Submitted by:GLAADSFBA@aol.com M E D I A W A T C H for April 21, 1995 by A L K I E L W A S S E R Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, San Francisco Bay Area Chapter THE BUNS OF A BIGOT Dave Thomas, founder of the Wendy's hamburger chain, has written a new book, entitled "Well Done." In his book, Thomas relishes praise upon heterosexual supremacist (and media mogul) Pat Robertson. Specifically, Thomas commends Robertson -- an arch-homophobe -- for "doing things right" and promoting "wholesomeness and family values." Not surprisingly, Wendy's advertising dollars have provided further support for Pat Robertson's media interests. Thomas himself has been a guest on Robertson's daily TV show, "The 700 Club." Wendy's restaurants should know that homophobia is always in bad taste! Contact Dave Thomas, Wendy's Corporate Headquarters, 4288 West Dublin-Granville Road, Dublin, OH 43017, tel. 614-764-6800, fax 614-764-6894. FAIR COVERAGE The May '95 issue of "Vanity Fair" magazine features lesbian supermodel Rachel Williams, shown in a two-page lay-out with her girlfriend (and musician) Alice Temple. The happy couple are seen lounging together -- as supermodels will -- while the accompanying text quotes both women about their new-found relationship. The "Vanity Fair" spread offers a matter-of-fact picture of lesbian love, in an industry routinely dedicated to matters of fantasy. Hopefully, the visibility of these lesbians will encourage others to come out in the modeling, fashion and entertainment fields. Over the years, "Vanity Fair" has covered a number of lesbian, gay and bisexual subjects. Most notably, the magazine published a recent (Feb. '95), fourteen-page feature story about homophobic murders in Texas. "Vanity Fair" is also the magazine that dared to speak k. d. lang's "dream-date fantasy," by posing the lesbian singer with model Cindy Crawford in a now-infamous cover photo. Send encouraging feedback to Graydon Carter, Editor-in-Chief, "Vanity Fair," 350 Madison Avenue, New York, NY, tel. 212-880-8800, e-mail vfair@aol.com. TEXTBOOK ACTIVISM Estimates from the U.S. Department of Justice suggest that lesbians and gay men are the most frequent victims of hate violence in this country. According to a survey conducted by the American Association of University Women, U.S. school children fear one form of harassment over all others . . . being called "gay." What's the connection between these two reports? It's both sickening and simple: Children who are afraid of -- or hate -- the word "gay" are likely to become adults who are afraid of -- and hate -- gay people. Whenever we fail to teach the truth today, we pay for it -- many times over -- tomorrow. Until we reduce the homophobic bias so common in textbooks, there will be no end to our need for special counseling programs, anti-violence campaigns and suicide prevention hotlines. Public education offers the most humane, efficient and cost-effective means for dealing with homophobic bigotry. Recently, the influential California State Board of Education formed an "Ad Hoc Committee on Hate/Violence." While the Board of Education is composed almost entirely of Right-Wing homophobes (appointed by California governor and presidential hopeful Pete Wilson), this new committee offers an important platform for advancing curriculum reform. Given the committee's focus, the public can demand the Board's attention to the role that textbooks can -- and must -- play in combating homophobia. After all, unless the Board of Education begins to spend tax dollars on books that include fair and accurate information about lesbians and gays, our schools will continue to teach a curriculum of hate and violence. The members of the Ad Hoc Committee on Hate/Violence are S. William Malkasian (Committee Chair), Gerti B. Thomas, and Gary L. Weston. Send feedback to each, at the California Board of Education, P.O. Box 944272, Sacramento, CA 94244-2720, tel. 916-657-5478 (and remember, even if you do not live in California, it is still important that these Board members hear from you; as a leading purchaser of textbooks, California sets national standards for the content of books used across the country). For additional information about textbook activism, contact "Project 21," c/o GLAAD, 1360 Mission Street, Suite 200, San Francisco, CA 94103, tel. 415-861-2244, fax 415-861-4893, e-mail glaadp21@aol.com. DOROTHY DEAN: HISTORY & HER STORY The April 24th issue of "The New Yorker" carries a tribute to the late Dorothy Dean, "a black woman who had been a galvanizing presence in gay New York for nearly twenty years." Hilton Als' essay memorializes both Dean and the "now vanished" (60's and 70's) era she symbolized. In seven detailed pages, the author renders a story that is, at turns, a biography, eulogy, and cultural history. Als' essay reveals a complex figure in Dorothy Dean, whose roles ranged from "the first black valedictorian in the history of White Plains High School" and "the first woman fact checker at 'The New Yorker'" to "a rumored accomplice in a celebrated kidnapping" and the "Queen of Camp." While the author 's criticism is reserved, he still gives a forthright accounting of Dean's many unsavory traits. Among other things, for example, we learn that Dean promoted the acquisitive values of "the white elite" and "refused to take even a perfunctory interest in the politics of civil rights." She spent much of her adult life as a self-professed "fag hag," living in a world that was "small and closeted enough for her to control it." Ultimately, judgment of Dean's character must be reserved for the reader. But in publishing this article, "The New Yorker" has chronicled a unique moment in queer history. The significance of such coverage is enhanced by the history and status of the magazine itself; first printed in 1925, "The New Yorker" is one of the most successful metropolitan magazines ever published. Comments can be sent to "The New Yorker," 20 W. 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036, tel. 212-536-5400. ADVERTISER'S SNOW JOB ? On March 2nd, The Sports Authority company placed a quarter-page advertisement in "The Charlotte Observer." The ad depicted various sale items in an "end of season ski clearance," and the caption under one pair of boots read: "You'll ski like a faggot with these!" On March 3rd, the company placed another ad, which announced: "WE APOLOGIZE." This ad, in the form of a letter from company Vice President Richard Lynch, went on to say that the previous advertisement "included language that was inappropriate and offensive to our loyal customers and the residents of Charlotte. The use of this language was obviously in error. The individual responsible was terminated immediately and safeguards have been put in place to ensure this does not occur again." That apology failed to satisfy some local activists, however, who have noted that The Sports Authority's letter never mentioned lesbians or gays. David Stout, the editor of "Q Notes," a North Carolina lesbian/gay newspaper, called the apology "regrettable." According to Stout, the company "directed their apology towards 'loyal customers and the residents of Charlotte' rather than those who were truly demeaned. Doesn't The Sports Authority believe that gays and lesbians deserve a direct apology for the needless emotional pain that was caused by the advertisement?" In a March 24th letter to Stout, Richard Lynch attempted to defend his apology. Lynch wrote: "In crafting The Sports Authority's apology, ALL groups that might have been offended were considered. The conclusion reached was that potentially many groups were offended, including groups who do not necessarily support the gay and lesbian lifestyle." Say what? Does Lynch mean to suggest that his apology was intended for homophobes, who might have been offended by the inclusion of "faggots" in any roster of skilled athletes? This and other questions should be posed to Richard J. Lynch, Senior Vice President, The Sports Authority, 3383 North State Road 7, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33319, tel. 305-735-1701 or 800-765-8721 (ext. 6070 or 6071), fax 305-677-6028. MEDIA BRIEFS * Zine Scene . . . "Square Pegs" is a new, free zine for queer youth. "Since we are cool enough to make this zine free, please be cool enough to write us," say the editors. Contact "Square Pegs," c/o Equinox, 903 Pacific Ave., Suite 207A, Santa Cruz, CA, tel. 408-457-1441, e-mail seanb@cats.ucsc.edu. * Media Resources For Media Watchers . . . "EXTRA!," the bi-monthly magazine published by FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting), devotes a special March/April '95 edition to "The Right-Wing Media Machine ("EXTRA!," 130 West 25th St., New York, NY 10001, tel. 212-633-6700, fax 212-727-7688); A recent issue (vol. 20, no. 3) of the journal "Critical Sociology" is dedicated to queer issues, and includes several pop culture/media-related articles ("Critical Sociology," Dept. of Sociology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, tel. 503-346-5039); The April '95 issue of "Z Magazine" includes David Barsamian's article on the "Right-Wing Take-over of Public Broadcasting" ("Z Magazine," 18 Millfield St., Woods Hole, MA 02543, tel. 508-548-9063, fax 508-457-0626). * Rot Off The Press . . . Small presses are actively publishing homophobic books covering everything from "Healing Homosexuality" (Jason Aronson, Inc.) to "Legislating Immorality" (Moody Press). To monitor such reading, you can obtain a catalogue from one of the "leading" distributors of bigoted bibliography: Regeneration Books, P.O. Box 9830, Baltimore, MD 21284-9830. * The Medium Is The Modem . . . The newly-updated "Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual Internet Resource Guide" is a comprehensive listing that covers everything from newsgroups to WWW pages. For details, contact Phillip Mason, 403 Stringtown Road, Williamsburg, KY 40769-9727, e-mail phillip@iglou.com. * Changing Times . . . As of April 14th, the "Chicago Sun-Times" has dropped lesbian journalist Deb Price from its roster of local and nationally-syndicated columnists (in 1992, Price began her weekly reports on lesbian and gay issues, the first such syndicated columns in the United States). Complaints go to Dennis A. Britton, Editor & Executive Vice President, "Chicago Sun-Times," 401 N. Wabash Ave., Chicago, IL 60611, tel. 312-321-3000, fax 312-321-3084. * Techno-Liberties . . . The Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT) is a non-profit, public interest organization advocating public policies that "advance constitutional civil liberties and democratic values in new computer and communications technologies." Contact CDT, tel. 202-637-9800, e-mail info@cdt.org (CDT also has World Wide Web site at http://www.cdt.org/). * Special Writes . . . For his forthcoming anthology "Letters to Our Children," Larry Dane Brimner (3175 Lincoln Ave., San Diego, CA 92104, e-mail lbrimner@aol.com) is seeking essays ("letters") by gay/lesbian adults that "speak to sexual-minority youths." Deadline is June 1, 1995. * Good American . . . The April '95 issue of the well-established "Scientific American" magazine includes a news brief on "Coming Out in the Sciences." The item highlights the status of the scientific closet, and takes note of the 800-member National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals (NOGLSTP). Send encouraging e-mail to "Scientific American," letters@sciam.com. NOGLSTP can be reached at belmont@netcom.com. # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # 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, whenever 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!