Date: Wed, 08 Dec 1999 16:38:18 -0800 From: Jean Richter Subject: 12/8/99 P.E.R.S.O.N. Project news 1. NC: Letter opposing station's refusal to air "It's Elementary" 2. AK: Letter opposes rejection of gay youths 3. More on LLDEF's AIDS report card ========================================================================= Raleigh News & Observer, November 28, 1999 Box 191, Raleigh, NC, 27602 (Fax 919-829-8924)(E-MAIL: forum@nando.com ) ( http://www.nando.net/nao/ ) Letter: Public TV applies double standard to gay-issues show Management of UNC-TV must think people in the Triangle are pretty dumb. They would have us believe that their decision to not air "It's Elementary: Talking About Gay Issues in School" (news stories, Nov. 11 and 23) has nothing to do with the film's "controversial" subject matter, nor that it has anything to do with their wealthy but conservative funding base. However, the reasons they give for not showing the film are sorry and half-hearted. We are suppose[d] to believe the film isn't being aired because it "advocates and promotes," that it's not "objective," "fair" or "balanced." What a smoke-screen! Since when has UNC-TV held any other film to such standards? Any good documentary has an editorial point-of-view, a view that is promoted throughout the work. When is the last time any of us saw a film about the African-American civil rights movement that gave equal time to interviews with members of the KKK? Just this month, WUNC-TV aired the excellent "Not For Ourselves Alone" about the women's movement. That film certainly promoted an agenda! Where was the equal time given to a more conservative family view of women staying in the home, submissive and subservient to their husbands? Most disingenuous are the comments of director of programming Diane Lucas, when she says UNC-TV will produce a program showing how North Carolina schools teach tolerance of various groups and examine the different approaches used. Nice safe bet. In a state with an "abstinence until marriage" curriculum and penalties for teachers who even answer questions about gay issues, it's a pretty safe call that the UNC-TV documentary won't make a single one of its funders uncomfortable. - MARK A. ZUMBACH, Raleigh ================================================================================== [sorry, I don't have more background on this situation - JMR] Anchorage Daily News, November 29, 1999 P. O. Box 149001, Anchorage, AK, 99514-9001 (Fax 907-258-2157 ) (E-MAIL: letters@pop.adn.com ) ( http://www.adn.com/ ) Letter: Rejection of gay youths tragic It is unfortunate that the students of Grace Christian School have learned the lessons of bigotry and intolerance well. Apparently, the lessons Jesus taught - "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone" or "Judge not, lest ye be judged" - have been neglected. Young gay and lesbian students have a high rate of suicide, as much as one-third of teen suicides. This can often be traced to rejection of the young person's sexuality by family members, peers, church and community. Rejection of a gay child is tragic and unnecessary. For parents and others who are struggling with issues of homosexuality in their families, I recommend an organization called Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. The local chapter has many resources to help. Our phone number is 566-1813. Or visit our web site: www.alaska.net/~identity/pflag.htm. - Jane Schlittler, president, PFLAG/Anchorage ================================================================================== Reply-To: listserver@channelq.com Date: Mon, 29 Nov 1999 18:46:35 -0800 From: "Channel Q" Subject: GLAADLines - November 29, 1999 GLAADLINES - November 29, 1999 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Wonbo Woo GLAAD Communications Manager (212) 807-1700 x24 woo@glaad.org http://www.glaad.org News and Breaking Stories about the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community [non-schools-related items omitted] 3) BUSH RECEIVES "F," GORE, "C" ON LAMBDA'S WORLD AIDS DAY REPORT CARD: On the eve of World AIDS Day (Dec. 1) the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund released its fourth annual World AIDS Day Report Card, criticizing both leading presidential candidates as "callous and compromising public officials," while praising Coretta Scott King, widow of Martin Luther King, Jr., for her AIDS activism in the African-American community. Vice President Al Gore received a grade of "C," Lambda noted, for "retreating from his strong record on AIDS issues, and siding with pharmaceutical companies out to block South Africa from producing affordable, generic versions of HIV treatments for its citizens." Lambda gave Republican Texas Gov. George W. Bush failing marks. "Pop quiz for the leading Republican presidential candidate:" the Report Card asks, "What do public health officials overwhelmingly say will curb HIV rates among adolescents? Answer: safer-sex education. But Bush sought to cut f! undi ng for health clinics in Texas schools, and if elected, promises to promote so-called 'abstinence education,' funding religious groups to administer those programs." Among those praised by the report: Coretta Scott King, who continues to urge the African-American community to pay attention to AIDS and lesbian and gay issues. The full report card - which is divided into three sections: "Politics, Policy & the Law," "Prevention" and "Treatment Access and Research" - can be found on the Lambda Web site at www.lambdalegal.org. For more information, contact Peg Byron at the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund at 212-809-8585, ext. 230. For more information about World AIDS Day, please visit the The Body: An AIDS and HIV Information Resource online at www.thebody.com. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of individuals and events in all media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. To subscribe, contact Wonbo Woo at (212) 807-1700 or at woo@glaad.org. "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are registered trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) glaad@glaad.org TO REPORT DEFAMATION IN THE MEDIA - Call GLAAD's Alertline at 1.800.GAY.MEDIA or go to the GLAAD Web Site at www.glaad.org and report through our Alertline Online. TO JOIN GLAAD AND RECEIVE GLAAD's QUARTERLY GLAADNOTES MAGAZINE, call 1.800.GAY.MEDIA or join on the Web today at www.glaad.org/glaad/join/join-about.html TO SUBSCRIBE TO GLAAD-Net, GLAAD's electronic mailing list, send e-mail to majordomo@vector.casti.com with the message "Subscribe GLAAD-Net" (without the quotation marks). Make sure that you turn off all signatures and extraneous text. TO UNSUBSCRIBE, send e-mail to majordomo@vector.casti.com with the message "Unsubscribe GLAAD-Net" (without the quotation marks). Make sure that you turn off all signatures and extraneous text. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of individuals and events in all media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are registered trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc. ================================================================================== Jean Richter -- richter@eecs.berkeley.edu The P.E.R.S.O.N. Project (Public Education Regarding Sexual Orientation Nationally) These messages are archived by state on our information-loaded free web site: http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/