Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1998 15:04:49 -0700 From: Jean Richter Subject: 10/14/98 P.E.R.S.O.N. Project news 1. Air dates and times for "Out of the Past" PBS broadcast 2. CA: Op-ed piece on Matthew Shepard's murder ============================================================= Subject: Fwd: GLSEN Alert/OTP Airtimes Date: Tue, 13 Oct 98 18:21:40 +0100 x-sender: janderson@trudy.digitopia.com From: Jim Anderson To: News from GLSEN Sender: ............................................................ An important message from GLSEN-Alert, the electronic news service of GLSEN. The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network -- GLSEN 121 West 27th Street, Suite 804 New York, NY 10001 212-717-0135; 212-727-0254 - fax glsen@glsen.org http://www.glsen.org/ ............................................................ GLSEN applauds PBS affiliates' decision to air "Out of the Past" Beginning October 15, 1998, PBS affiliates across the United States will show "Out of the Past," an award-winning new documentary about lesbian and gay history in the United States. In communities as varied as Morgantown, WV, Little Rock, AK, Harlingen, TX and Burlington, VT, PBS viewers will have the opportunity to learn about the place of lesbians and gay men in our society over more than 300 years of U.S. history. Below is a list of local airdates and times (be sure to check local listings in case of changes). If your affiliate does not appear on the list below, please call them and ask why. Scheduled Out of the Past Airdates (as of 10/13/98) CITY CHANNEL DATE TIME Alliance, NE KTNE/Channel 13 November 29 11:30pm Austin, TX KLRU/Channel 18 October 19 11:00pm Baltimore, MD WMPB/Channel 67 October 15 10:00pm Basset, NE KMNE/Channel 7 November 29 11:30pm Bismark, SD KBME/Channel 3 November 15 10:00pm Boston, MA WGBX/Channel 44 November 1 8:00pm Burlington, VT WETKChannel 33 October 16 9:00pm Cleveland, OH WVIZ/Channel 25 October 16 1:00am Denver, CO KRMA/Channel 6 October 16 12:00am Dickinson, SD KDSE/Channel 9 November 15 10:00pm Ellendale, SD KJRE/Channel 19 November 15 10:00pm Eureka, CA KEET/Channel13 October 15 10:00pm Fargo, SD KFME/Channel 13 November 15 10:00pm Grand Forks, ND KGFE/Channel 2 November 15 10:00pm Harlingen, TX KMBH/Channel 60 October 15 10:00pm Hartford, CT WEDH/Channel 24 October 18 2:00pm Hastings, NE KHNE/Channel 29 November 29 11:30pm Kansas City, MO KCPT/Channel 19 October 16 12:00am Lexington, NE KLNE/Channel 3 November 29 11:30pm Little Rock, AR KETS/Channel 2 October 15 9:00pm Los Angeles, CA KCET/Channel 28 October 29 10:00pm Marion, VA WMSY/Channel 52 October 15 10:00pm Memphis, TN WKNO/Channel 10 October 15 9:00pm Merriman, NE KRNE/Channel 12 November 29 11:30pm Miami, FL WPBT/Channel 2 October 24 1:00am Minneapolis, MN KTCA/Channel 2 October 15 11:00pm Minot, ND KSRE/Channel 6 November 15 10:00pm Morgantown, WV WNPB/Channel 24 October 15 2:00am Morgantown, WV WNPB/Channel 24 October 17 3:00am New Orleans, LA WYES/Channel 12 October 15 9:00pm New York, NY WNET/Channel 13 October 15 10:00pm Norfolk, NE KXNE/Channel 19 November 29 11:30pm North Platte KPNE/Channel 9 November 29 11:30pm Norton, VA WSBN/Channel 47 October 15 10:00pm Omaha, NE KYNE/Channel 26 November 29 11:30pm Philadelphia, PA WHYY/Channel 12 October 15 10:00pm Reno, NV KNPB?Channel 5 October 16 2:30am Reno, NV KNPB/Channel 5 October 18 12:00am Roanoke, VA WBRA/Channel 15 October 15 10:00pm Sacramento, CA KVIE/Channel 6 October 15 10:00pm Salt Lake City, UT KUED/Channel 7 October 15 7:00pm Salt Lake City, UT KUED/Channel 7 October 16 3:00am Salt Lake City, UT KUED/Channel 7 October 22 2:30am San Antonio, TX KLRN/Channel 9 October 15 9:00pm San Diego, CA KPBS/Channel 15 October 19 12:00am San Francisco, CA KQED/Channel 9 October 15 11:00pm South Bend, IN WNIT/Channel 34 October 15 11:30pm Spokane, WA KSPS/Channel 7 October 16 2:00am October 16 5:00am Spokane, WA KSPS/Channel 7 October 18 3:00am Spokane, WA KSPS/Channel 7 October 22 4:30am October 22 1:30pm Topeka, KS KTWU/Channel 11 October 16 1:00am Tucson, AZ KUAT/Channel 6 October 16 10:30pm Wst Plm Beach, FL WXEL/Channel 42 October 15 10:00pm Williston, SD KWSE/Channel 4 November 15 10:00pm Winnepeg, MAN (Canadian PTV) November 15 10:00pm *************************************************************************** Eliza Byard, Coordinator Out of the Past Film Project The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) 121 West 27th Street, Suite 804 New York, NY 10001 phone: (212) 727-0135 fax: (212) 727-0254 email: ebyard@glsen.org *************************************************************************** ----------------- End Forwarded Message ----------------- ............................................................ Visit the GLSEN Blackboard online: http://www.glsen.org/ Past GLSENAlert posts are archived on the GLSEN Blackboard: http://www.glsen.org/pages/sections/news/glsenalert/ ............................................................ TO SUBSCRIBE OR UNSUBSCRIBE You may add or remove yourself from this mailing list by going to: http://www.glsen.org/pages/sections/news/glsenalert/ If you have problems or questions, you can contact the list server administrator at: ............................................................ ======================================================================== Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1998 21:41:26 -0700 Subject: Op-ed on Matthew Shepard: Warning Sign From: "Channel Q News" To: qnews@channelq.com Warning Sign An op-ed by Christopher Kryzan Exclusive to the Marin Independent Journal Matthew Shepard is dead. Beaten unmercifully while pleading for his life, his 21 year-old skull pistol-whipped to the point where doctors couldn't even operate, his brain stem damaged beyond repair, Matthew at last expired when his burned and broken body said "No more." Only 5'2" and 105 lbs., last Wednesday Matthew stood shoulder-high to his alleged attackers, no match for their bare hands, much less their weapons. He'd met them in a campus bar, at the University of Wyoming, and left with them shortly thereafter. It wasn't until the next day that his barely-lifeless body was found, a cold morning in the 30s, his blood nearly drained. Wyoming is ranch country - wide-open land with wide-open skies, coyotes roam the countryside. Seen as a threat, ranchers will often kill one and hang it on a fence for others to see. It's believed this will keep other coyotes away - a scarecrow of sorts. That Thursday morning two cyclists stopped in their tracks. Passing by a ranch, they saw a scarecrow. It took a second and third look for the horror to sink in. There he was - Matthew Shepard, cruciform body tied to a fence. Matt was gay, you see, and his death a willful punishment. In fact, to some, he was worse than gay, he was open and honest, and proud, about it. How dare he flaunt his sexual orientation, how dare others think they could. So late that night, the warning was posted, a bill on a fence for other potential trespassers to see. I sobbed when the news broke. Uncontrollably, in a way I never have before. Wondering how in a world in which I usually find so much goodness and joy, such fundamental evil can exist. Torn apart by the violent taking of such a young life by those who must only hate who they are themselves. As an openly gay man, Matthew's death hit home in a very personal way. As the executive director of a national organization that advocates for gay youth, I was struck that this could have been any one of the thousands of teens and young adults we have worked with over the years. Worse yet, that it could have been one of the young men and women I have come to personally know and care for. As a father to a foster son, who is also 21 years old and gay, I was horrified to think that - God forbid - this could have happened to my own child; God forbid it should have been anyone's son or daughter, for that matter. We are in a frightening time. In the last couple of weeks, religious extremists have supplemented their campaign of wolf-in-sheep's clothing doublespeak, moving from print to television with the message "If you're gay, you can change" (and ostensibly, become straight and "pure"). The pace of their rhetoric continues to accelerate, and with it has come a documented increase in the number of hate crimes directed against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people. For a gay teen in high school, it can be especially frightening. In a landmark survey of gay youth published in March of this year, the following points stand out: - Less than 20% of high schools have a non-discrimination policy that includes sexual orientation. - 64% of the students report incidents of anti-gay violence at their high schools, and 85% of the time nothing more than a light reprimand is given. - 27% of gay high school students have been threatened with violence, 10% have been physically attacked, and 6% have been sexually assaulted as a result of their sexual orientation. It's important to remember that wešre not insulated from this in Marin, either. Just last month, at the beginning of the school year, Adam Colton, a senior at San Marin High School in Novato announced in front of a school assembly that he would be starting a Gay/Straight Alliance on campus. He received a standing ovation. A few days later Adam was attacked in a grocery store parking lot by young men yelling "fag" and other epithets. Thankfully, the student body responded with nothing but support for Adam: More than 130 students (in a school of approximately 1,100) showed up for the first GSA meeting. And the Novato police are actively pursuing this case as a hate crime and a reward has been posted. It's up to all of us to work diligently to ensure that the terrible acts that took place in Wyoming don't happen on our own home ground. And to protect our youth, the schools are one of the first places to start. As parents and members of the community we need to work with all of the schools in Marin County to immediately implement programs designed to protect the safety and well-being of our children: - In-session training for teachers that focus on appreciating all forms of diversity, and how to provide a safe and supportive environment for all students, including those of differing sexual orientations or gender identity. - Non-discrimination policies that specifically include sexual orientation and gender identity. - Administration and faculty support for student-initiated Gay/Straight Alliances. - Zero tolerance for hate language or violence of any sort. For Matthew, it's sadly too late. No one can give him his life back. No one can give his parents their beloved child back. And frankly, I believe that ultimately no sense can be made out of any of this. But working together in Marin, as a community that celebrates diversity, we can help ensure that for all of our children, the world can be a safer and more welcoming place. And now is the time to take that next step. ______ Christopher Kryzan is executive director of San Rafael, California-based !OutProud!, The National Coalition for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth. =============================================================================== Jean Richter -- richter@eecs.berkeley.edu The P.E.R.S.O.N. Project (Public Education Regarding Sexual Orientation Nationally) CHECK OUT OUR INFO-LOADED WEB PAGE AT: http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/