Badpuppy Gay Today |
Monday, 29 September 1997 |
It appears that Hard Copy is trying to change its old, sometimes anti-gay ways. Past GLAADAlerts (see 7.18.97, 8.29.97), which reported on the show's heavily biased and gay-baiting coverage around the Cunanan/Versace murder and a more recent story on so-called "ex-gays" entitled "God vs.Gay," brought a massive response to the tabloid-style television newsmagazine. Representatives of the show requested a meeting with GLAAD, andon September 11, met with Entertainment Media Director Chastity Bono. Since then, two recent segments have shown a marked improvement in coverage. After GLAAD consulted with the show's producers, Hard Copy more carefully worded a September 12 story about a Florida serial killer of gay men who said he identified with Cunanan. Even better, "Gay Cop," a September 18 story, began, "They are the true NYPD Blue...but one of them is being singled out for praise. He is different than the other heroeshe is gay." Officer Carlos Crespo received a Medal of Valor after bringing down a crazed, knife-wielding man in the 24th Precinct Police Station, and was stabbed and shot in the process. In the emergency room, when asked if he had a wife or girlfriend who should be notified, he replied that he had a boyfriend, and the police immediately dispatched a car to get him. After saying this was the first time a gay New York cop had received the honor, the reporter said, "The Gay Officers Action League claims it wasn't so long ago that if an officer-in-distress call came in from a gay officer, it wouldn't have been answered....Things are obviously different now." "Both of these events display the critical value of both GLAAD's reactive grassroots work and proactive meetings as an opportunity to foster closer relationships and stronger dialogues with media representatives," said Bono. "GLAAD's efforts around the country work in concert to maximize our effectiveness. With Hard Copy, GLAADAlert and the community response it inspired was a springboard to what will hopefully be a long-term one-on-one relationship with GLAAD." Please let Hard Copy know that the new relationship with GLAAD and new tone in addressing lesbian and gay issues is a marked improvement and bodes well for things to come. Contact: Dan Jbara, Producer, Hard Copy, Paramount Pictures, 5555 Melrose Avenue, MAE W. Bldg. 120, Los Angeles, CA 90038-3197, fax: 213.956.1940, e-mail: hard_copy@pde.paramount.com. Ellen Opens With Strong Sponsors Ellen Morgan has come back full force this season with a strong first episode and a full lineup of advertisers. The September 24 season opener dealt with the character's evolving sense of her own sexual orientation, including a positive message about bisexuality. In addition, it contained a variety of sponsors with only 40 percent representing entertainment advertising (30 percent went to ABC promotionals and 10 percent to advertising films). Each week, GLAAD will be posting sponsors' names and contact information in "Ellen Watch" on GLAAD Online (www.glaad.org). While the list for the season opener represents only national sponsors, GLAAD will be posting local sponsors as well. If you would prefer to have the sponsors e-mailed to you on Thursdays each week, write glaad@glaad.org and ask to be placed on the "Ellen Watch" mailing list. GLAAD also encourages the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community to send us the names of local sponsors that can be posted at "Ellen Watch." Sponsors should be sent with the date of the show on which they appeared to glaad@glaad.org or faxed to 415.861.4893. Radical religious groups often generate large numbers of letters to attack sponsors of gay-inclusive television programming. Don't let the voices of marginal anti-gay groups dictate the programming and advertising diversity in America! Please thank the advertisers in the season opener for recognizing that lesbians and gay men are not only an important part of the diversity of television, but all of America. Contact:
Michael Kuhn, CEO, Polygram Films, 9333 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90210, phone: 310.385.4000;
Andrew Moore, Chair, Intel Corporation, P.O. Box 58119, Santa Clara, CA 95052, phone: 408.765.8080, feedback form: http://www.intel.com/feedback.html;
Melvin R. Goodes, Chairman, Warner-Lambert Company, 201 Tabor Road, Morris Plains, NJ 07950, phone: 800.223.0182, feedback form: http://www.warner-lambert.com/feedback.html;
Laurie MacDonald & Walter Parkes - Heads of Motion Picture Division, DreamWorks SKG, 100 Universal Plaza, Building 477, Universal City, CA 91608, phone: 818.733.7000, fax: 818.509.1433;
Jerome J. Goldstein, Chairman, Alpha Hydrox, 4880 Havana Street, Denver, CO 80239, phone: 1.800. 55.ALPHA, fax: 303.371.2725, e-mail: consumerrelations@alpha-hydrox.com;
Ronald E. Compton, Chairman, Aetna Inc., 151 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, CT 06156, phone: 800.US AETNA, feedback form: http://www.aetna.com/corpmail.htm;
Arnold G. Langbo, Chairman, Kellogg Company, One Kellogg Square, PO Box 3599, Battle Creek, MI 49016-3599, toll-free number: 1-800-535-5644, fax: 616.961.2871, feedback form: http://www.kelloggs.com/booth/booth.py?page=feedback;
William Gates, Chairman, Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052, phone: 206.882.8080, fax: 206.936.7329, e-mail: askbill@microsoft.com;
Bruce Rohde, Chairman, ConAgra Inc., Healthy Choice - Consumer Affairs, P.O. Box 3768, Omaha, NE 68103-0768, phone: 402.95.4000, fax: 402.595.4665, e-mail: webmaster@healthychoice.com;
Charles A. Heimbold, Clairol Chairman, Clairol, 345 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10154, phone: 800.426.7876, e-mail: askclairol@clairol.com;
Ramani Ayer, Chair, The Hartford, Hartford Plaza, Hartford, CT 06115, e-mail: lifeinfo@thehartford.com. In & Out, Orange County Style Following glowing reviews coast-to-coast, the September 19 "Family" section of the Orange County Register warned, "In & Out may be too tolerant of the gay lifestyle." Reviewer Holly McClure, who writes a "family entertainment" column for the Register, warns people to "watch out for...a scene with two men kissing [and] adult issues dealing with marriage and the gay lifestyle." Under the category "What Doesn't Work" she lists: "Scenes mocking homophobia, scenes depicting gay culture and speeches aimed at straights about accepting the gay lifestyle...a long kiss on the lips between Selleck and Kline, a locker-room scene where teen-agers discuss how gays have sex, and more." Summing up her feelings about the film, McClure says, "I didn't like this movie despite the talented cast. It's not the gay and lesbian issues so much as the blatant propaganda and speeches in what's supposed to be a comedy with a family-friendly rating. I liked Kline at first and would have enjoyed seeing his character overcome the obstacles, suspicions and humorous references and get married [to a woman]. One can only imagine the reaction to this movie if instead of tolerance of homosexuality the message was acceptance of a religious group's beliefs." McClure universalizes her own narrow-minded views of "family friendly" and "an acceptance of a religious group's beliefs" to mean intolerant. Even after watching the film, she seems unaware that there is not a single "gay lifestyle," but rather as many different kinds of gay "lifestyles" as there are straight "lifestyles." Her calling a condemnation of homophobia inappropriate is particularly shocking, as if encouraging people not to rely on myths, stereotypes and anti-gay hostility is a "family-unfriendly" thing. Clearly, despite her comments that "it's not the gay and lesbian issues so much," it is exactly the "gay and lesbian issues" which threaten her sensibilities. The morals of In & Out are that people should not discriminate against someone because of their sexual orientation, that families should embrace their gay members, that families should support one another, that people should be open and honest with themselves and their loved ones, that communities should stand up for vital, contributing townspeople and that people should not make assumptions about someone's sexual orientation based on what they assume to be "gay" traits. To suggest that turning Kline's character straight somehow makes "the message [an] acceptance of a religious group's beliefs" flies in the face of the millions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people of faith and others within faith communities that understand that intolerance is neither a "family value" nor the gospel truth. Let the Orange County Register know that McClure represents a tiny fraction of families with her small-minded views and that her claim to speak for families is an affront to tolerant, loving families and people of faith everywhere. Contact: Tonnie L. Katz, Editor, Orange County Register, 625 N. Grand Avenue, Santa Ana, CA 92701-4347, fax: 714543.3904, e-mail: ocregister@link.freedom.com. Sports News Says That Steroids Make The Lesbian On September 17, Los Angeles radio station KFWB "News 98" morning reporter Brett Lewis suggested that steroid use makes female athletes lesbians. During the 6:45 am broadcast, Lewis reported on an athlete who had been permitted to return to competition after a suspension for using steroids (testosterone), adding, "I guess that means she'll have to cancel her scheduled appearance on Ellen." United at United, the lesbian and gay employee group at United Airlines, is meeting with the airline's management to urge them to pull advertising from the station after requests for a retraction from Lewis went unanswered. Lewis' comment propagates the worn-out stereotype that all lesbians are "mannish," and adds his own bizarre twist, implying that taking testosterone would make a woman "more of a man," and thus, a lesbian. Further, that once an athlete stopped using testosterone, she would be restored to heterosexuality, and so would no longer want to be on Ellen, since it is a "lesbian show." While the athlete probably never had anything to do with the show in the first place, Demi Moore, Oprah Winfrey, Billy Bob Thorton, Gina Gershon and Dwight Yoakam would certainly be surprised by Lewis' assertion that guest appearances on the show are predicated by one's sexual orientation. The reporter's off-hand remark was probably not meant to offend, and yet reveals his own homo-ignorance and anti-gay bias as a journalist. Insist that Lewis issue an on-air retraction and let United Airlines know that you support their pulling sponsorship of the station if KFWB is unwilling to correct its immature and wrong-headed mistake. Contact: KFWB-AM, PO Box 4310, Los Angeles, CA 90078, fax: 212.871.4670, e-mail: quake@kfwb.groupw.wec.com; John Kiker, Vice President, United Airlines-WHQPR, Corporate Communications, P.O Box 66100, Chicago, IL 60666. All Out Support For Texas Library Despite pressure from a group seeking to censor library content based on their own values system, the Lewisville, Texas Library Board recently voted unanimously to keep Out magazine on the shelves. The opposing group have described the magazine as "vile, disgusting, pornographic and obscene," calling its presence in the library an "injury to children and adults." Unsatisfied with the decision of the library board, the group has appealed the decision to the Lewisville City Council, which is scheduled to address the issue during an October 6 meeting. According to a story in the September 17 Dallas Morning News, "the board said pulling the magazine would be censorship and a violation of the First Amendment," with the city attorney's office concurring. The story also reports that Cindy Bennett, Lewisville's library director for the past 30 years, said that in the last two years the library system has increased "the number of books [the library] offers about homosexual issues from 49 to 87 because of increased demand." In that same time, "the number of books in the Christian category" increased "from 885 to 1,402. 'It is our policy that we cannot tell anyone what they can or cannot read,' Ms. Bennett said. 'We try to present current information on a variety of subjects.'" Please commend the Lewisville Library Board for its overwhelming support of a diverse library and the First Amendment, and urge the Lewisville City Council to do the same in their upcoming vote. Contact: Lewisville Library Board, c/o Cindy Bennett and Mayor Bobbie Mitchell & Lewisville City Council Members, PO Box 299002, Lewisville, TX 75028, fax: 972.219.5094. Chronicle Of A Self-Made Man An excellent front-page story of the Sunday, September 21 San Francisco Chronicle features James Green, a leader of the female-to-male(FTM) transgender community. Below a full quarter-page shirtless picture of the well-built, bearded Green, the headline "A Self-Made Man," is followed with the lead-in, "When James Green was a little girl, he saw Mary Martin play Peter Pan and knew right away he could do a better job." Staff writer David Tuller says that Green "wants people to understand one thing about masculinity: It has more to do with a man's inner life than with his genitals." Tuller takes pains to explain how FTMs have struggled for visibility even within the transgender community, and the difference between "sex" ("the biological category represented by the genitals") and "gender" ("the psychological identity that nestles wherever a person's most intimate sense of self resides--in the mind, or in the soul or in the heart"). Filling two inside pages, the text continues by recounting Green's appearance in almost erotic terms: "His voice is deep and rich as chocolate. His arms and upper torso are thick and muscular. His beard is full, and his hairline is receding. His booming laugh explodes across the room like a grenade," Tuller writes. In addition, the inner pages feature nine pictures of Green, from early childhood to adulthood, with his brother, as a woman with her daughter, and with his girlfriend. Alternating between descriptions of Green's life and discussions of the logistics and politics of FTM surgeries and the struggle for transgender rights, Tuller represents a full, well-rounded group of perspectives on Green and the issues of FTM transgender people. To feature an article on FTMs in a major daily newspaper is exceptional. To do so with such sensitivity and at such length, and to illustrate the article with so many photographs brings the subject to life, making readers see both the common humanity and the differences and challenges that FTM transgender people embody. Please commend the San Francisco Chronicle for an outstanding and sensitive feature on an often overlooked segment of our community. Contact: Daniel Rosenghei, San Francisco Chronicle, 901 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103-2988, fax: 415.512.8196, e-mail: chronletters@sfgate.com. Jersey Gay Group Gets Great Press The September 22 Morris County (New Jersey) Daily Record places the 25-year anniversary of the Gay Activist Alliance in Morris County (GAAMC) on the front page. The story begins describing how current GAAMC president Ellen Castell "was a young married mother in 1963 when she asked a psychiatrist how she should handle her strong romantic feelings for other women. He shipped her off for electric shock therapy....Life today for Castell as a lesbian has changed dramatically since the 1960s," it continues, "as it has for many gay singles and couples who choose to live in suburban areas." It then focuses on the organization, and other members. "Unlike most organizations, GAAMC's birthday marks the start of a support network that people like Castell needed at critical points in their lives," it says. It also states that while most GAAMC members choose to live in the suburbs because it provides the lifestyle they want, there is still a long ways to go until they can live among the rest of the suburban residents without fear of discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation. "In most areas, residents could benefit from sensitivity training and further education," it says. The Daily Record, a regional newspaper in a conservative community, has shown both courage and integrity in doing a feature on GAAMC. According to GLAAD Publicity Associate Bill Horn, who hails from Morris County, "This represents a great step forward for both the Daily Record and visibility for lesbians and gay men in Morris County. I am extremely pleased to see this group get the recognition it so greatly deserves." Please let the Daily Record know that the well-written article is appreciated Contact: Bill Donnellon, Editor,The Daily Record, 629 Parsippany Road, Parsippany, NJ 07054-0217, fax: 201.428.6666, e-mail: letters@dailyrecord.com. Dr. Laura Calls Sexually Active HIV-Positive People "Reprehensible" The September 23 broadcast of Dr. Laura Schlesinger's talk-radio show once again found the host informing her listeners that for HIV-positive people to continue having sexual relations is, in her opinion, "morally reprehensible." This reiteration of a statement from a past show came after Dr. Laura read a letter she received from the AIDS Survival Project, a community-based AIDS support services organization in Atlanta. Their letter informed Dr. Laura that she should know that, "statements like these give the lesser-informed a basis for hatred," and that a true therapist, "would have positive, compassionate advice for the HIV-positive callers as opposed to your judgmental statements." GLAAD is acquiring a transcript of the show and will report on Dr. Laura's specific statements in an upcoming GLAADAlert. ________________________________________________________________________ GLAAD promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation in the media as a means of challenging homophobia and all forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. Contact GLAAD by e-mail at glaad@glaad.org or by phone at 213.658.6775 (Los Angeles), 212.807.1700 (New York), 415.861.2244 (San Francisco), 202.986.1360 (Washington, DC), 404.607.1204 (Atlanta) and 816.374.5927 (Kansas City) Report defamation in the media by calling GLAAD's Toll-Free AlertLine! 1-800-GAY-MEDIA (1-800-429-6334) Visit GLAAD's Web Site at http://www.glaad.org |
© 1997 BEI;
All Rights Reserved. |
