Badpuppy Gay Today |
Monday, 09 March 1998 |
The much-publicized 75th Anniversary special issue of Time (March 9), tells the story of the last three-quarters of a century of history, and according to its telling, neither the struggle for lesbian and gay people's equal rights nor AIDS ever happened. It is understandable that Time would not include the 1969 Stonewall Riots (the symbolic kick-off the modern movement for gay civil rights) because the magazine's early coverage of gay issues was scant at best. But during the 1980-1989 section, entitled Comeback, neither gay issues nor, shockingly, AIDS, is ever mentioned in any of the sections, from Nation to World. Even in Milestones, instead of mentioning the death of Rock Hudson, the significant historical marker is "Divorced. Elizabeth Taylor Hilton Wilding Todd Fisher Burton Burton Warner." 1989-1998: Transformation, ignores the global pandemic of AIDS which has left millions dead and many others living with HIV, and the critical discovery of protease inhibitors is also ignored. Yet the Heaven's Gate cult suicide of 39 gets space. While "Seinfeld Calls It Quits" gets a deserved mention, Ellen DeGeneres and her historic "Yep, I'm Gay" cover gets nary a mention, neither is it included on the cover of the issue, despite the fact that 92 covers from the last 75 years are featured. In fact, of the 92 covers, just one includes anything about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or AIDS-related subjects: a 1950s cover with James Baldwin which does not mention his sexual orientation. Under "Miscellany," the Ellen cover is finally cited in brief, listed as the tenth "heaviest reader mail" generated in Time's history, and mentioned in a footnote as one of nine "female cover subjects in 1997." "GLAAD, and many Americans, are dismayed by Time's skewed perspective on history that excludes the lesbian and gay civil rights movement, which has had a profound effect on the political, legal and cultural landscape of America," said GLAAD Executive Director Joan M. Garry. "Even more startling is the magazine's silence on AIDS. This disease has transformed the world in countless ways during the 1980s and 1990s. We urge Time to publicly account for these glaring omissions. We expect more from one of the most important news magazines of the century." Let Time know how disappointing their lack of historical vision regarding gay people and AIDS is. Contact: |
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