From: GLAADSFBA@aol.com Date: Fri, 16 Jun 1995 14:51:06 -0400 Subject: GLAAD MEDIA WATCH, June 16 M e d i a W a t c h for June 16, 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 "H" IS SILENT Mainstream media pros seem to have a problem with the "H" words -- HOMOPHOBIA and HETEROSEXISM. Popular columnists, for instance, seem to do their damnedest to avoid using either. No matter how appropriate and accurate these terms might be, journalists skirt all around them, exclusively using less-specific references like "prejudice" or "intolerance." A recent case in point is Ann Landers' column for June 15, 1995. In that column, Landers printed a letter from a "52-year-old gay father" who sought her advice. The man explained: "My entire family knows I am gay. My companion, Jason, and I live near my children, and they often come home for dinner . . . . My oldest son is getting married soon. He asked if I would be able to contribute something toward the cost of the wedding . . . . I agreed . . . . A week later, my son told me he did not want me to bring Jason to the wedding because some of his friends are not as understanding as he is, and he doesn't want to be embarrassed on his wedding day." The gay father also pointed out that "his ex-wife and her boyfriend will be attending the wedding." "I find this double standard insulting," he wrote. He then sincerely asked Landers what he should do, and concluded: "Any help you can give would be appreciated." Landers replied: "Too bad your son is such a wimp, but it sounds to me that he's being pressured by his fiancee. Leave the decision to Jason. If he is a first-rate fellow, he will encourage you to attend the wedding without him . . . . When all the unpleasantness is over, you will be glad you took the high road." Since when is ignoring homophobia -- and failing to challenge heterosexism -- a matter of "taking the high road?" And while Landers description of this man's son as a "wimp" might be admirable, she conveniently avoids describing his behavior (or anyone else's) as HOMOPHOBIC. She does not acknowledge the obvious HETEROSEXISM of the "double standard" described by the letter writer. Moreover, it is exceedingly insulting for Landers to suggest that "first-rate fellows" are gay men who encourage their partners to pretend they do not exist. But such an insult is, unfortunately, a classic "Landers Slander." It seems that Ann Landers digs herself into a deeper hole every time she addresses a lesbian, gay or bisexual issue. In 1991, she told a mother that her daughter's domestic partner had no right to be included in a family photograph. In 1992, Landers decided to hold a postcard poll on whether or not lesbians and gays are miserable sinners. That same year, she also defamed bisexuals and spread misinformation about AIDS. "Since AIDS has reared its ugly head, I would not advise any woman to continue in a relationship with a man who has sex with another male," she told the lover of a bisexual man. In 1994, Landers advised her vast readership to keep information about homosexuality away from lesbian, gay and questioning children: "I'm not about to tell a 13-year-old that he or she may be homosexual," Landers reasoned, "Thirteen is too early to tell for certain." This sad chronology could go on . . . and on. ** Clearly, this advice columnist is in desperate need of some good advice herself. Send plenty of it to Ann Landers, P.O. Box 11562, Chicago, IL 60611-0562. You might also ask Landers to live up to the higher standards set by her own sister -- and advice column competitor -- Abigail Van Buren ("Dear Abby"); Van Buren recently apologized for offering homophobic advice and she publicly stated her commitment to promoting "understanding and acceptance of gays and lesbians." A SERIOUS COMIC In the latest issue of "ShadowHawk," published by Image Comics, the superhero -- an African American crime fighter -- dies of AIDS. The United Press International (UPI) and Associated Press (AP) wire services quickly picked up on the story and -- according to the publisher -- the comic book has been "thrown into the media buzz lines with a furry." The superhero's sexual orientation (if any) is not emphasized in Issue #18, though it certainly appears that he is neither gay nor bisexual. A press release announcing the publication lays out the issue's focal point: "The earth's deadliest villain doesn't always come after you with a knife or a gun. Sometimes it comes without warning. Without reason. Without remorse. Evil without a cure. That villain is AIDS." Early in the series, the comic book's villainous characters injected ShadowHawk with HIV. The superhero's fight against AIDS has been a part of the plot ever since. "Why did it have to be me?," ShadowHawk asks in one panel, "I wasn't at risk . . . I don't DESERVE this!" The next panel carries a reply: "Who does?" According to Jim Valentino -- the comic book's writer/artist/creator (and Image Comics co-founder) -- "ShadowHawk" represents a unique effort at AIDS education and prevention. "As a father, I am concerned with the future of not only my children, but the future of all children to come," Valentino says. "I want as many people as can be to be aware of AIDS and to join in the fight against it. You don't need super powers to fight AIDS, you just need to fight." "ShadowHawk" has supplemented the fictional storyline with factual AIDS/HIV information. While that information has tended towards pedantry -- and an over-emphasis on abstinence -- the basic message is intended to educate, sensitize and empower readers. "A lot of kids will be exposed to the message, maybe before they are exposed to the AIDS virus," said Randy Chalenor, a spokesperson for Image Comics. "ShadowHawk's" preachy tone -- and graphic, vigilante politics -- won't appeal to all readers. But, the series undoubtedly appeals to a unique readership that might not be accessible through other media. According to John Miller, associate editor of "Comics Buyer's Guide," most comic book readers are 12- to 14-year-old boys. Image Comics ranks a very respectable third amongst comic book companies in the U.S. and Canada, holding a 17 percent share of the market. Each issue of the comic book contains several letters from readers. While praised by many, "ShadowHawk" has also elicited some all-too-common complaints. For example, in Issue # 11, a letter writer whines about the comic book's "political correctness" and "becoming just another part of the AIDS bandwagon." The disgruntled reader asks: "With what reasoning would you give ShadowHawk HIV when guns, car accidents, drugs, alcohol, and smoking each kill many more people and create many more tragedies each year than AIDS does? It is my hope that you can recognize the error of involving ShadowHawk's plot with your own political beliefs, just as a newspaper editor would recognize the error of involving a report with his own political beliefs. Such ideas are best left in editorials." Unfortunately, some readers also seem to have "misread" the author's intent, at least as far as debunking the "innocent victim" myth. Wrote one fan, also in Issue #11: "No, you won't get any criticism from this corner . . . I think it makes for a more sympathetic character to have him be the one who was not given AIDS through his own fault but, rather, the fault of evil drug dealers. He wasn't a drug user. He didn't practice a homosexual lifestyle. He didn't have unprotected sex." To which Jim Valentino replied: "We have sympathy for anyone suffering from this . . . disease. ANYONE. No one 'deserves' AIDS. No one." The comic book's creator has said that -- unlike Superman -- ShadowHawk will not rise from the grave. Valentino explained this decision as a reflection of the seriousness of AIDS, which can't simply be "shaken off." However, the publisher has announced plans for "The New ShadowHawk." The anticipated series will feature a new character taking the place of the title role's predecessor. Given this publisher's ground-breaking approach to social issues, perhaps Image Comics might also consider a series with affirmative -- and clearly portrayed -- lesbian, gay or bisexual title characters. Such media could be invaluable in the fight against another deadly disease -- homophobia. ** Send comments and compliments to Jim Valentino, "Out of the Shadows," 31878 Del Obispo, # 118-312, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675. Copy your correspondence to Randy Chalenor, Promotions and Marketing Director, Shadowline Ink, 31732 Rancho Viejo Road, Suite F, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675, tel. 714-443-9078, fax 714-443-9174. "SURF WATCH" TAKES ANOTHER LOOK On-line media have become the latest targets of censorship campaigns around the world. In response, various "self-censorship" programs are being developed by computer software companies. Though touted as solutions to the censorship problem, these programs raise troubling concerns for the lesbian, gay and bisexual communities. SurfWatch Software, Inc. recently released "SurfWatch," a new product that the company describes as a "breakthrough." According to the manufacturers, SurfWatch "helps you deal with the flood of sexually explicit material on the Internet. By helping you to be responsible for blocking what is being received at any individual computer, children and others using your computer have less chance of accidentally or deliberately being exposed to unwanted material." To accomplish the program's objective, SurfWatch utilizes a database of newsgroups, World Wide Web pages, and other on-line sources that the company deems "objectionable." Significantly, on-line activist Christopher Kryzan reports that this list of censored sites had included many that "clearly do not contain sexually explicit materials, but rather provide information, education, resources and calendars of events." Among the blocked information services were those provided by the International Association of Gay Square Dance Clubs, the Queer Resources Directory, the Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual Association of the University of California at Berkeley, and the Maine gay Network. Following a flood of complaints, the company has just announced that these sites will NOT be blocked in the next release of SurfWatch. Kryzan reports that, "SurfWatch has also decided to put together an advisory board to assist in the review of sites, and has committed to include members of the queer community on this board." He added: "This is a very positive step, I believe. We will be working with them to identify key individuals who are savvy with issues of queer youth online to assist in this role." However, Kryzan urges caution as well as enthusiasm. "This is just the beginning," he said. "There will be more SurfWatches to come, some probably bearing the label of the Radical Right, and our vigilance in monitoring our rights to access information must accelerate, if anything." He further warns: "We must be vigilant in ensuring that some self-proclaimed Guardians of the Internet do not impose their personal morals and values on the community at large, conducting, in effect, a worldwide book-burning in this electronic library . . . . We must not let all topics of a gay, lesbian or bisexual nature get swept up in a frenzy of censorship." Blanket categorizations of lesbian and gay content as "objectionable" and "obscene" are common, AND deeply immoral. They devalue knowledge and truth, encourage sex-negativity, and are too often used to bolster irrational censorship efforts. Inevitably, they work to deny the right of lesbian and gay youth to fair, accurate and diverse information about WHO THEY ARE. For young, closeted or isolated queers, "self-censorship" software could be used to block -- in a very real sense -- access to their history, their community and, indeed, their future. ** Share comments and concerns with SurfWatch Software, Inc., 105 Fremont Avenue, Suite F, Los Altos, CA 94022, tel. 415-948-9500, fax 415-948-9577, e-mail info@surfwatch.com; Chris Kryzan, Executive Director, OutProud: The National Coalition for Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Youth, P.O. Box 24589, San Jose, CA 95154-4589, e-mail kryzan@outproud.org. STRONG KOFY James Gabbert -- the recently-out gay media mogul -- decided to do what (remarkably) no broadcaster in the United States has yet to do . . . televise live coverage of a Pride Parade. Gabbert announced that his KOFY-TV station would cover the 25th Annual San Francisco Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender Parade and Pride Celebration (June 18, 1995). Since he began airing ads for the broadcast, Gabbert reported receiving a number of boycott -- and death -- threats. Hundreds of homophobic callers threatened to put pressure on KOFY advertisers, especially those that might advertise during the "demonic" broadcast. Gabbert rejected the threats, however. A week before the scheduled broadcast, he told the press: "This is not just a gay event, it's an event for all of San Francisco. I thought it would be a really neat thing to broadcast it, and I still do. We're going to do it." ** Direct feedback to James Gabbert, Owner and President, KOFY-TV, 2500 Marin Street, San Francisco, CA 94124, tel. 415-821-2020. MILITARY MEDIA The military invasion of San Francisco's public schools may yet be pushed back -- permanently. On June 27, the city's Board of Education will vote on a resolution to phase out the "Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps" (JROTC) program that currently blights the school district. Efforts to rid San Francisco schools of JROTC have consistently failed, usually by a close 4-3 Board of Education vote. Recently, however, Board member Steve Phillips -- a one-time advocate of the program -- announced that he can no longer support JROTC because of its homophobia. If the San Francisco's Board of Education does succeed in axing the JROTC, it would send a clear message to the rest of the nation, underscoring what these programs REALLY teach our children. JROTC programs are essentially an agency of the Pentagon and Department of Defense. Though these programs operate in local school districts, they are governed by national military policy and regulations. Across the nation, JROTC courses utilize textbooks and other educational media that promote homophobia, encourage violence, valorize racism and spread medical misinformation about AIDS/HIV. Additionally, JROTC programs appear to violate the Equal Opportunity Employment (EOE) policies adopted by many cities and school districts, including San Francisco. While these EOE policies prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, JROTC programs -- just like the U.S. Military of which they are a part -- openly discriminate against lesbian, gay and bisexual instructors and staff. In fact, JROTC programs do not hire "out" employees. Instead, the JROTC fully embraces the military's unjust and unfair "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" regulations, which stifle free speech and perpetuate rampant homophobia. Adding insult to injury, JROTC programs do not come cheaply to cash-poor school districts. For example, the San Francisco Board of Education must spend approximately $700,000 a year to support existing JROTC courses. Alternatively, the Board's budget includes NEXT TO NOTHING in funds for lesbian/gay programs or curricula. Clearly, JROTC programs cost too much -- not only in scarce dollars, but also in common sense. Our public schools MUST be places where we aggressively combat homophobia, right along with other forms of ignorance. But as long as the JROTC is present and prominent, our classrooms will not only fail to combat homophobia, but -- in a very direct and concrete way -- they become places where homophobia is actually NURTURED. ** Before June 27 -- Contact President Dan Kelly and All Members, San Francisco Board of Education, 135 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102-5299, tel. 415-241-6000, fax 415-241-6429. Also, send letters condemning JROTC homophobia to the major dailies in San Francisco: "San Francisco Examiner," 110 Fifth Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, tel. 415-777-2424, fax 415-777-2525, e-mail sfexaminer@aol.com; "San Francisco Chronicle," 901 Mission street, San Francisco, CA 94103-2988, tel. 415-777-1111, fax 415-777-7100. ** After June 27 -- The growth of JROTC units is on the rise nationwide. For information on the struggle to stop JROTC indoctrination in your city, call this toll-free hotline: 1-800-NO-JROTC. An anti-JROTC organizing kit and other resources are available from the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors, 1515 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, tel. 215-241-7196, fax 215-567-2096, e-mail ccco@igc.apc.org, or the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors/Western Region, 655 Sutter Street, #514, San Francisco, CA 94102, tel. 415-474-3002, fax 415-474-2311, e-mail cccowr@igc.apc.org. MEDIA BRIEFS * Keep Hope Online . . . The Youth Assistance Organization (YAO) promotes the positive uses of online media for lesbian, gay and bisexual teens. Through YAO, queer or questioning youth can participate in e-mail counseling (help@youth.org) and access a World Wide Web page (http://www.youth.org/). * Challenging Classroom Censors . . . The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) has launched a special program for "Countering Censorship In The Schools." To support the work of NCAC in defense of the rights to read, to teach and to learn, one can become an "NCAC Friend." For a modest donation, "Friends" receive NCAC's invaluable newsletter -- "Censorship News" -- five times a year, along with other timely information. For details on how to get involved, contact the National Coalition Against Censorship, 275 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10001, tel. 212-807-NCAC, fax 212-807-6245. * Because Knowledge Is Power . . . The non-profit DataCenter supports "research dedicated to progressive social change." The DataCenter collects information from over 500 periodicals and operates a clipping service, public-interest library, and customized research program. Thanks to a recent grant, the Center can now offer its information services at subsidized rates to "non-profit groups that are defending freedom of expression." Contact: DataCenter, 464 19th St., Oakland, CA 94612, tel. 510-835-4692, fax 510-835-3017, e-mail datactr@tmn.com. * Web Watch . . . "Pen & Sword" is the title of a new on-line magazine intended "to bring the best in gay writing and art to the World Wide Web" (http://www.rahul.net/jag/) . . . Deborah Levinson, Project Director for "e.m.a.N.a.t.e.," invites individuals and organizations to submit public service announcements (PSAs) to the appropriate section of her Web Site (http://webnetserv.com/psa/); Levinson is also working on the Gay and Lesbian Web Alliance (e-mail fauxhack@aol.com or deborah@webnetser.com) . . . Queer Web browsers can also access the "NewtWatch" Web page, which has been described as "all the dirt on Newt Gingrich you could ever possibly want or need" (http://www.cais.com/newtwatch) . . . OutProud!, a groundbreaking lesbian/gay/bisexual youth service organization, can also be reached on the World Wide Web (http://www.outproud.org/outproud/). * Biblio-Birthday . . . "Modern Words" -- "a thoroughly queer international literary journal" -- celebrates its first anniversary this month. For more information, contact "Modern Words," 350 Bay St., No. 100, Box 325, San Francisco, CA 94133. * Sub/Missives . . . The editor of a special issue of "P-Form," an international interdisciplinary art magazine, is seeking submissions (in any form, excluding poetry) on the subject of "pornography and performance art." The deadline is October 1, 1995 and (SASE) queries should be sent to D. Travers Scott, P.O. Box 762, Portland, OR 97207-0762, tel. 503-331-0925, fax 503-331-1753, e-mail travscot@teleport.com . . . "Black Sheets" -- "a quarterly magazine for the sex-positive queer communities" -- is also seeking on-going submissions, which should be sent to Bill Brent, P.O. Box 31155, San Francisco, CA 94131, tel. 415-431-0171, e-mail 71170.2341@compuserve.com . . . The "First Annual John Preston Prize for Erotic Writing" will be awarded at Brown University this October, and the deadline for submissions is July 15 1995. Send entries or inquiries to "John Preston Prize," 530 Howard St., #400, San Francisco, CA 94105 . . . These and other submission calls are regularly printed in "Steam" magazine, which is also "always in need of new (non-fiction, sex-positive) writers." For details, contact Scott O'Hara, "Steam: A Quarterly Journal For Men," Rte. 2 Box 1215, Cazenovia, WI 53924. ******************************************* THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN GLAAD'S WORK. YOUR PARTICIPATION IS VITAL! 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. GLAAD challenges homophobia in and through the mass media . . . shaping the forces that shape our society. 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. To notify GLAAD/SFBA of any defamatory or affirmative media coverage, or to request membership information, please call our 24-hour Media Watch Hotline (415-861-4588) or write to Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation/San Francisco Bay Area Chapter, 1360 Mission Street, Suite 200, San Francisco, CA 94103; tel. 415-861-2244, fax 415-861-4893, e-mail glaadsfba@aol.com. *********************************************