Date: Thu, 26 Jun 1997 15:17:11 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAAD PRAISES SUPREME COURT DECISION STRIKING DOWN COMMUNICATIONS DECENCY ACT MEDIA RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Liz Tracey (212) 807-1700 Pager: (800) 946-4646, #1423527 (please include area code) Email: tracey@glaad.org Loren Javier (213) 658-6775 Email: javier@glaad.org GLAAD PRAISES SUPREME COURT DECISION STRIKING DOWN COMMUNICATIONS DECENCY ACT New York, NY JUNE 26, 1997-The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) today applauded the Supreme Court's decision to preserve free speech on the Internet by finding the Communications Decency Act (CDA) in violation of the First Amendment to the Constitution. Many feared that the CDA would limit the rights of Internet users to freely discuss and explore issues around sexual orientation. The Communications Decency Act, which was passed as part of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, prohibited "patently offensive" or "indecent" content on the Internet. Last June, a three judge panel ruled the CDA unconstitutional, at which point the Department of Justice appealed the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. "The Supreme Court's decision is a victory for all those who believe that the Internet is a vital source of both information and community for Americans," said Joan M. Garry, Executive Director of GLAAD. "For the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, the Internet has been particularly important, both in advancing our visibility and as a political, cultural and social tool. The Court's determination of the CDA as unconstitutional is one which rejects silencing vibrant Internet communities, and in the best traditions of free speech, allows for a diversity of voices on what is a still evolving media form." Writing for the majority, Justice John Paul Stevens said, "The CDA is a content-based regulation of speech. The vagueness of such regulation raises special First Amendment concerns because of its obvious chilling effect on free speech." Loren Javier, Interactive Media Director for GLAAD, commented: "Justice Stevens sums up the ambiguous and vague language of the Communications Decency Act quite well. The law would have had dramatic effects on a medium where the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community thrive. If small minded bigots were making decisions based on hate regarding 'indecency' on the Internet, many lesbian and gay sites, including GLAAD's, might have perished." GLAAD is the nation's lesbian and gay news bureau and the only national lesbian and gay media watchdog organization. GLAAD promotes fair, accurate, and inclusive representation as a means of challenging discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. -30- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 DISPATCH AND 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 the nation's lesbian and gay news bureau and the only national lesbian and gay multimedia watchdog organization. GLAAD 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.