Date: Tue, 14 Feb 1995 02:21:11 -0500 From: GLAADSFBA@aol.com M E D I A W A T C H for February 10, 1995 by A L K I E L W A S S E R Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, San Francisco Bay Area Chapter MTV'S QUEER BEAT MTV News continues to out-pace other national outlets in its coverage of the queer beat. The February 2nd broadcast featured a segment on Queer Punk, "a new breed of proudly gay punk bands making a big noise these days." The segment highlighted the music of such groups as Pansy Division, Chainsaw Kittens, and Fifth Column (an all-lesbian band). The segment included interviews with members of Pansy Division and Greenday, as well as commentary from a writer for Interview magazine. According to Ray Rogers of Interview, "Queer Punk is just a general term, but it is basically out queer people making music that they love, for themselves, for the queer audience -- singing about their issues, what's important to them. They are like, right on, we're queer, we're out there, we rock." Referring to the San Francisco-based band Pansy Division, the lead singer for Greenday -- Billie Joe -- added: "They are just out there spewing homosexuality, and I think it's great. You know, I think they are the future of what's going to happen to rock n' roll music." The MTV announcer pointed out that, most importantly, "the music will reach young audiences gay and straight." The segment also included concert footage of Pansy Division. The boys in the band sang "Fem in a Black Leather Jacket" to a large crowd, as the lyrics to the tune scrolled beneath them: "With his long, long hair and pouty lips/cute little butt and sexy hips/The way he moves has me inspired/he's the boy that I require." Encourage MTV to continue covering queers in music. Send compliments to Viewer Department, MTV Networks, Inc., 1515 Broadway, New York, NY 10036, tel. 212-258-8700, fax 212-258-8718, e-mail mtvnews@aol.com. CD OR NOT CD? "Who Built America?" is an award-winning history CD-ROM developed by the Voyager company and the American Social History Project at Hunter College in New York. Until recently, Apple donated the multimedia package to public schools as part of the company's free software program. However, homophobic complaints about the CD have apparently led Apple to discontinue distribution. According to the Wall Street Journal( 2/10/95), "Who Built America?" has drawn complaints from some school districts because of its treatment of such topics as homosexuality, birth control and abortion. One critic quoted by the Journal describes the CD as "a politically-correct, left-wing version of American history that has understandably met with some opposition." Among the "objectionable" material contained in the CD is an 1882 letter from a gay German immigrant explaining how he fled to America after being arrested for a homosexual relationship. The disc also contains a 1901 New York Times account of a transgendered Tammany Hall leader. For 25 years, Murray Hall -- a woman -- masqueraded as a man and was married twice. After failing to get Voyager to delete the controversial sections of the CD, Apple announced that it would discontinue shipments of the disc to public schools. That decision is hardly in keeping with Apple's own progressive history. The company has aggressively supported benefits for same-sex domestic partners, and has also utilized lesbian super-jock Martina Navratilova in ad campaigns. Send feedback to Apple Computers, 20525 Mariani, Mail Stop 76-4 AD, Cupertino, CA 95074. FOR ART'S SAKE The California Curriculum Commission is currently revising the Visual and Performing Arts Framework, which will set guidelines for the textbooks used in public schools, grades K-12. The Framework covers dance, music, theater, and visual arts. The current Visual and Performing Arts Framework artfully dodges lesbian, gay and bisexual references. Though it specifically mentions such artists as Alvin Ailey, Langston Hughes, and Freida Kahlo, no mention is made of their gay or bisexual identities. In fact, the current Framework ignores queer art altogether. The Framework's heterosexism is as repugnant as it is ironic, since the Curriculum Commission specifically asserts that art is a way for students to learn about cultural diversity. Urge the Commission to rework this closeted curriculum. Send comments to Charlene Gould, Chair, Visual and Performing Arts Subcommittee, Curriculum Commission, c/o CFIR Office, 721 Capitol Mall, 6th Floor, P.O. Box 944272, Sacramento, CA 94244-2720, fax 916-657- 5437. And remember, even if you do not live in California, let the Commission hear from you; as a leading purchaser of textbooks, California sets national standards for the content of books used across the country. MEDIA BRIEFS Music with a Message . . . . Outpunk is a queer punk record label and magazine, uniquely reaching out to youth audiences. For more information, contact Outpunk, P.O. box 170501, San Francisco, CA 94117. Show and Tell . . . Warren J. Blumenfeld has created two slide presentations, "Homophobia: How We All Pay the Price" (based on his book of the same name) and "Recovering the Past: Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual History." Anyone interested in showing either presentation can contact Blumenfeld at P.O. Box 929, Northampton, MA 01061, e-mail Blumenfeld@educ.umass.edu. Stayin' Alive . . . "The Disco Years" is a video, set in the late 70's, that tells the coming out story of a high school teenager. For details, contact Select Media, 225 Lafayette St. # 1102, New York, NY 10012, tel. 212-431-8923, fax 212-431-8946. Class Act . . . "Condom Availability in Schools: A Guide for Programs" is a step by step guide to advocating, planning, implementing and evaluating a condom availability program in school settings. For more information about this manual, contact The Center for Population Options, 1025 Vermont Ave. NW, Suite 210, Washington DC 20005, tel. 202-347-5700, fax 202-347-2263. # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # WE MUST CONFRONT THE MEDIA'S HOMOPHOBIA IN ORDER TO CURE IT! TO NOTIFY GLAAD/SFBA OF ANY DEFAMATORY OR AFFIRMATIVE MEDIA COVERAGE CALL OUR 24-HOUR MEDIA WATCH HOTLINE AT 415-861-4588, OR WRITE TO "MEDIA WATCH," GAY & LESBIAN ALLIANCE AGAINST DEFAMATION/SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA, 1360 MISSION STREET, SUITE 200, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103; tel. 415-861-2244, fax 415-861-4893, e-mail GLAAD SFBA@AOL.COM. FOUNDED IN 1988, THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA CHAPTER OF GLAAD IS A MEMBERSHIP-BASED COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO CULTURAL ADVOCACY AND MEDIA ACTIVISM. GLAAD/SFBA PROMOTES THE FAIR, ACCURATE AND DIVERSE REPRESENTATION OF LESBIAN, GAY AND BISEXUAL LIVES IN ALL FORMS OF MASS MEDIA. "MEDIA WATCH" is a weekly report that may be reprinted or posted without prior permission, provided that, when appropriate, attribution is made to Al Kielwasser and/or GLAAD-SFBA. We greatly appreciate copies of any publications that use all or part of the "MEDIA WATCH." Thank you for your participation in GLAAD's vital work!