From kevyn@KSUVM.KSU.EDUFri Jun 9 18:31:56 1995 Date: Fri, 9 Jun 1995 18:01:14 -0500 (CDT) From: Kevyn Jacobs To: "Kansas Queer News [KQN]" Subject: GLAAD on Gay Kansan Melissa Etheridge M E D I A W A T C H for May 27, 1995 by A L K I E L W A S S E R Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, San Francisco Bay Area Chapter A LESBIAN VOICE Lesbian rocker Melissa Etheridge fills the (over-sized) cover of "Rolling Stone's" June 1 issue. An important "rock 'n role model" for lesbian and gay youth, she makes a striking image -- decked out in gold lame pants, guitar in hand, Etheridge passionately belts out another hit. "She's the Boss," the headline declares. Inside the magazine, Jancee Dunn's feature offers a portrait of Etheridge AND her sexual orientation. The article pays ample and forthright attention to Etheridge's "longtime love, director Julie Cypher." "They do a lot of . . . bickering back and forth like an old married couple," Dunn writes, "Which, in a sense, they are, having been together for five years . . . . The two complement each other nicely." On an ironic note: This feature story also includes extensive commentary from comedian/TV star Ellen DeGeneres, who is a good friend of both Cypher and Etheridge. DeGeneres has given reporters a routine "no comment" in response to persistent questions about her own sexual orientation. That situation remains unchallenged in this story (and Etheridge, according to Dunn, "does not support outing"). Interested DeGeneres fans will have no trouble reading between the lines here (but it's unfortunate that they have to). In Dunn's article, Etheridge's own voice also comes through -- loud and clear. Of growing up in Kansas without lesbian role models, Etheridge observes: "There were no movies, except in the early '80s, there was 'Making Love,' which starred two men and Kate Jackson. Then, flash forward two years later, I kiss my first girl, and fireworks go off, and music is playing. And then it's just . . . clear." ** Feedback should be directed to Jann S. Wenner, Editor and Publisher, "Rolling Stone," 1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10104, tel. 212-484-1616, fax 212-767-8214, e-mail rollingstone@echonyc.com. # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # WE MUST CONFRONT THE MEDIA'S HOMOPHOBIA IN ORDER TO CURE IT! TO NOTIFY GLAAD-SFBA OF ANY DEFAMATORY OR AFFIRMATIVE MEDIA COVERAGE CALL OUR 24-HOUR MEDIA WATCH HOTLINE AT 415-861-4588, OR WRITE TO "MEDIA WATCH," GAY & LESBIAN ALLIANCE AGAINST DEFAMATION-SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, 1360 MISSION STREET, SUITE 200, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103; tel. 415-861-2244, fax 415-861-4893, e-mail GLAADSFBA@AOL.COM. FOUNDED IN 1988, THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA CHAPTER OF GLAAD IS A MEMBERSHIP-BASED COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO CULTURAL ADVOCACY AND MEDIA ACTIVISM. GLAAD-SFBA PROMOTES THE FAIR, ACCURATE AND DIVERSE REPRESENTATION OF LESBIAN, GAY AND BISEXUAL LIVES IN ALL FORMS OF MASS MEDIA. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "MEDIA WATCH" is a weekly report that may be reprinted or posted without prior permission, provided that, when appropriate, attribution is made to Al Kielwasser and/or GLAAD-SFBA. We greatly appreciate copies of any publications that use all or part of the "MEDIA WATCH." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Thank you for your participation in GLAAD's vital struggle to combat homophobia in and through the mass media . . . the most awesome forces in contemporary society.