From: GLAADSFBA@aol.com Date: Tue, 18 Jul 1995 16:11:37 -0400 Subject: GLAAD MEDIA WATCH, July 14 M e d i a W a t c h for July 14, 1995 by Al Kielwasser Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, San Francisco Bay Area "NEWSWEEK" DISCOVERS "NEW SEX" On June 21, 1993, an embracing lesbian couple filled the ubiquitous cover of "Newsweek" magazine. "Lesbians have always been the invisible homosexuals," the caption announced, "now these women are stepping front and center." This week, the magazine has similarly discovered bisexuals. "Newsweek's" July 17 cover story declares: "A new sexuality emerges . . . . Now it's coming out in the open -- in pop culture, in cyberspace and on campus." Of course, bisexuality is hardly a "new sexuality." But it IS news to much of the mainstream press and -- consequently -- to much of the public. In that regard, this cover story is a particularly welcome (and long-overdue) contribution to bi visibility. Across seven, well-illustrated pages, "Newsweek" paints a fairly affirmative portrait of bisexual identities. Significantly, the authors manage to avoid much of the sex-negativity and "voyeuristic" style that has marred similar attempts. And while the article touches upon a broad range of subjects -- myths, history, media, sex, love -- not a single bigot was quoted for "balance." "Newsweek's" coverage is not perfect, of course. In contrast to (or perhaps because of) the article's emphasis on bisexual identity, there is relatively little said, directly, about bisexual politics. The authors' gloss over such concepts as "community" and "movement," though these are fundamental to the very "emergence" announced on the magazine's cover. Nevertheless, the article is still a groundbreaking achievement for a mainstream medium . . . especially one of this stature. Thus issue of "Newsweek" -- vivid, unapologetic and (literally) covered with bisexuality -- will reach several MILLION readers. *** Encourage "Newsweek" to continue providing fair, accurate and diverse coverage of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender subjects; send comments to Richard M. Smith, Editor-in-Chief, "Newsweek," 251 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019-1894, fax 212-445-4120, e-mail letters@newsweek.com. THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME July 19 marks the season premiere of "The Larry Sanders Show," which is entering its fourth year on the Home Box Office (HBO) network. In the season's second episode, scheduled for July 26, the cast will be joined by a continuing gay character. The new addition will be played by the (VERY) out gay actor, Scott Thompson (formerly of "Kids In The Hall"). Scott Thompson's appearance should continue HBO's good record on lesbian and gay representation. Last year, the network made a positive contribution to lesbian visibility with "More Than Friends: The Coming Out of Heidi Leiter,' which portrayed the story of a high-school senior who comes out to herself and her parents, falls in love, and takes her girlfriend to the senior prom. This year, HBO's Sports Division hired Martina Navratilova as a Wimbledon commentator; such high-profile positions are rarely given to lesbian or gay athletes (unless they are closeted). And next year, in February, HBO will debut "The Celluloid Closet," a documentary film based on author/activist Vito Russo's seminal history of homosexuality in the movies. *** Supportive feedback can be sent to Home Box Office, HBO Building, 1100 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036. WHAT'S NEWS? Actor Keanu Reeves is the subject of "Vanity Fair's" August 1995 cover story ("The Wild One: Keanu Reeves on Sex, Hollywood and Life on the Run"). Written by Michael Shnayerson, this feature is standard fare -- a typical mix of doting biography ("Like every strong, athletic boy in Canada, Keanu learned to adore ice hockey") and pop psychoanalysis ("Answering earnestness with earnestness, I wonder aloud if there isn't in Keanu some central struggle between discipline and nihilism . . . ."). The "Vanity Fair" feature is unique in one respect, however. At one point in the article, the "sexually enigmatic" Reeves offers some relatively direct answers to questions about his sexual orientation (i.e., he's straight). Shnayerson hyped this angle on the July 5 broadcast of the daily television show "Entertainment Tonight" ("ET"). That broadcast left much to be desired. The "ET" segment opened with a derogatory teaser, which announced that Keanu Reeves was "finally coming clean about some dirty Hollywood rumors." During the show, a misleading newspaper headline -- "Keanu Blasts Back At Gay Slur" -- was displayed without comment. Finally, "ET" host John Tesh concluded the spot on a note of homophobic hope; the heterosexual love scenes in Reeves' two new films, Tesh said, "should help dispel the gay rumors." In the "Vanity Fair" interview, Reeves makes a point of insisting that he does NOT resent the rumors about his sexuality because "there is nothing wrong with being gay." For Reeves, such rumors are neither "dirty" nor "slurs." But "ET" never got around to mentioning this aspect of the story; the segment was only interested in DISPELLING homosexuality, not DISCUSSING it. When a young actor wants to talk about NOT BEING A HOMOSEXUAL, it's big news. But if he want's to talk about NOT BEING A HOMOPHOBE, the media aren't interested. *** Comments can be sent to Michael Shnayerson, Contributing Editor, "Vanity Fair," 350 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10017, e-mail vfair@aol.com; "Entertainment Tonight," 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, CA 90038, tel. 213-956-4900, fax 213-956-4954. CHOICE WORDS A professional journalist would not -- as a matter of course -- describe "Birth of a Nation" as a "movie about African-American issues." Likewise, few reporters would refer to neo-Nazi publications as a "series of books on Jewish topics." When it comes to homophobic media, however, the same standard is not yet applied. A front-page article by John Carlson, staff writer at the "Des Moines Register," provides a case in point ("Radio Host Soliciting For Anti-Gay Campaign," July 8, 1995). In general, Carlson provides adequate coverage of an important subject. His focus is Jan Mickelson, the host of a popular talk-show in Iowa who is also soliciting money for The Report, "a California-based anti-gay organization that is at the center of the homosexual-rights debate in the Des Moines schools." Carlson writes that The Report "has produced a half-dozen videotape programs dealing with gay issues." He also describes these tapes as a "series of videos on gay issues." That's an unfortunate (as well as misleading and inaccurate) choice of words. The Report's specialty is misinformation; the organization produces rabidly homophobic videotapes, which have been widely distributed amongst legislators, school officials, lobbyists and "church groups." Among The Report's more infamous productions is "The Gay Agenda." "The Gay Agenda" -- a Nazi-esque propaganda effort -- is NOT "a videotape program dealing with gay issues." None of the videos produced by The Report address "gay issues." Rather, they are concerned with the specific fears and fantasies of individuals who have made a career out of bigotry; these are video programs dealing with "homophobe issues." In fact, the videotapes could have been described -- accurately, and with no need for any value judgment -- as "homophobic." *** To encourage greater accuracy and fairness in reporting, write to John Carlson, "Des Moines Register," Box 957, Des Moines, IA 50304, fax 515-286-2511, e-mail dsmreg@delphi.com. For lurid details about The Report's library of video hate, contact Ty and Jeannette Beeson, Executive Directors, The Report, 42640 10th Street West, Lancaster CA 93534, tel. 1-800-462-4700. LOG CABIN FEVER During a recent Congressional debate, Rep. Randy Cunningham (R-SD) railed against his colleagues for supporting -- as he put it -- "homos in the military." That public slur was widely condemned, in both the mainstream and lesbian/gay press. According to the San Diego Log Cabin Club, however, the press got it wrong. The May/June issue of the club's newsletter, "Political Journal," defends Cunningham and argues that his use of the word "homo" was NOT defamatory. The "Journal" explains: "The Congressman does object to gays in the military. But that was not the issue in debate on the floor and Cunningham's remark about 'homos' was not meant as a slur against gays, but, as it was given, a generalized venting against liberals." The newsletter further argues that Cunningham was unfairly "singled out" for his use of the term, since lesbians and gays also use the term, but without sanction. In other words, the "Journal" contends that SIMPLY because the phrase "HOMOS" is tossed out RANDOMLY and with ANGER by a HETEROSEXUAL politician, who just happens to ATTACK LESBIAN/GAY CIVIL RIGHTS for a living, that's still NO INDICATION OF HOMOPHOBIA. Such a claim is not simply immoral; it is insane. *** Comments may be sent to David Tocki, Editor, "Political Journal," Log Cabin Club of San Diego, P.O. Box 3242, San Diego, CA 92163, tel. 619-583-6538. MEDIA BRIEFS * Movie Milestone . . . Robert Hofler of the Reuters news service reports: "Amy Heckerling, who directed 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High' in 1982, brings back the much-maligned teen genre with one of the best comedies ever made about pretwentysomethings. 'Clueless' stars Alicia Silverstone ('The Crush') as a 90210 babe with the heart of a Gold Card, and newcomer Justin Walker, who plays the screen's first gay 16-year-old heartthrob" (Reuters, July 12, 1995). * Gay-Per-View . . . Last month, the "Wall Street Journal" reported that Tangueray vodka and Pierre Cardin "have signed on to sponsor the television show 'Freestyles,' hosted by Amanda Bearse, the openly lesbian actress from the 'Married . . . With Children' TV series . . . . The paid program will run this summer on cable channel VH-1 with features that appeal to both gay women and gay men." "Freestyles" has since premiered, on July 16 and 17. VH-1 even placed an ad for the program in "TV Guide" (July 15-21, San Francisco Metropolitan Edition, p. 87). However, the "Freestyles" ad avoids ever using the words "gay" or "lesbian," simply describing the program as "A Show About Freedom . . . With Style." Contact: Viewer Services, VH-1, 1515 Broadway, New York, NY 10036, tel. 212-258-7800 or 212-258-8000. * Small Town S.O.S. . . . This request was posted via the Internet by Sammi (e-mail dreamcachr@aol.com), a resident of Ocala, Florida: "Ocala is a small town but there is an upheaval on the gay issue . . . . On July 2, the local paper, the "Star Banner," released a story from the wire they got in Seattle about a couple *gay men) raising adopted kids. This is the 2nd story in a positive light for this tiny paper, and a ray of hope. But everyone is writing in to boycott the paper and advertisers! There is very little supportive letters besides mine . . . it is a mess. Can we get people to write to the paper and let them know there are supporters for these articles?" Contact: Editor, "Ocala Star Banner," 2121 SW 19th Avenue, Ocala, FL, 32678, fax 904-867-4126 or 904-867-4028. * In The (Computer) Life . . . The July 1995 issue of "ComputerLife" magazine includes a brief guide to on-line information resources on AIDS/HIV treatment and prevention ("Online Life Savers," by Rebecca Freed). Among the sites to see, the magazine recommends the Queer Infoservers page (http://www.infoqueer.org/queer/qis/health.html) -- "notable for its sheer number of links" -- and the Safer Sex Page of the University of California/San Francisco (http://www.cmpharm.ucsf.edu/~troyer/safesex.html), which provides "educational resources such as newsletters, GIFs, and video clips on safer-sex techniques." * Newsletter News . . . "The Public Eye" is a "quarterly newsletter on the American right wing and authoritarianism, with a major feature, essay-length book review, annotated list of books received, resources list, and short updates." Contact: Political Research Associates, 678 Massachusetts Avenue, Suite 702, Cambridge, MA 02139-3355, tel. 617-661-9313. * E-Media Watch . . . "FISHTALES" is a monthly on-line newsletter produced by F.I.S.H. (Fighting Intolerance, Scapegoating and Hatred); the newsletter's action alerts, updates, Internet tips, and resource lists reflect F.I.S.H.'s "effort to combat the conservative right on all fronts." E-mail: queerfish@aol.com. * Book Markers . . . "Wilde About Sappho" is a "celebration of Gay and Lesbian literature" held each November at the National Library of Canada; the event is sponsored the Lambda Foundation for Excellence, "a nationally-incorporated not-for-profit society dedicated to building bridges of understanding among gays, lesbians, other equality-seeking groups and the rest of society." Contact: Lambda Foundation for Excellence, tel. 613-791-6729. * Sound Bite . . . "The world changes in direct proportion to the number of people willing to be honest about their lives" (gay author and activist Armistead Maupin, quoted in the "Rocky Mountain News," July 6, 1995). ************************************************* 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 volunteer-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/San Francisco. 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. LET THE MEDIA KNOW YOU'RE WATCHING! ************************************************