Gay Today: World

NGL: Planned AOL Meeting
in 'Twilight Zone'

Compiled By GayToday

Washington, D.C.--NationalGayLobby.Org (NGL) learned today that America Online has called for a November 9 meeting with representatives of the U.S. gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community.

It is believed that if such a meeting is held, the agenda will pertain to questions raised regarding AOL's Terms of Service policy and mechanisms for its enforcement.

"AOL has called for a meeting on November 9," said Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Director of Online Community Development Will Doherty while informing NGL Executive Director Michael Romanello of the proposed meeting.

"They have invited GLAAD to attend. We do not know who else has been invited. They tell us other people have been invited, but we do not know who those people are."

Doherty asked if NGL had received an invitation to AOL's meeting, and was informed by Romanello that it had not.

Asked by Romanello if GLAAD would attend an AOL hosted meeting without knowing who else was invited or exactly what the meeting was about, Doherty said, "We haven't made a decision about whether to participate at this point."

The GLAAD Community Development director added, "We're trying to make sure there is a community dialogue on these issues, and that AOL gets to hear the dialogue."

During a lengthy discussion regarding conversations held over the October 29-31 weekend between GLAAD officials and executives from AOL, Doherty said that GLAAD would like other groups to participate in the meeting.

"We would like other groups besides ourselves to participate in the meeting. We believe AOL has invited other groups, but we don't know because they won't tell us who they've invited."

NGL says that this latest development in the now two-week long controversy regarding AOL's treatment of its gay community subscribers is "bizarre at best, and divisive on its face."

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"For a global business conglomerate of AOL's stature to issue a call for meeting with representatives of any minority community while refusing to divulge the participants or the agenda, and expect that people will attend, is mind boggling," said Romanello.

"Any GLBT organization which attends such a meeting looses any claim to credibility with in the community. The only thing that I could ever see prompting an organization to accede to such a requirement, would be the behind the scenes promise of some sort of gratuity from AOL down the line."

Romanello added that he and the NGL board of directors consider AOL's willingness to have a meeting a good sign. "We still believe this matter can be put to rest before the noon, November 16 boycott deadline," he stated.