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of 'Ex-Gay' Hate Ads |
| By Liz Tracey GLAAD Publications Manager
 Wednesday, Oct. 7, 1998 - The Gay & Lesbian Alliance
Against Defamation (GLAAD), the nation's most media advocacy
organization, today announced that it has been selected as one of 50
national nonprofit organizations to receive directed donations through the
Working Assets Long Distance service.
Working Assets places 1% of their customers' monthly long distance phone charges into a donations pool to be distributed to selected nonprofits. Through the innovative design of its long distance and credit card plans, Working Assets has raised more than $12 million in donations since 1985 for a variety of nonprofit groups, including Amnesty International, the Children's Defense Fund, Greenpeace and the NAACP. Each year, customers help select the nonprofit groups to be included in the donations pool within each of five categories: peace and international freedom, civil rights, economic and social justice, education and freedom of expression, and the environment. At the end of the year, customers vote on how to distribute donations among the finalists. GLAAD has been selected as an addition to this year's list, and will use Working Assets' donations to help support many of its ongoing efforts aimed at ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. These include: provision of media skillsbuilding programs for local activists and organizations; outreach to media professionals through workplace sensitivity trainings and meetings with industry executives; proactive work in Hollywood and monitoring and responding to positive and negative coverage in news media. "Working Assets gives concerned Americans a smart, easy way to support progressive community organizations," said Joan M. Garry, GLAAD Executive Director. "The funds raised for GLAAD will not only be critical to continuing our important work; it will enable us to build upon our successes to date. At GLAAD, we believe in the incredible scope of the media's influence and work with industry professionals to ensure that their power is used to further ideals of acceptance and equality." The public can obtain further information about Working Assets services by calling 1-800-788-8588, or by visiting the company's website at www.wald.com. GLAAD Statement on New 'Ex-Gay' TV Ads In response to the Family Research Council's announcement of a forthcoming television ad campaign promoting supposed "conversion" of lesbians and gay men to heterosexuality, Joan M. Garry, Executive Director of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) issued the following statement: "The real message behind these ads is that lesbians and gay men exist. There it is: We exist. No amount of slickly-packaged advertising can change that. The unmitigated gall of the people behind this campaign is appalling. "When you get right down to it, these groups are showing their hand to the entire country and their message isn't really about 'hope' or 'healing' or 'understanding,' but rather, about intolerance, deception and moral bankruptcy. "This new campaign represents what has become a relentless, well-financed and reprehensible assault on the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. So there you have it: Bottomless pockets overflowing with hollow messages." Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) glaad@glaad.org |
