, organize our silent auctions, sponsor yard sales, write and edit newsletter articles, run the Media Awards and countless other duties. If you would like to get involved with GLAAD/LA there are numerous ways in which you can do so. The activities listed above are just a sampling of the ways in which we could use help. For example, in the next couple of months we could use office volunteers, assistance in staffing the GLAAD/LA booth at Christopher Street West, marching with GLAAD/LA in the CSW parade and help with fund raising. If you are interested in getting involved please call the GLAAD/LA office (213) 463-3632 or write us at 703 t Blvd., Suite 304, Hollywood 90028. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our many volunteers for their tireless efforts on our behalf. I have tried to identify our wonderful volunteers below. I apologize to those I have missed. Office and computer volunteers: Steve Barker, Wendy Battles, Roy Bigelow, Frank Carrillo, Roger Everaert, Roget Fouts, Tom Joyce, Christopher Leighton, John McLaughlin, Hillary Oberstein (UCLA intern), Terry Piersol, Wally Smith, Steven Solomon and Charles Zweig. Graphic and artistic assistance: John Cook, Leonard Centrangolo, Brock Klein and Jan Simons. Media Archives: Al Boiles, Ann Dutton, John Elkholy, V.P. McConnell, Robert Peterson, Phil Piga, Walt Rutley, Eric Wat and Winston Wilde. Monitor/Response Committee: James Abbott, Bryan Blumberg, Ruthe Canter, Anne Dutton, Dave Frick, Garrett Glaser, Shawn Griffin, Carl Johnson, Jason Lin, Bob LaFont, Carl Matthes, John McKee, Nancy Movich, Steven Moore, Ruben Ovando, Robin Podolsky, Sylvia Rhue, Susan Vogelfang and David Zahniser. Speakers Bureau: Carol Anderson, Jehan Agrama, Robin Podolsky, Stephanie Farrington-Domingue, Peter Nardi, Charlotte Innes, Myra Riddell and Will Halm. Media Outreach Committee: Sandy Bodner, Alex Andrews, Karen Wilson, Andy Wei ss er and Jack Sansolo. Women of GLAAD: Tracey Stern, Lesli Klainberg, Bronwyn McGarva, Bernie Meagher, Carmel Sella and Jane Wheeler. Newsletter and Editorial Advisory Committee: Carl Matthes, Garrett Glaser, Lee Werbel, David Zahniser and John Cook. Board of Directors: Jehan Agrama, Carol Anderson, Ruthe Canter, Veronica Davis, Stephanie Farrington-Domingue, Garrett Glaser, Will Halm, Dean Hansell, Richard Jennings, Michael Keegan, Adel Martinez, Lois and Arnold Newdo rf (P-FLAG liaisons), Robin Podolsky, Syl via Rhue, Myra Riddell, Jan Simons, Carmichael Smith-Low, Stephanie Thomas and Karen Wilson. Also, Fund Raising: Richard Jennings, Adel Martinez, Dean Hansell, Stephanie Farrington-Domingue, Jeff Sheets, Debby Winter, David Bohnett, David Schneiderman, Robert Nitkin, and Karen Wilson. Media Strategy Committee: Jehan Agrama, Marc Berman, Sandy Bodner, Rich Jennings, Robin Podolsky. Media Awards Co-Chairs and Executive Producer: Will Halm, Carmichael Smith-Low and Robert Norton. Celebrity Committee: Jehan Agrama, Mary Buck, Kyle Counts, Kym Frolick, Shawn Griffin, Rebecca McCann. Corporate Sp Committee: David Bohnett, Jehan Agrama, Sandy Bodner, Kym Frolick, Garrett Glaser and Michael Keegan. Nominations Committee: Veronica Davis, Myra Riddell, Jehan Agrama, Rich Jennings and Michael Keegan. Program Book Production, Photography, Graphic Design, Sales and Printing: Carl Matthes, Jehan Agrama, Thomas Mondragon, Wayne Shimabukuro, Ella Matthes, Tracy Griggs, David Auch, Sandy Bodner, Cheryl McDermott and Bruce Tucker. Silent Auction Committee: Stephanie Farrington-Domingue, Dea n Hansell, Norma D'An drea, Peter Gray, Rick Nahmias, Wayne Shimabukuro, Lee Werbel and Winston Wilde. Video Production Committee: Jehan Agrama, Bruce Bailey, Monte Bramer, Lesli Klainberg, Bob LaFont, Post Logic, Robert Norton, Sylvia Rhue and David Schneiderman. Public Relations: Sandy Bodner, David Smith, Jeff Sullivan, Serena Tripi and Lee Werbel. Media Awards Production: Andy Friedman (Writer), Gregg Haggard (Musical Director), Pat Bautz, Jennifer York, Reuben Walters (Set Desi gner), Lisa Marro-Hyman (Associate Producer), D avid Raybould, Rami Aizic, John Vaughan, Brian Rabolli (Stage Manager), David Allen, Ken Stevens, Greg Gilbert, John Maher, Nick Aquilino, Chris Babb, Jim Beatty, Sherry Clark, Marisa Folse, Lisa Gendell, Errol Graham, Jason Murakawa, Power, Andrew Printer, Daryl Roberts, Mariellen Serena, John Shoemaker, Nicholas Snow, Herb Hamsher, Deborah Johnson, Mike Hudson, Jonathan Stack, Richard Weiland, Brian England and Randall Styron. Media Awards Graphic Assistants: Brit Billeaud, Sandy Cottriel, Lo reena Yollin and Peter Yollin. Media Awards Clothing Design, Hair and Makeup: Juan Risuleo and Kelsey Fry. Media Awards Models: Paul Batoon, Roger Erickson, Susan Fritz-Simon, Rubin Flores, Marisa Folse, Peter Gray, Jennie O'Donnell, Robin Ziemer and Joani Weir. Program Book Writers: David Bender, Shauna Brown, Veronica Davis, R. Daniel Foster, Garrett Glaser, Rich Jennings, Juan Carlos Nagel, Mary Newcombe, Robin Podolsky, and Sylvia Rhue. A Letter From Washington... Stoddard Calls for End of Hearings The following letter was hand delivered to Senator Sam Nunn from the Campaign for Military Service on May 14, 1993: Dear Senator Nunn: Before the Armed Services Committee, under your direction, began its hearings on the military's policy toward lesbian and gay servicemembers, you promised a process that was "fair, thorough and objective." After the commencement of the hearings, you repeatedly renewed your pledge of fairness. As recently as two days ago, a spokesman of yours asserted in The Washington Post, "The hearings have been fair, they've been thorough and they've been objective." The hearings themselves, however, especially as conducted this week, belie your pledge of fairness. You have directed proceedings that are inherently unbalanced -- proceedings that promote your personal views on the issue to the denigration of other perspectives and opinions. (We note that The Atlanta Constitution, the most important newspaper in your state, rebuked you for the lack of balance in the hearings in an editorial this past Wednesday. The Constitution wrote: 'Mr. Nunn had an opportunity t strate that he could be an honest broker on a tough issue. Instead, he has allowed his own prejudices on the subject to overwhelm the hearings. So far, the Senator's conduct has fallen far short of statesmanlike." As the weeks have passed , your promise of impartiality has degenerated into a succession of bigoted personal testimonials and media stunts. I write now to document the appalling imbalance in the process to date and to protest your conduct in connection with the hearings. Furthermore, on behalf of The Campaign for Military Service and its scores of constituent organizations, in Washington and across the country, I call upon you to bring the hearings in their present guise to an immediate end. Neither the Senate nor the nation will gain from any further prolongation of the present process. The evidence of bias in the direction of the hearings is overwhelming. It includes the following: 1. Skewed selection and presentation of witnesses. You and your staff have consistently favored witnesses who are advocates of your position, or who, at a minimum, would not challenge that position. Meanwhile, you have rejected witnesses who hold contrary or competing opinions. Thus, you entertained testimony on Tuesday from General Norman Schwarzkopf, who opposes any change in current policy, but refused to permit testimony from Senator Barry Goldwater, who favors such a change. Senator Goldwater ed to testify and was in Washington on Tuesday. And as a former Colonel and pilot in the Army Air Corps during World War II and a Major General in the Air Force Reserves, as well as a former chairman of the Armed Services Committee itself, he was at least as appropriate a witness as General Schwarzkopf. Monday's public hearing in Norfolk was especially unfair -- indeed, inflammatory. You and the Committee received testimony from 15 servicemembers in fervent opposition to a change in policy. All had been call by you. None had any significant personal experience with gay servicemembers. Their presentations, taken together, amounted to nothing more than a collective expression of distaste for gay people, utterly uninformed by any knowledge or analysis. You permitted, on the other side, only two witnes porting a change in policy, both naval officers now facing discharges. And while they were testifying, you did virtually nothing to stop the persistent grumbling and hissing in the audience from hostile servicemembers. Your selection of "expert" witnesses also shows the imbalance in the process. We submitted the names of nine witnesses for the sessions on the history and constitutionality of the current policy. You accepted from among that number only one person (Lawrence Korb). Among those rejected were the only two historians to have systematically and independently studied the current policy (Allan Berube and John D'Emilio); they were apparently rejected because they are both gay men and have stated their oppos o the policy. Also rejected were a number of constitutional scholars with considerable knowledge of the current case law on the ban. Instead of these genuine experts, you chose witnesses with little or no grounding in this issue who simply made use of the research and analysis of others. 2. Refusal to protect witnesses subject to retaliation. Under the current policy, even in its modified form, any lesbian or gay servicemember identified as such is subject to involuntary discharge. Despite this undisputed fact of life for gay servicemembers, and despite your assertion that you want the hearings to be "fair" and "objective," you and your staff rejected our requests for protection for lesbian and gay servicemembers who wished to present their views to the committee, either publicly or ely. You declined to consider any form of assurance of no retaliatory discharges, and you declined, alternatively, to arrange for the anonymous rendering of testimony. Consequently, no lesbian or gay servicemember could feel safe in stepping forward. This assertion is more than speculation. In advance of the hearings in Norfolk on Monday, we collected more than 100 letters from active-duty servicemembers who expressed a desire to speak to the Committee, but believed they could not to so without the Committee's protection. Different, but related fears impeded testimony from heterosexual servicemembers who support an end to the existing policy. Such servicemembers may, in the present climate, encounter suspicion, harassment and ridicule if their desire to testify is known. They may even become targets of investigation into their sexual orientation and conduct. Under these circumstances, the refusal to extend any protection whatever to servicemembers who support a change, whether they are homosexual or heterosexual, con s by itself a fundamental -- extremely troubling -- breach of your pledge of fairness. 3. Staging of stunts and spectacles for the media. Of all the unfair aspects of the Committee's deliberations, your decision to lead reporters, photographers and television camera on a lurid inspection of naval shower stalls and bunk beds is the most prejudicial. That you chose to waste the Senate's time and the taxpayer's money on such an expedition is in itself outlandish, since virtually every member of the Committee has seen similar facilities many times in the past. That you invited the media i se facilities with you is blatantly sensationalist. As a senior senator and an experienced committee chairman, you know the difference between serious fact-finding and a media show. In Norfolk you chose to put on a media show. This tour was in no sense evidence-gathering; it was agitprop. Sensation-mongering has also accompanied your public hearings. Your office called news organizations several days before General Schwarzkopf's testimony to entice them into covering that day's hearings because "something explosive" was going to take place. 4. Lack of proper notice and withholding of information. Throughout the hearing process, you and your office have continually withheld information about the timing and location of the Committee's proceedings, as well as the identity of witnesses, presumably to render your opponents as unprepared as possible. You announced last Monday's events in Norfolk, for example, only on the preceding Wednesday, and even then did not divulge the list of witnesses. In several instances your office, astonishingly, ed the identity of witnesses 24 hours or less before they were to appear before the Committee. All of these factors, when considered together, reveal a process so riddled with bias as to cast dishonor on the Committee and its proceedings. We deplore and condemn it. We also call upon you to cancel any plans for further hearings. Additional sessions, since they can only be expected to mimic the tone of those held so far, will add nothing to public debate or understanding. Your personal preoccupation with this subject should not deflect the government from addressing other pressing issues -- including, most obviously, the crisis in Bosnia and the military's adjustment to the end of the Cold War. Endless hearings by the Armed Services Committee on the issue of lesbians and gay men in the military would constitute an unnecessary diversion from those other issues, while failing to educate or enlighten anyone on the question at hand. Very truly yours, Thomas B. Stoddard Coordinator Urvashi Vaid Speaks at the March on Washington April 25, 1993 Transcribed by Wally Smith Hello lesbian and gay Americans. I am proud to stand before you as a lesbian today. With hearts full of love and the abiding faith in justice, we have come to Washington to speak to America. We have come to speak the truth of our lives and silence the liars. We have come to challenge the cowardly Congress to end its paralysis and exercise moral leadership. We have come to defend our honor and win our equality. But most of all we have come in peace and with courage to say, "America, this day marks th n from exile of the gay and lesbian people. We are banished no more. We wander the wilderness of despair no more. We are afraid no more. For on this day, with love in our hearts, we have come out, and we have come out across America to build a bridge of understanding, a bridge of progress, a bridge as solid as steel, a bridge to a land where no one suffers prejudice because of their sexual orientation, their race, their gender, their religion, or their human difference." I have been asked by the March organizers to speak in five minutes about the far right, the far right which threatens the construction of that bridge. The extreme right which has targeted everyone of you and me for extinction. The supremicist right which seeks to redefine the very meaning of democracy. Language itself fails in this task, my friends, for to call our opponents "The Right," states a profound untruth. They are wrong - they are wrong morally, they are wrong spiritually, and they are wron ically. The Christian supremicists are wrong spiritually when they demonize us. They are wrong when they reduce the complexity and beauty of our spirit into a freak show. They are wrong spiritually, because, if we are the untouchables of America -- if we are the untouchables -- then we are, as Mahatma Ghandi said, children of God. And as God's children we know that the gods of our understanding, the gods of goodness and love and righteousness, march right here with us today. The supremicists who lead the anti-gay crusade are wrong morally. They are wrong because justice is moral, and prejudice is evil; because truth is moral and the lie of the closet is the real sin; because the claim of morality is a subtle sort of subterfuge, a strategem which hides the real aim which is much more secular. Christian supremicist leaders like Bill Bennett and Pat Robertson, Lou Sheldon and Pat Buchanan, supremicists like Phyllis Schlafley, Ralph Reid, Bill Bristol, R.J., Rushoodie -- th remicists don't care about morality, they care about power. They care about social control. And their goal, my friends, is the reconstruction of American Democracy into American Theocracy. We who are gathered here today must prove the religious right wrong politically and we can do it. That is our challenge. You know they have made us into the communists of the nineties. And they say they have declared cultural war against us. It's war all right. It's a war about values. On one side are the values that everyone here stands for. Do you know what those values are? Traditional American values of democracy and pluralism. On the other side are those who want to turn the Christian church in government, those whose value is monotheism. We believe in democracy, in many voices co-existing in peace, and people of all faiths living together in harmony under a common civil framework known as the United States Constitution. Our opponents believe in monotheism. One way, theirs. One god, theirs. One law, the Old Testament. One nation supreme, the Christian Right one. Let's name it. Democracy battles theism in Oregon, in Colorado, in Florida, in Maine, in Arizona, in Michigan, in Ohio, in Idaho, in Washington, in Montana, in every state wh , my brothers and sisters, are leading the fight to oppose the Right and to defend the United States Constitution. We won the anti-gay measure in Oregon, but today 33 counties -- 33 counties and municipalities face local versions of that ordinance today. The fight has just begun. We lost the big fight in Colorado, but, thanks to the hard work of all the people of Colorado, the Boycott Colorado movement is working and we are strong. And we are going to win our freedom there eventually. To defeat the Right politically, my friends, is our challenge when we leave this March. How can we do it? We've got to march from Washington into action at home. I challenge everyone of you, straight or gay, who can hear my voice, to join the national gay and lesbian movement. I challenge you to join NGLTF to fight the Right. We have got to match the power of the Christian supremicists, member for member, vote for vote, dollar for dollar. I challenge each of you, not just buy a T-shirt, but get invo your movement. Get involved! Volunteer! Volunteer! Every local organization in this country needs you. Every clinic, every hotline, every youth program needs you, needs your time and your love. And I also challenge our straight liberal allies, liberals and libertarians, independent and conservative, republican or radical. I challenge and invite you to open your eyes and embrace us without fear. The gay rights movement is not a party. It is not lifestyle. It is not a hair style. It is not a fad or a fringe or a sickness. It is not about sin or salvation. The gay rights movement is an integral part of the American promise of freedom. We, you and I, each of us, we are the descendents of a proud tradition of people asserting our dignity. It is fitting that the Holocaust Museum was dedicated the same weekend as this March, for not only were gay people persecuted by the Nazi state, but gay people are indebted to the struggle of the Jewish people against bigotry and intolerance. It is fitting that the NAACP marches with us, that feminist leaders march with us, because we are indebted to those movements. When all of us who believe in freedom and diversity see this gathering, we see beauty and power. When our enemies see this gathering, they see the millennium. Perhaps the Right is right about something. We call for the end of the world as we know it. We call for the end of racism and sexism and bigotry as we know it. For the end of violence and discrimination and homophobia as we know it. For the end of sexism as we know it. We stand for freedom as we have yet to know it, and we will not be denied. Marcha por la justicia (Reprint of an editorial that appeared in La Opinion on April 27, 1993. English translation follows Spanish text.) La comunidad homosexual de Estados Unidos efectuo el domingo una demostracion de su empeno por lograr el pleno reconocimiento de sus derechos civiles. La lucha de esa comunidad es absolutamente justa, y acorde con los principios de igualdad y equidad en que se basa la existencia de esta nacion. El movimiento de los hombres y mujeres de orientacion homosexual tiene ademas gran importancia dentro del actual momento politico que vive el pais. Una de las caracteristicas de la presente coyuntura es precisamente la apatia del publico para organizarse y trabajar por mejorar las condiciones generales de la sociedad. Consecuencia de ello es la manipulacion de la politica por parte de grupos de intereses, y la continua utilizacion de metodos propagandisticos divisionistas. La lucha de los homosexuales actualiza y refuerza, a nivel de organizacion, la lucha por la igualdad, contra la discriminacion, y por una sociedad justa y tolerante. En este sentido tiene la importancia que en su apogeo tuvieron los movimientos de derecho civiles, los grupos pacifistas, y el movimiento feminista. Aunque muchos de los objetivos perseguidos por esos movimientos fueron logrados, sus metas esenciales estan lejos de ser alcanzadas. La discriminacion racial ha sido, por asi decirlo, desin onalizada, pero no extirpada de la realidad social y economica del pais. Las mujeres siguen sufriendo condiciones inferiores en acceso al trabajo, salarios, participacion politica y empresarial. Otros grupos han venido a sumarse a los anteriores. Los inmigrantes indocumentados padecen condiciones legales de discriminacion, que los convierten en una subclase desprovista de casi cualquier derecho. La demanda por la igualdad de derechos, que constituye el nucleo de la lucha de los homosexuales, dinamiza pues las exigencias tacitas o explicitas de los demas grupos, que de uno u otro modo experimentan opresion, desigualdad, negacion de derechos, o discriminacion. Otra exigencia fundamental de los homosexuales es la de que se intensifique al maximo la investigacion para lograr la cura del sida. Esta demanda concreta, para controlar un padecimiento cuyos efectos nocivos se extienden a varios grupos sociales, ejemplifica la necesidad de un mejor sistema de salud, y de dedicar los recursos necesarios a la prevencion y tratamiento de otras enfermedades. El movimiento homosexual se enfrenta ademas a todas las formas del fundamentalismo religioso, el fanatismo, el odio racial, la discriminacion, y la intolerancia. Los derechos civiles no deben ser una abstraccion, sino una realidad para todos los estadounidenses. March For Justice (Reprint of an Editorial that appeared in La Opinion on April 27, 1993. English translation by Nancy Perez and Juan Carlos Nagel) The homosexual community of the United States held a demonstration last Sunday with the purpose of achieving full recognition of its civil rights. The struggle of this community is absolutely just, and in accord with the principles of equity and equality on which the existence of this nation is based. The movement of men and women of homosexual orientation is additionally of great importance in the present political climate of this country. One of the characteristics of the current moment is precisely the public's apathy to organize and work to improve the general conditions of society. The consequence of this is the manipulation of politics by interest groups and the continued use of divisionary propaganda. The struggle of homosexuals updates and reinforces organizationally the fight for equality against discrimination and for a just and tolerant society. In this respect it has the same importance that the civil rights movement, the pacifist groups and the feminist movement all had at their peak. Even though many of the objectives sought by those movements were achieved, their essential goals are far from being reached. Racial discrimination has been, one might say, desinstitutionalized, but it hasn't adicated from the social and economic reality of the country. Women continue to suffer inferior conditions regarding access to work, wages, political and business opportunities. Other groups have joined these groups. Undocumented immigrants face legal discrimination, which has turned them into a subclass deprived of almost all rights. The demand for equal rights that constitutes the core of the struggle of homosexuals, strengthens the implicit and explicit demands of other groups, that in one way or another experience oppression, inequality, the denial of rights and discrimination. Another fundamental demand of homosexuals is intensifying the research to find a cure for AIDS. This concrete demand to control the suffering of the harmful effects of AIDS that extends to various social groups exemplifies the need for a better health care system, while providing the necessary resources to prevent and treat other diseases. The homosexual movement confronts all forms of religious fundamentalism, fanaticism, racial hatred, discrimination and intolerance of all people. Civil rights should not be an abstraction; it should be a reality for all Americans. "Gay March on Washington Didn't Shatter Any Stereotypes" by Joseph Sobran, Columnist One thing you can't say about Sunday's gay and lesbian March on Washington is that it shattered stereotypes. Whatever images you may have had of mincing queens and bull dykes, they were not only confirmed but overrepresented among the marchers. Imagine hundreds of thousands of males all talking like Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass). The ones with tie-dyed hair and rings in their noses were a minority, but the majority were fairly flaming, disdainful of the organizers' hopes that the march would look respe middle-class. Flaunting was the order of the day. Groups with names like "Lesbian Avengers" were handing out leaflets and recruiting new members. I passed two stocky lesbians in the middle of the sidewalk who were locked in an awkwardly demonstrative French kiss. I didn't sense much heat in their smooch. I think it was pedagogic: They were trying to raise our consciousness. A lot of the marchers seemed to believe they were on a conscious-raising mission, as if Mr. and Mrs. America hadn't become familiar with homosexuals long ago. The natural reason for stereotypes is that people imitate each other. This begins with speech in early childhood: No matter how many languages you learn, chances are you will speak them all with the accent you got from your parents. And unless you make an unusual effort to be independent or just different, you will probably go on to mimic the attitudes and even ideas of people around you. In short, you'll make yourself typical, even stereotypical. The marchers kept talking about the need to be tolerant of "differences," but they themselves were strikingly uniform. Many of them wore T-shirts bearing moral slogans and second-hand witticisms: "Hate is not a family value." "Nobody knows I'm gay." "Closets are for clothes." "Safe sex is hot sex." "I can't even THINK straight." "100 percent dyke." "Absolute homo." "Straight but not narrow." My favorite: "Are you a good witch or a bad witch?" (Runner-up: "Queen without a country.") Some signs chided ent Clinton for being out of town during the march. "President Clinton: Where the hell are you? Coward!" said one placard. Both sides in the gays-in-the-military debate agree on Clinton's courage. But his wife was more popular with the marchers: Some sported "Homos for Hillary" buttons, and for a mere $15.00 you could buy T-shirts showing Hillary and Tipper Gore in bikinis, embracing. The crowd struck me as larger than the official estimate of 300,000. Of course, the marchers had an extra incentive to atten d: the proposal of "hot sex." This was a big social event of a special kind. But one difference between "gays" and "straights" is that most people don't think of themselves as straight. Sex is part of the fabric of live, but not as an abstract "orientation." It makes us related to others concretely - as sons and daughters, mothers and fathers. We find our identities in these particular relations rather than in generalized "heterosexuality," which is only, after all, the precondition for affections, not an end in itself. So why the fuss about being defined by homosexuality? I ragic disability. Of course, you aren't supposed to say that. But nobody could see all those gays and lesbians without feeling each of them was somehow wounded -- sexually "challenged," in today's jargon. Politicizing the wound is a way of normalizing it, pretending the only problem is prejudice, creating the solidarity of a "community." But that can't make it go away. The gay male marchers were mostly young. Few of them looked over 30. The average age of the lesbians was considerably older. That told you, even if you didn't see the emaciated ones in wheelchairs, what was happening to the young men. After a few years of "hot sex," they die childless, without deeper and more permanent satisfactions of an integrated sexual life. Pathos and even a kind of doom are built into homosexuality. There is no need to punish a condition that is worse than any penalty we could t for it. But neither should normal people be punished for their aversion to it. Comments to: Mr. Joseph Sobran, c/o Universal Press Syndicate, 4900 Main Street, Kansas City, MO 64112; copy to: Mr. John P. McNeel, President, Universal Press Syndicate, same address. Rally on Pasadena Supports March on Washington On April 25, as the March on Washington was unfolding, Southland supporters converged on the Pasadena City Hall steps to rally in support of the march and lifting the military ban. Organizers, working through the Los Angeles Coalition for Military Service, counted close to 2,000 people in attendance to hear a variety of speakers including Stephanie Farrington-Domingue, Co-President of GLAAD/LA. The text of her speech follows. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation is dedicated to countering stereotypes and misinformation about lesbians and gay men in the news and media. Seeing accurate portrayals of ourselves in the media educates the world at large about who we are, and it also allows us to feel good about ourselves. Seeing all of you here today certainly makes me feel good about myself! Our goal is to create an atmosphere in which it is alright and, in fact, comfortable to come out into, because our visibility strongest force in challenging the double standards that exist in this nation that is supposedly indivisible. Double standards that say its okay for lesbian and gay soldiers to lay down their lives for this country as long as you don't trouble us with honesty about your sexuality. Double standards that say it's okay for hetero aviators of all ranks to grope, assault and debase men and women under the guise of "good clean fun" in a "free fire zone," and there be uncertainty as to their puni shment. Double s tandards that allow the Jimmy Swaggerts, Randall Terrys, Jessie Helms, Bob Packwoods, and yes, Phyllis Schafleys, to set the moral climate of this nation. We must end these double standards. And I must take this opportunity to remind Colin Powell that it's been only a mere 40 years that he has had the opportunity to serve in an integrated military...and if we can adjust to blacks in the military and women in the military, then we can certainly adjust to lesbian s and gay men in the military. We just need to get those directions from the top. We are here offering this country an opportunity to make good the promises that it has made to us. I might not have gotten my forty acres and a mule, but we are here today in numbers to say to the Colin Powells, Sam Nunns, Strom Thurmonds, among others, that it is time to turn the page in history; President Clinton has asked for your support - now give it to him. You can't fail us now, the battle has begun and we're depending on you just like millions of soldiers under fire depend on their lesbian a comrades to cover their backs. Well, the lesbian and gay soldiers didn't falter and neither can you! It is time for the double standards to end! You can't just accept what's advantageous to you and throw out the baby with the bath water anymore. Our contributions are too significant! Not one airline turned down lesbian or gay dollars as we made our pilgrimage to this nation's capitol. Not one hotel turned down lesbian or gay dollars as we filled every available space there. Not one credit card turns down ou r lesbian and gay interest payments, nor does this government turn away our lesbian and gay tax dollars. But we are so much more than consumers. We are contributors to the fiber of this country, and we've done a damn good job! We are this nation's sons and daughters, mothers, brothers, fathers and aunts and we are demanding that you lift the ban! We can no longer accept the double standards. You may think that our movement is a gay, lesbian and bi movement, but it's actually about the liberation of all people - no more sexism, no more racism, and no more homophobia! This is not about special rights, it is most assuredly about equal rights for us all. One of our nation's foremost leaders in the civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King, put it aptly when he said, "In a real sense all life is interrelated. All men are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single gar destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly...I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, and you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality. To our elected leaders, my brothers and sisters, this is our moment. Our time is now. We must have equal rights for everyone in America including lesbians and gay men! And one other thing, when you lift the ban, and it will be lifted, don't do this for the gipper - do it for we, the people of the United States of America, one nation under God/the Goddess, indivisible, with liberty and justice for who? For all. Pro-Gay Video... The Los Angeles Coalition for Military Service has premiered a response video, "To Support and Defend," and is distributing it to members of Congress. The video is in response to the Antelope Valley Springs Ministry's hateful and misleading video entitled "The Gay Agenda." Actress Cybil Shepherd gives introductory remarks on "To Support and Defend," which was produced by Julian Siminski and Rob Wilson of Parade Pictures. The video features U.S. military personnel who have served with distinction speaking ab out their experiences. Campaign for Military Service Releases Poll The Campaign for Military Service (CMS) released a report on voter attitudes towards lifting the ban against gay men, lesbians and bisexuals in the U.S. Military. Compiled by Mellman, Lazarus & Lake, Inc., the report shows an enormous amount of support among voters for equal rights for gay men and lesbians. "The poll is very encouraging," stated Thomas B. Stoddard, Coordinator for CMS. "It demonstrates to Congress that support for the President's position of abolishing this discriminatory policy is ing." The report presents the findings of a comprehensive study of public attitudes toward the military policy of banning and discharging homosexuals. A series of six focus groups were included and the sessions included a diverse selection of registered voters who are still making up their minds on the issue. After the focus groups, a random survey of 1,.000 registered voters was conducted by phone the last week of March, 1993. The statistical margin of error for the sample as a whole is plus or minus 3.1 ents to: Campaign for Military Service, 2027 Massachusetts Avenue, Washington, D.C. 20036; (202) 265-6666; FAX (202) 265-7393. Action Alert: Make your voice heard. Your call or letter is important. Call to: President Bill Clinton, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C. 20500, Phone: (202) 456-1111,FAX: (202 456-2461; General Colin Powell, Joint Chiefs of Staff, The Pentagon, Washington, D.C. 20301-5000, Phone: (703) 697-9121, FAX: (703) 697-8758; Senator Sam Nunn, Dirksen Senate Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20504, Phone: (202) 224-3521, FAX: (202) 224-0072. United States Senate Armed Services Committee The following Senators are members of the Senate Armed Services Committee listening to testimony on lifting the ban on gay and lesbian citizens serving in the military. Lobbying groups are intensifying their pressure as the July deadline approaches. Consider making your opinions known to as many Senators as possible. Contact your friends or relatives in the home states of these Senators and encourage them to phone or write. Correspondences may be addressed to each Senator followed by: Senate Office ng, Washington, D.C. 20510. (All telephone numbers are area code 202) Chairperson: Sam Nunn (D-GA) 224-3521 Democrats: Robert Byrd (D-WV) 224-3954 Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) 224-5521 James Exon (D-NE) 224-4224 John Glenn (D-OH) 224-3353 Bob Graham (D-FL) 224-3041 Edward Kennedy (D-MA) 224-4523 Carl Levin (D-MI) 224-6221 Joe Lieberman (D-CT) 224-4041 Charles Robb (D-VA) 224-4024 Richard Shelby (D-AL) 224-5744 Republicans: Dan Coats (R-IN) 224-5623 William Cohen (R-ME) 224-2523 Lauch Faircloth (R-NC) 224-3154 Dirk Kempthorne (R-ID) 224-6142 Trent Lott (R-MS) 224-6253 John McCain R-AZ) 224-2235 Robert Smith (R-NH) 224-2841 Strom Thurmond (R-SC) 224-5972 John Warner (R-VA) 224-2023 Quotable Quote... >From Miriam Ben-Shalom, a lesbian military veteran who was part of the "Tour of Duty" bus tour sponsored by the Campaign for Military Service, on contacting elected representatives, "Ed Bailey, marketing director of a Washington, D.C. nightclub called TRACKS, has organized a toll-free Hotline 1-(800)-258-2222 (ask for Hotline Operator #9355). Callers can send high-impact messages to their two senators and congressional representative for $8.75." FILM AND TELEVISION How Did TV Fare with M.O.W. Coverage? A GLAAD/LA Monitor/Response Committee Scorecard The GLAAD/LA Monitor/Response Committee has compiled a scorecard for coverage of the March on Washington by some of our Southland television outlets. According to Ann Dutton, co-chair, the cooperation of the committee members and others was excellent and the graph was compiled around the following criteria: 1. Time spent on piece 2. Coverage of the Pasadena Rally 3. Positiveness of accompanying narration 4. Positiveness of accompanying filming 5. Placement of piece Rating system is **** = Excellent *** = Good ** = Fair * = Poor KCBS-TV: Time spent, 3-4 minutes (****) Pasadena covered: Yes (****) Balanced Narration: well-written (***) Balanced Imagery: More men filmed than women, overall good (***) Placement: Lead or second story all weekend(****) Comments: KCBS-TV covered the activities both nationally and locally all weekend, and this coverage was either the lead or second story on their newscasts. Overall very positive. KNBC-TV: Time spent, less than 3 minutes (***) Pasadena covered: Yes (***) Balanced Narration: (**) Balanced Imagery: Looking for the "wild" picture (**) Placement: 3rd story Comments: KNBC-TV covered the activities but the coverage was not as prominent. Some narration included phrases like "We should behave..." KTLA-TV: Time spent, 3-4 minutes (****) Pasadena covered: Yes (***) Balanced Narration: very well written (****) Balanced Imagery: Looking for the "wild" picture (***) Placement: Sunday, lead story (****) Comments: KTLA-TV covered the weekend activities very well. Overall very positive KTTV-TV: Time spent, 3-4 minutes(****) Pasadena: Not covered Balanced Narration: well written (****) Balanced Imagery: More men filmed than women, overall good (***) Placement: Second story (***) Comments: KTTV-TV fumbled by not going "all the way to Pasadena!" C-SPAN: Time spent, C-SPAN broadcast the entire March (****) Pasadena: Not applicable Balanced Narration: Not applicable Balanced Imagery: Overall good (****) Placement: Wall-to-wall coverage. (****) Comments: C-SPAN broadcasts events in their entirety. How Did the Press Cover M.O.W.? A GLAAD/LA Monitor/Response Committee Overview The GLAAD/LA Monitor/Response Committee moved into high gear during the March on Washington to cover and track some of the print media. Included were the New York Times (NYT), the Los Angeles Times (LAT) and USA Today. Our report is broken into three sections: before, during and after the March. BEFORE: NYT carried two pieces on Randy Shilts' "Conduct Unbecoming," a recently published book on the gay military ban. The LAT reported that Washington, D.C. was wildly overbooked, with tourists going to Maryland and Virginia for accomodations. DURING: The press continued to profile gay and lesbian leaders such as Torie Osborn. The LAT Sunday Magazine offered an excerpt from Shilts' "Conduct Unbecoming," with strong and convincing cover artwork by Los Angeles artist, Owen Smith. (See reprint.) The Op-Ed page carried a piece by Tony Kushner, author of "Angels in America," entitled "The Other: Being Gay in America." Meanwhile, the NYT was noting the popularity of Kushner's "Angels" and showcasing Army Sergeant Jose Zuniga and author Allan Gurganus w ir perspectives entitled "Good Soldier, Gay Soldier" and "Why We March." USA Today placed the pink triangle as the central graphic of its weekend edition, while including quotes from Torie Osborn, David Mixner and the Reverend Lou Sheldon. AFTER: Pollmeisters USA Today wrapped up their coverage with a half dozen articles on the March. This ranged from the debate over the number of participants to the religious right's efforts to place an anti-gay measure on the ballot in Florida. The LAT followed the gay and lesbian lobbying effort as weekend participants went from training sessions to politics by going to the office of their elected representatives. The NYT editorially admonished the gay rights marchers for fixating on trying to look "like ple next door." NYT columnist Anna Quindlen had her own views over the latest sexuality surveys. She observed that gays rights depend on the "power of one" - the lone person who stands up and openly affirms their homosexuality. Each person, she wrote, opens a closed mind. The final word came from the NYT who told of two gays who received a cold homecoming after the March. Sergeant Jose Zuniga, the Sixth Army's Soldier of the Year, received word that the Army will begin the paperwork to discharge him, while Bill Crew, the mayor of an Iowa town of 730, returned to find his home vandalized. Comments to: Mr. Max Frankel, Editor, New York Times, 229 W. 43rd Street, New York 10036; Mr. Shelby Coffey III, Editor, Los Angeles Times, Times-Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053; Mr. Peter Prichard, Editor, USA Today, 1000 Wilson Blvd., Rosslyn, VA 22229. >From GLAAD/LA Board Member Garrett Glaser, "USA Today sponsored a reception for the National Lesbian/Gay Journalists' Association (NLGJA) at its headquarters on the Friday evening (Apr. 23) before the March on Washington. That was a first and indicates the newspaper's increasing sensitivity to gay/lesbian employees and concerns." "Sugar and Spice" Doesn't Make Homophobia Any Better The April 29 edition of "Picket Fences" (CBS-TV, Thurs, 10:00 pm) entitled "Sugar and Spice," was about exploring lesbian love between two 16 year-olds - and about censorship. But what started out as a promising lesbian story line between series regular Kimberly (Holly Marie Combs) and her friend Lisa, deteriorated into the same old network pap. Sugar and spice would not have helped. Yes, they do kiss. CBS did panic. The producers re-shoot to "darken" the scene. Howard Rosenberg, columnist for the Los Angeles Times, commented, "CBS executives insisted they personally didn't object to the initial kissing depiction...but feared an adverse reaction from affiliates." "Entertainment Tonight" showed clips of the kissing scene which was brief and rather benign. After the kiss that no one saw, it was mostly downhill. Lisa ackowledged that she was in love with Kimberly, and Kimberly admitted to being aroused, but the show was really about Kimberly's liberal parents knee-jerk reactions. This included Kim's mother, Jill (Kathy Baker) bringing home "hunk" videos of Tom Cruise and Kevin Costner to help steer Kimberly back to heterosexuality. Kimberly also worries that she is biologically predisposed toward lesbianism because her birth-mother (she is adopted) onc osed having a lesbian affair. It is decided that both Kimberly and her birth-mother are "elective lesbians." As distinguished from primary (biological?) lesbians. Ultimately, Kimberly decides that even though she was aroused by the intimacy with Lisa, she is heterosexual. And, the parents breathing a colletive sigh of relief when Kimberly chooses boys, was definitely not "darkened" down. This particular episode of "Picket Fences" was treacherously homophobic. While the homophobia around the darkened kiss gained attention, there was nothing balanced or accurate about the depiction of this young girl's sexual confusion after the kiss. Writer David E. Kelley, who gave primetime TV its first lesbian kiss on an episode of L.A. Law, would have us believe that if parents and classmates browbeat a young person in just the right way, homosexuality will be dealt and done with in a matter of d mments to all concerned may be addressed to: Mr. Jeff Sagansky, President, CBS Television Network, 7800 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles 90036. "Day of Compassion" Neil Tadken, Coordinating Director for "Day of Compassion" (Monday, June 21), reports that plans among the daytime television dramas to feature role modeling of compassion for those who are HIV infected or have AIDS are moving ahead. According to Neil, who spoke to GLAAD/LA Reports by phone, interest is growing among the daytime soaps to recognize this day of compassion and, in fact, interest is now moving beyond that perimeter to include talk shows and newscasts. The all volunteer staff, which is b tacting publicists, writers, producers and community activists, includes his coordinating associates Ari Sloane, Neal Wagner and Jens Hussie. Already committed to participate in the "Day of Compassion" are "All My Children," Felecia Behr, Executive Producer; "General Hospital," Ms. Wendy Riche, Executive Producer; "Loving," Haidee Granger, Executive Producer; and "One Life to Live," Linda Gottlieb, Executive Producer, Michael Malone, headwriter. Other shows are looking into it and contacts are being made with the talk shows. Neil Tadken may be contacted by calling (213) 874-8458. "Queer in America" Promoting his new book on the May 4 broadcast of "Today" (KNBC-TV, 7:00 am) was Michaelangelo Signorile, author of the new Random House release, "Queer in America." Michael, who has been at the center of the "outing" phenomenon, spoke clearly and directly regarding life in America for gay men and lesbians, and of the "Trinity of the Closet," i.e., the media in New York, the political power structure in Washington, D.C. and the entertainment industry in Hollywood. Signorile owned up to his own youthf vior as a gay basher ("I became a basher to prove I wasn't gay."), and gave insight on how youngsters are forced "into the closet" due to parental and societal pressures. Comments to: Mr. Jeff Zucker, Executive Producer, "Today," NBC News, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York 10112. National Survey to Test Newsroom Attitudes Well, it's finally happened! The nation's television and radio news executives have come to realize that lesbians and gay men actually exist on their news staffs! The professional organization representing all TV and radio news directors in the United States has agreed to sponsor a national survey of attitudes toward lesbian and gay staffers in newsrooms. Thousand of questionaires will be sent to news executives, gay news employees and others. The Radio/TV News Directors Foundation (RTNDF) undertook rvey at the urging of the National Lesbian/Gay Journalists' Association (NLGJA). How about sending a note of thanks for this costly project to: Mr. Eric Swanson, Executive Director, Radio/TV News Directors Foundation, 1000 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20036. Findings will be presented at the annual national convention of the RTNDF's parent organization, the Radio/TV News Directors Association, slated for Sept. in Miami Beach. Holocaust Museum Opens The Holocaust Museum was inaugurated in Washington, D.C. the last week of April with President Clinton in attendance and with extended coverage on C-SPAN. Dedicated to the continuing effort to educate the world to the atrocities of Nazi Germany, the Museum's inclusive scope is impressive. Evidently not so with the April 25 coverage by "Sunday Morning" on CBS-TV. At one point the announcer listed the categories of people who had been killed in the holocaust -- Jews, gypsies, trade unionists, etc. -- tted any mention of homosexuals. Comments regarding this omission may be addressed to: Ms. Missie Rennie, Executive Producer, "Sunday Morning," CBS News, 524 W. 57th Street, New York 10019. In a letter to CBS-TV, a copy of which was forwarded to GLAAD/LA, Neal T. Wiener writes in part, "Why were homosexuals omitted (in your broadcast) from the list of those exterminated. Was the pink triangle a figment of someone's imagination? I was particularly upset as I was viewing your show in Washington, D.C. preparing to go out to march in the parade for Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Rights...(earlier) I was at a candlelight vigil outside the Holocaust Museum where a German historian working with th m gave an extensive presentation about persons who were imprisoned and killed because they were gay or lesbian. The museum does include such persons and their stories." RADIO AND PRINT "The New Gay Power Elite" Tina Turner is wailing on the cover of the May Vanity Fair, but just to the right of Tina's knee is a coverline for the in-depth feature article, "The New Gay Power Elite," by Luisita Lopez Torregrosa. This comprehensive piece and accompanying photos doesn't refer to sex, nightclubs, lipstick, parades, drag or showers. Appearing in a popular national glossy that values serious journalism, the article becomes a significant marker in the profile of lesbians and gays as a major civil rights movement. A orregrosa, who specializes in politics, culture and the study of power, writes a lengthy and complex analysis of the lesbian and gay power structure, pointing out that we're still highly fragmented both in the political arena and within our own ranks. She profiles many of the power brokers and organizations at the vanguard of the movement. It could be argued that notable activists and organizations have been left out (e.g. GLAAD), and that the story is perhaps overladen with David Mixner anecdotes. To its c redit, theVanity Fair coverage clearly presents a serious, respectful look at the current political battles facing our community - and does it to a sizeable readership. Your comments may be addressed to: Graydon Carter, Editor-in-Chief, Vanity Fair , 350 Madison Avenue, New York 10017. Improvement at the Times Have you noticed how much Los Angeles Times coverage of lesbian and gay issues has improved recently? Could it be because of reporter Bettina Boxall has been assigned to cover lesbian and gay issues? We think so. Bettina is thoughtful, informed, knowledgeable about diversity in our community and always intelligent. We can't always agree with all of the voices heard in her stories, but then who says we're supposed to? A journalist's job is to present all sides...and we think she does that very well. send a letter to the Times' Editor-in-Chief, Mr. Shelby Coffee III, and tell him what you think? You can reach him at Los Angeles Times, Times-Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053. Deputy Director's Report by Lee Werbel Well, I am back from the March of my life -- the 1993 March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay and Bi Rights and Liberation. Our moment in history. The coverage of the March was astounding: every major electronic and print media was present including C-SPAN (complete coverage of the afternoon stage - 1:00 to 6:00 pm), CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Pacifica Radio and hoards of others. And, of course, GLAAD/LA had a strong presence in assisting with the media. GLAAD/LA member Carol Anderson, Kathy Papalis and myself volunteered in a number of capacities. Carol and Kathy's day began at 6:00 am. Their job was to ride on the flat-bed truck and escort all the media in front of the March. Their main duty was critical to the great coverage you saw: clearing the street so that the "photo opportunities" were not lost. Once the media arrived at the afternoon rally stage, Carol and Kathy staffed the media scaffolding. They ended up with the best seats in the house for both the March and the rally. I served as one of seven Media Liaisons for the afternoon rally stage. My job was to make sure the celebrities found the media they wanted. I undertook one specific media source -- Pacifica Radio that was broadcasting live all afternoon. All the interviews you heard on KPFK were facilitated by me -- Martina Navratilova, Holly Near, Michael Callan, David Mixner, Jesse Jackson, Pat Ireland, U.S. Representatives Pat Schroeder and Gerry E. Studds, Torie Osborn, Phill Wilson and Urvashi Vaid. (The hours ng but who can complain when you're working with the likes of those listed. What a fun way to be a part of our history. Some of us just can't stop working but what a joyous way to work.) At the end of the rally, we were able to sneak on stage (surrounded by security) and became a part of the ending. What an exhilarating and overwhelming view -- hundreds and thousands of us cheering. I think we all left with more hope in our hearts. For those of you who could not attend, know you were thought of and remembered. That day may have been one of the most meaningful and magnificent moments of our movement. Just remember, the MOW was one day, but the work to ensure our civil rights continues for the other 364. SIDE BARS "Sex, Lies and Social Science"... General Meeting: June 22 The June GLAAD/LA General Meeting will be on June 22 and is entitled "Sex, Lies and Social Science: How Research Can Help Us in our Struggle for Civil Liberties." Hosted by Peter Nardi, past co-president of GLAAD/LA and Sociology Professor at Pitzer College of the Claremont Colleges, the meeting starts at 7:00 pm. Come to: Temple Beth Chayim Chadashim, 6000 W. Pico Blvd. (just east of Crescent Heights). Refreshments are available and guests are welcomed. GLAAD/LA Fundraiser... "The Night Market" GLAAD/LA is offering a special performance experience for Phillip Littel and Eric Cunningham's "The Night Market" at Highways Performing Space on Thursday, June 24, 1993 at 8:30 pm. Here's a chance to view the opening event of Highways' Ecce Lesbo/Ecce Homo, the 5th Annual National Lesbian and Gay Performance Festival, as a benefit fundraiser for GLAAD/LA. "The Night Market" is the story of three men and three women blundering their way into the right three beds. Sex, gender, romance blend to create a climate where homo- and hetero- sexuality become magically possible for everyone. And, oh yes, alcohol plays a role, too. Words are by Philip Littell, music by Eric Cunningham, sets by Ian Falconer, lights by Marianne Schneller and clothing from many closets. The cast of six includes Littell, Roy Campbell, Kimberlee Carlson, Lisa Dinkins, Elyse Schiller k Wilson. Tickets for this GLAAD/LA benefit performance are $25.00. For reservations call (213) 660-8587, (310) 453-1755 or the GLAAD/LA office (213) 463-3632. Highways Performance Space is located at 1651 18th Street in Santa Monica (one-half block north of Olympic Blvd.) Talk About Access! GLAAD/LA member Dale Arant has reported to us a memorable experience he and his friend, Timothy, had recently. Timothy was told by his insurance company that a four-day AIDS oxygen treatment he needed would have to be given at the hospital - instead of at home - for the cost of $1,200. per day. Incensed at his insurance company's way of handling the cost, Timothy phoned the White House and asked for Hillary! An aide took the message and within the hour Hillary phoned Timothy from Arkansas to confirm tails! Timothy can only guess that Hillary phoned the president of his insurance company, who in turn phoned his carrier, because the next day his carrier assured him the treatment would be done at home. Comments to: Hillary Rodham Clinton, The White House, Washington, D.C. 20500. Lea Returns Lesbian comic Lea DeLaria did a return appearance on "The Arsenio Hall Show" on May 17. Lea credited 25 years of hard work by the gay and lesbian community for opening TV's doors to her (her first appearance in March made late-night history). Upon her return engagement, "Arsenio" producer Marla Kell Brown said, "She was just so funny and did so well that we wanted her back as soon as possible." Comments to: "Arsenio Hall," Paramount Domestic TV, 5555 Melrose Ave., Hollywood 90038. GLAAD/LA Wish List... FAX Machine Two/Thirds There: Can You Help? This past month moved GLAAD/LA very close to obtaining one of the prime items on its Wish List: a programmable FAX. Two members of GLAAD/LA, Board Member Garrett Glaser and member Caroline Bernard, each donated $600. towards the purchase of a programmable FAX that uses plain paper. (That gives us $1,200. towards the purchase price of $1,800.) All that is needed is another $600. and we move into the modern age. Can you help? One donor with $600., or two with $300., etc. If you can help us in the "hom ch," just send your check, labeled "FAX machine" in the notation area, to: GLAAD/LA, P.O. Box 931763, Hollywood 90093. Glaser in Europe, on PBS... GLAAD/LA Board Member Keeping Busy GLAAD/LA board member, Garrett Glaser, has returned from a meeting of C.O.G.A.M. (Colectivo Gai de Madrid), the Madrid, Spain gay collective, where he extended greetings from GLAAD/LA. He received a warm reception from members of the collective in that fascinating, fast-developing gay community. Group spokesperson Miguel Angel Sanchez-Rodriguez sent GLAAD/LA a gift of C.O.G.A.M. posters and safer-sex information packets. Upon returning to the U. S., Garrett moonlighted during the March on Washington as co-host of the upcoming PBS half-hour special "In the Life Marches on Washington." Comic Karen Williams joined him. The show will be seen on 60 public broadcasting stations around the country during May and June. It's first showing in Los Angeles was May 23 on KCET-TV. GLAAD/LA Visits Local News Directors Jehan Agrama, co-chair of Media Outreach, Rich Jennings, former GLAAD/LA E.D. and Alex Andrews, Media Outreach Committee member, spent several weeks in April visiting news directors at local television stations and wire services. The purpose of the visits was, if necessary, to inform the organizations of the existence of GLAAD/LA and the services we offer. Media Outreach also worked in conjunction with the March on Washington in an effort to encourage extensive coverage including the Rally on Pasade t of the news directors were eager to talk about the gays in the military issue. Media Outreach intends to continue these meetings with news organizations as well as branching out into the entertainment industry. The Media Outreach Committee meets the third of Tues. of each month (for June that will be the 15th) at 7:00 pm at the GLAAD/LA office, 7033 Sunset Blvd., two blocks east of La Brea in Hollywood. Media Outreach works in a variety of ways to educate people in the media about homophobia and about GLAAD. Our activities are targeted at the film, television, radio, music and print industries. If you have experience in any of these areas or if you are interested in learning more about the media, please jo Call: Michael Keegan or Jehan Agrama, Outreach Committee, Media Co-Chairs, (213) 463-3632. "Gay and Lesbian News Magazine" On June 15 and 22 at 9:30 pm on Century Cable (channel 3 in most service areas, channel 61 in others), the "Gay and Lesbian News Magazine" will feature the 1993 GLAAD/LA Media Awards. Produced by GLAAD/LA member Bob LaFont, "Magazine" has been the recipient of three local cable excellence awards during its three year on the air. It can be seen in the Long Beach-Signal Hill area on Channel 33 CVI cable. "Tinseltown's Queer" premiers... GLAAD/LA's Nancy Perez and Media Compilation to be Featured On June 7 at 11:30 pm, "Tinseltown's Queer" will premier on Century Cable Channel 3 (channel 61 in some areas). Featuring Nancy Perez of GLAAD/LA, the premier show will also run GLAAD/LA's compilation of gays and lesbians in the media as shown during the 1993 GLAAD/LA Media Awards Show at the Beverly Hilton. "Tinseltown's Queer" is hosted by Nicholas Snow (the Tinseltown Queer), and is dedicated to mobilizing and publicizing careers, projects and causes within the entertainment industry that support sbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights movement. For more information call: (818) 771-7690. Gays and Lesbians on the Freeway... A First? For commuters traveling north on Interstate 5, after passing the Pasadena Freeway and the Stadium Way exit, a sign appearing on the north shoulder will be reading "Litter Removal Next Two Miles: UGLA, Uptown Gay and Lesbian Alliance." The UGLA logo will also be on the sign. Groups, businesses and some celebrities (Bette Midler, for example) have inundated the California Department of Transportation (Cal-Trans) with requests to become part of its "Adopt-A-Highway" program. Signs recognizing litter removal, adopted walls and beautification projects have been erected along the freeway system by Cal-Trans as the way to identify those groups and individuals making a two-year commitment to maintain a two-mile stretch of freeway. UGLA, a gay and lesbian group in Northeast Los s, has been active in painting out graffiti, planting trees and street clean-up in its area for a number of years. To commemorate its 10th Anniversary, application was made to Cal-Trans to adopt Interstate 5 from the Fletcher Drive on-ramp in Silverlake, to two miles north to the Griffith Park equestrian undercrossing. The application was accepted and the sign will appear around June 1. Comments to: California Department of Transportation, Adopt-a-Highway Program, Maintenance Engineering, 120 S. Spring Stre et, Los Angeles 90012; UGLA, P.O. Box 65111, Los Angeles 90065. Quotable Quote... >From Anna Quindlen, columnist for the New York Times, "You toodle along, thinking that all gay men wear leather after dark and should never, never be permitted around a Little League field. And then one day your best friend from college, the one your kids adore, comes out to you. Or that wonderful woman who teaches third grade is spotted leaving a lesbian bar in the next town. And the ice of your closed mind begins to crack." Letter to the Editor... Carl Matthes, Editor GLAAD/LA Reports P.O. Box 931763 Hollywood, CA 90093-1763 Dear Carl: In the article entitled "First Federal Gets it Right" in your April 1993 issue of GLAAD/LA Reports, (copy enclosed), you listed Mr. Mortensen as Chairman of the Board. Since you are a progressive newsletter, constantly fighting for the rights of all people, please consider that there are also women who are Chairpersons, and by using this all-encompassing language sexism is virtually eliminated. Thank you for your future consideration in the matter stated above. Every little bit helps and we must co y vigilant in our efforts for equality and justice. By the way, I took your advice in the article and wrote of letter of thanks to Mr. Mortensen. Sincerely, E. Joyce Shoemaker Officer Director/Accountant UFCW Local 1442 And from the GLAAD/LA Hotline... "I disagree with the GLAAD/LA Reports article about 'Three of Hearts.' I think that the movie was damaging and garbage. Just making reference to a lesbian relationship does not make it a good movie. They never explain why the lesbian affair does not last and in the end she goes back with a man. This reinforces that stereotype message that a lesbian just needs to find the right guy to be happy. Usually I agree with your positions." GLAAD/LA Hotlines: English (213) 931-9429; Spanish (213) 463-4673. Film Fest News... South Asian lesbian filmmaker Pratibha Parmar has won this year's Frameline Award for an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to lesbian and gay media. Frameline is the sponsor of the San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. Pratibha will be honored with a retrospective of her work on June 22 at the Castro Theater in San Francisco...MIX: 7th New York Lesbian and Gay Experimental Film/Video Festival is looking for submissions to be a part of their Sept. 9-19, 1993 program. Submissions must be postmarked by June 8. Send to: MIX, 503 Broadway, Suite 503, New York, 10012; (212) 925-5883...the 11th Annual Los Angeles International Gay and Lesbian Film and Video Festival will occur July 8-18. Information (213) 650-5133. Articles, letters, etc. for GLAAD/LA Reports: June 1st Deadline The deadline for submitting material for possible publication in GLAAD/LA Reports will be the first of each month for the following month's newsletter. For the July newsletter all material needs to be submitted on or before June 1. GLAAD/LA Reports welcomes your participation and invites you to attend the Monitor/Response Committee meetings in June on the 10th and 24th. Send your comments, articles, letters or other submissions to: GLAAD/LA Reports, c/o GLAAD/LA, P.O. Box 931763, Hollywood 90093; FAX (213) 463-4923; or directly to the Editor, Carl Matthes, FAX (213) 257-5878. Monitor/Response Committee Described as the heart and soul of GLAAD is the Monitor/Response committee. This committee monitors what's happening in the media and entertainment industries and writes letters, makes phone calls and produces articles for the GLAAD/LA newsletter. But there's a lot media to monitor and respond to and we need your help. Do you own a television? A video cassette recorder? Then you already have two of the basic "tools of the trade." The committee could really use more television watchers, but movie, ra print media hounds are also welcome. Do you have friends who absorb popular culture like a sponge? Send them down. Few like to admit that they watch TV, but we know you're out there. Co-Chairs are Ruthe Canter and Anne Dutton. Please join us, we need your help. Meetings in June are on the 10th and 24th at 7:30 pm at the GLAAD/LA office, 7033 Sunset Blvd, Hollywood; (213) 463-3632. Women of GLAAD to Meet Tues., June 1 The Women of GLAAD Caucus meeting will be on Tues., June 1, 7:00 pm at the GLAAD office (7033 Sunset Blvd.). If you would like to be a part of the lesbian voice in GLAAD's affairs, come and join us for our monthly informal gathering to discuss ways in which we can become more visible in our community. Our purpose is to encourage the participation of lesbians on the GLAAD/LA board and on GLAAD's committees, and to ensure that GLAAD continues to fight for lesbian visibility in all areas of the media ll aggrandize, politicize, scandalize, hypothesize, socialize and we need your creative input. Tracy Stern is Chair. For more information: GLAAD Office, (213) 463-3632. GLAAD/LA Reports... Advertising Information Interest by potential advertisers in GLAAD/LA Reports is on the increase, according to Advertising Editor Margo Strik. She cites the newsletters quality, wide distribution and attractive advertising rates as responsible for the climbing interest. GLAAD/LA Reports is mailed to members and supporters informing them about local and national media coverage and treatment of lesbian and gay issues. It provides an effective and proven way to reach thousands of concerned, responsible lesbian and gay communi ers -- the friends of GLAAD/LA. Information about ad sizes, new prices, deadlines, etc. is available by calling: Margo Strik at (213) 259-9208. GLAAD/LA Advertising Policy Founded in 1985, it is the mission of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) to counter stereotypes and misinformation about lesbians and gay men, and to promote the fullest possible understanding of the breadth and diversity of lesbian and gay lives, and to counter all public expression of bigotry of any kind. It is the policy of GLAAD/LA to accept for its newsletter all advertising which is not inimical to its mission. GLAAD/LA nonetheless reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to reject any advertising which it deems unacceptable on any grounds. The acceptance of and publication by GLAAD/LA of an advertisement in its newsletter shall not be construed as an endorsement by GLAAD/LA of any such event, product, company, organization, person, service or thing. Calendar dates: June 1 Tuesday Deadline for July GLAAD/LA Reports Women of GLAAD, 7:00pm 7033 Sunset June 2 Wednesday Community Outreach (Speakers) 7:30pm 7033 Sunset June 8 Tuesday GLAAD/LA Board Meeting 7:30pm 7033 Sunset June 10 Thursday Monitor/Response Committee 7:30pm 7033 Sunset June 15 Tuesday Media Outreach 7:00pm 7033 Sunset June 22 Tuesday General Meeting 7:00pm 6000 W. Pico Blv d. June 24 Thursday Monitor/Response Committee 7:30pm 7033 Sunset June 24 Thursday GLAAD/LA Benefit Performance, Highways Performance Space, 1651 18th St., Santa Monica June 25-27 Christopher Street West July 1 Thursday Deadline for August GLAAD/LA Reports July 6 Tuesday Women of GLAAD, 7:00pm July 7 Wednesday Community Outreach, 7:30pm July 26 Monday "An Evening with Judy Nelson" Editor Carl Matthes FAX (213) 257-5878 Assistant Editor David Zahniser Art Direction & Design John Cook Research Assistance Garrett Glaser Advertising Editor Margo Strik (213) 259-9208 Contributors: Alex Andrews Veronica Davis Anne Dutton Stephanie Farrington-Domingue Garrett Glaser Dean Hansell Carl Matthes Juan Carlos Nagel Nancy Perez Sylvia Rhue Wally Smith Susan Vogelfang Lee Werbel Karen Wilson David Zahniser GLAAD/LA Committees Administration Veronica Davis Community Outreach Carol Anderson Fundraising Co-Chairs Rich Jennings Adel Martinez GLAAD/USA Co-Chairs Veronica Davis Dean Hansell Media Awards Co-Chairs Will Halm Carmichael Smith-Low Media Outreach Co-Chairs Jehan Agrama Michael Keegan Monitor/Response Co-Chairs Ruthe Canter Anne Dutton Newsletter Advisory Board Garrett Glaser Carl Matthes Lee Werbel Womens' Caucus Tracey Stern