From: GLAADSFBA@aol.com Date: Fri, 17 Nov 1995 10:14:50 -0500 Subject: GLAAD MediAlert, Nov. 20 (A and B) INDEX (A): 1. "Partners In Slime?" (PBS, Reader's Digest) 2. "Here Comes The Judge" (CBS, Courthouse) 3. "Walls Of Silence" (Denver School Board) 4. "Myth Education: A Textbook Case" (Alabama State Board of Education) 5. General Information (about GLAAD; about MediAlert; about membership) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * M e d i A l e r t * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * for the week of November 20 - 26, 1995 (A) by Al Kielwasser Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, San Francisco Bay Area P A R T N E R S I N S L I M E ? Billed as an effort to reduce network dependence on federal funds, the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) has announced a partnership with the Reader's Digest Association, Inc. (PBS does not produce any of its own programming, but obtains broadcast material from varied sources). Reader's Digest will invest $75 million over five years to develop "family-oriented" programming for initial broadcast on PBS television stations. According to reports, the programs "will be based on editorial content from the Reader's Digest magazines, books and home entertainment products, as well as ideas an concepts proposed by PBS stations and independent producers." Furthermore, Reader's Digest and PBS "will select programs that satisfy both partners' standards for family entertainment and editorial excellence." Unfortunately, "Reader's Digest" has exhibited little excellence and much homophobia over the years. The magazine has a record of reprinting homophobic articles, without any apparent concern for fairness or accuracy. "Reader's Digest" has consistently failed to reprint articles that take an affirmative approach to lesbian, gay or bisexual concerns. The purpose of public broadcasting is to offer alternative programming, especially for and about marginalized communities that have been shut out of the media mainstream. By teaming up with Reader's Digest, PBS now seems to be rushing away from that historic ideal. *** ACTION ALERT! Insist that PBS seek immediate clarification from Reader's Digest, to ensure that "both partners' standards for family entertainment" specifically EXCLUDE homophobia and INCLUDE support for fair, accurate and diverse programming about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender subjects. If Reader's Digest can make no such claim, then PBS must explain why the PUBLIC'S EDUCATIONAL broadcast system is doing business with IGNORANT BIGOTS; at the very least, PBS should take extra effort to seek out equal or greater funding for positively queer programming! Contact: Ervin Duggan, President, Public Broadcasting System, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22314, tel. 703-739-5000, fax 703-739-5295, e-mail , URL http://www.pbs.org. Copy correspondence to your local PBS affiliate(s) and to George V. Grune, Chair, The Reader's Digest Association Inc., Reader's Digest Road, Pleasantville, NY 10570, tel. 914-238-1000, fax 914-238-5324. H E R E C O M E S T H E J U D G E The November 8 episode of the CBS drama "Courthouse" offered an overdue focus on the show's African-American lesbian character, Judge Rosette Reide. One of several storylines centered around an impending visit with the judge's parents, "church folk" who would not understand Reide's relationship with her female partner, Dannie. To avoid "trouble," Reide actually suggests that Dannie should stay in their hotel room on the night she planed to sing in the church choir and hear her father as guest preacher. Dannie protests vigorously and departs the judge's chambers saying icily, "If you need me tonight, I'll be in the closet!" Stung, Reide decides to tell her parents the truth, and plays out a scene that so many real-life lesbians have had to endure. Reide asks why her parents cannot give her unconditional love -- as Dannie does. She receives no reply. Ultimately, Reide foregoes the church service. Deciding that she belongs with her partner rather than her parents, Reide stays the night in the hotel room with Dannie. The two cuddle up on the bed and watch the service on television. This is progress, to be sure, though the script did NOT contain the make-up kiss that heterosexual TV couples always share at such moments. *** ACTION ALERT! "Courthouse" has created the first continuing African-American lesbian character in television history. Unfortunately, poor ratings have made the show a likely candidate for cancellation. Send encouragement to Deborah Joy LeVine, Executive Producer, "Courthouse," Columbia Pictures Television, Sony Pictures Plaza, 10000 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232, tel. -310-280-8597, fax 310-280-4398. Copy your correspondence to Peter Tortorici, President, CBS, 7800 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036. W A L L S O F S I L E N C E This month, the Denver School Board heard arguments for and against plans to display an informational poster in the district's 10 high schools. The poster advises queer and questioning youth that they may contact the Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Community Services Center of Colorado. Students would be provided with additional assistance from school counselors. In most classrooms across the nation, an informational vacuum deprives and degrades lesbian and gay youth. Textbooks either ignore or demean homosexuality. Teachers seldom challenge homophobic harassment. Students are left to fears rather than facts, torment instead of tolerance. Testifying before the Denver School Board, one parent described this climate as a "wall of silence." Certainly, hanging a simple poster on that wall of silence is the LEAST a school might do. However, even that modest act has come under fire. According to the "Rocky Mountain News," several parents have criticized the poster's message as "an intrusion on families," an assault on the "true authority of parents," and "an improper role for the district." The staunchest opposition has come from Focus on the Family, a Colorado-based group of heterosexual supremacists. In a letter to school board members, James Dobson, president of Focus on the Family, said: "The poster's intent is clear: It is meant to promote same-sex romance among teens." Both the district's director of student services, John Leslie, and superintendent, Irv Moskowitz seem supportive. Moskowitz told parents he understood "the horrors" gay students often face in silence. "We will be on guard," he told parents of gay children, "You've certainly touched us." *** ACTION ALERT! It is vital that queer adults in ANY city stand up for queer youth in EVERY city. Encourage Denver to take the first step toward educational equity and a curriculum that is fair, accurate and diverse. Write to: All Members, Denver Board of Education, 900 Grant Street, Denver, CO 80203, tel. 303-764-3211, fax 303-764-3216. Copy your correspondence to: Letters to the Editor, "Rocky Mountain News," 400 W. Colfax Avenue, Denver, CO 80204, fax 303-892-2568, e-mail letters@denver-rmn.com. M Y T H E D U C A T I O N : A T E X T B O O K C A S E . . . The Alabama State Board of Education has proven that it is anything BUT educated. Last month, the board unanimously approved a motion to COMMEND the Gadsden City (Alabama) Board of Education for its stand AGAINST the National Education Association's "support for the celebration of a Lesbian and Gay History Month as a means of acknowledging the contributions of lesbians, gays and bisexuals throughout history." The Gadsden City resolution stated: "Such a celebration does not reflect the mores and values of the citizens of Gadsden" and "such an observance is not supported by the employees of the Gadsden City School District and the Gadsden City Board of Education." This month, the Alabama Board of (Mis)Education voted to promote Biblical "creationism" in the state's science textbooks. Such books must indicate that, since no one was around to "witness" the "creation of life," evolutionary theory cannot be proven and is, therefore, no more plausible than "creationist" views. Alabama's governor, Fob James -- who is also president of the state Board of Education -- asserted his absolute faith in "creationism" and insisted that HE certainly did not "descend from apes." Mocking Darwin's theory, the governor then proceeded to parade around like a monkey. *** ACTION ALERT! Speak up for the children of Alabama! Write to: Gov. Fob James Jr. ; Dr. Ed Richardson, State Superintendent of Education and Secretary, Alabama Board of Education, 5303 Gordon Persons Building, P.O. Box 302101, Montgomery, AL 36130-2101, tel. 334-242-9953. Copy your correspondence to the state's most widely-circulated newspapers: "The Birmingham News," P.O. Box 2553, Birmingham, AL 35202-2553, fax 205-325-3345; "Mobile Press-Register," P.O. Box 2488, Mobile, AL 36101-1000, fax 203-434-8662; "Montgomery Advertiser," Box 1000, Montgomery, AL 36101-1000, fax 205-261-1505. For information about on-going efforts to combat homophobia in educational media, contact: Kristy Billuni, Project 21--A National Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual Curriculum Advocacy Coalition, 1360 Mission Street, Suite 200, San Francisco, CA 94103, tel. 415-861-3021 , fax 415-861-4893, e-mail billuni@aol.com. **************************************************** A B O U T G L A A D . . . The GAY & LESBIAN ALLIANCE AGAINST DEFAMATION challenges homophobia in and through the mass media . . . shaping the forces that shape our society. Founded in 1988, the SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA CHAPTER of GLAAD is a non-profit, volunteer-based, membership organization dedicated to cultural advocacy and media activism. GLAAD/SFBA promotes the fair, accurate and diverse representation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender lives. GLAAD/SFBA is the oldest GLAAD chapter in the nation. To notify GLAAD/SFBA of any defamatory or affirmative media coverage, or to request GLAAD membership information, please call our 24-hour MediAlert Hotline (415-861-4588) or write to: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, 1360 Mission Street, Suite 200, San Francisco, CA 94103, tel. 415-861-2244, fax 415-861-4893, e-mail glaadsfba@aol.com, URL http://www.gaytrek.com/gaytrek/glaad.html. To assist our on-going monitoring and response efforts, GLAAD/SFBA appreciates copies of any correspondence individuals send to, or receive from, the media. **************************************************** A B O U T M E D I A L E R T . . . MediAlert is a weekly column that may be printed, published or posted, under this or any title, in whole or part, without prior permission. When appropriate, attribution should be made to "Al Kielwasser" and/or "GLAAD San Francisco." MediAlerts are available by mail, e-mail or fax. GLAAD/SFBA greatly appreciates copies of any publications that make use of these weekly reports. **************************************************** A B O U T M E M B E R S H I P . . . GLAAD's work is directly supported by our members. Please consider joining with us in one of the following membership categories. All memberships include a subscription to the monthly newsletter, "GLAAD Update." Indicate your choice below and mail check or credit card information to: GLAAD/SFBA, 1360 Mission Street, Suite 200, San Francisco, CA 94103, Attn: Membership. ( ) $ 5 Youth Membership (18 and under) ( ) $ 35 Basic Membership ( ) $50 Household Membership ( ) $100 Institutional Membership (community organizations/media/businesses) ( ) $250 GLAAD Guardian (includes complimentary limited-edition Project 21 lesbian/gay/bisexual history poster) ( ) A check is enclosed. ( ) Please bill my VISA # __________________________ MASTERCARD#_____________________ EXP. DATE:________________________ NAME:________________________________________________ ADDRESS:______________________________________________ CITY:_________________________________________________ STATE:______________________ ZIP:_____________________ PHONE (Optional):________________________________________ E-MAIL (Optional):_______________________________________ Send me more information about . . . ( ) Project 21 (GLAAD's educational equity/textbook reform program) ( ) The GLAAD Phone Tree Network ( ) GLAAD volunteer opportunities GLAAD/SFBA is a non-profit [501(c)(3)] organization; all contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. **************************************************** "MediAlert" [TM] is a trademark of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation/San Francisco Bay Area. From: GLAADSFBA@aol.com Date: Fri, 17 Nov 1995 10:16:33 -0500 Subject: GLAAD MediAlert, Nov. 20 (B) INDEX (B): 1. "Talk Showdown" (Bennett & Lieberman's anti-talk show campaign; bias in criticism) 2. "Critical Mess" (San Jose Mercury News, Judith Green) 3. "Media Briefs" (homophobia in women's sports, Dutch Gay News, USA Today, web watch, ScotsGay on-line, DoiDien magazine, Safe Schools report, Friends and Candace Gingrich) 4. General Information (about GLAAD; about MediAlert; about membership) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * M e d i A l e r t * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * for the week of November 20 - 26, 1995 (B) by Al Kielwasser Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, San Francisco Bay Area T A L K S H O W D O W N The current proliferation of TV talk shows has ignited a national debate over the ethics of the genre. Across the country, newspaper and magazine headlines repeat a common theme: "New Talk Shows Sink To New Levels Of Sleaze" ("San Jose Mercury News"), "Politicians Say TV Talk Shows Corrupting America" (Reuters), "Are Talk Shows Out Of Control?" ("TV Guide"). Couched in the language of social criticism, this discussion has occasionally focused attention on several important issues, including media diversity, freedom of expression, and broadcast responsibility. However, much of the "debate" is merely a homophobic backlash -- a point often missed in the mainstream press. The attack on TV talk shows is, fundamentally, an attack on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender visibility. The "moral debate" is fueled by a desire to silence (quite literally) the popular discourse of homosexuality and homosexuals -- to shut up the talkative queers. It is surely no coincidence that at a time when lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender guests populate so much of the genre, TV talk shows are roundly derided as "trash" and "sleaze." To rid the airwaves of what he terms "cultural rot," William Bennett (Secretary of Education during the Reagan administration) has initiated a nationwide anti-talk show campaign. He has been joined in that effort by U. S. Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.), a man "Variety" describes as "a leader of Capitol Hill's assault on the entertainment industry's alleged loose morals." In a two-page letter, Bennett and Lieberman have called upon the CEOs of various companies to "reconsider your support for trash TV." The letter, sent this month, targeted the heads of companies responsible for distributing 10 programs that Bennett and Lieberman have deemed the most offensive. On the hit list are: Time Warner ("Jenny Jones"), Viacom/National Amusements & Paramount Television Group("Maury Povich" and "Montel Williams"), Tribune Company ("Geraldo" and "Charles Perez"), Sony Corporation ("Ricki Lake"), All-American Communications ("Richard Bey"), Gannett & Multimedia Entertainment Company ("Sally Jessy Raphael" and "Jerry Springer") and King World Productions ("Rolanda"). According to Bennett and Lieberman, these shows "distort perceptions about what is acceptable behavior in a civil society." "Our hope is that you will take a long, hard look at the concerns we and millions of others are raising," their letter states, "and realize that the aberrant and degrading behavior celebrated on talk TV is not worthy of your company's proud name." Bennett and Lieberman advised the media executives that they would "welcome the opportunity to discuss" the issue. "Otherwise," they concluded, "we look forward to your response." The ultimate impact of Bennett and Lieberman's letter remains unclear, However, "Variety" quotes an anonymous "leading syndication executive" who predicts that some programmers will "try to mollify Bennett by toning down their shows," and at least one of the media moguls targeted by Bennett and Lieberman seems to agree. Michael King, president of King World Productions, has said: "This letter will probably do some good. I don't think they're wrong. A lot of companies have gone over the line." Both Bennett and Lieberman claim they have been "overwhelmed with phone calls and letters" from citizens supporting their anti-talk show campaign. At a recent press conference, Lieberman specially fretted over the "millions of children" that tune in to talk shows each afternoon (including the 650,000 children that watch "Ricki Lake" -- "one of the worst offenders," according to the senator). Lieberman said: "These shows increasingly make the abnormal normal and set up the most perverse role models for our children and adults. The result is an increasingly-debased culture that rejects rather than reflects the basic values that most Americans share." Other conservative critics have piled on the anti-talk show band wagon. Ironically, many of these critics are also talk show hosts. For example, Pat Robertson, host of the syndicated "700 Club," has lambasted the immorality of "secular" (i.e., sexual) talk shows. "&00 Club" viewers have been encouraged to call in (1-800-716-FACT) for a free copy of Robertson's special action guide: "TV Talk Shows: Daily Celebration of Sleaze." Significantly, accusations of "sleaziness" are heaped upon shows in which HOMOSEXUALS do much the talking, while programs devoted to HOMOPHOBES are not similarly challenged or condemned. Bennett and Lieberman have not chastised such popular talk-show bigots as Pat Roberston, Cal Thomas, or Rush Limbaugh. Yet, arch-homophobes Cal Thomas and Pat Robertson REGULARLY attempt to make the abnormality of homophobia seem normal. And Rush Limbaugh, who "jokes" that lesbians mate with pigs to "reproduce the race," is certainly a perverse role model for children. Unfortunately, consideration of Right Wing trash has been missing from the national debate over talk shows. Like their conservative counterparts, mainstream journalists seem fixated on sexual content, and much less attention is paid to programs that exhibit a bias towards classism, misogyny, racism or homophobia. Newspaper headlines have yet to shout: "Heterosexism Corrupting America -- Homophobes Sink To New Levels of Sleaze." *** ACTION ALERT! Send your own letter to the executives targeted by Bennett and Lieberman's missive. Write to: Gerald Levin, CEO, Time-Warner Inc., 75 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10019, tel. 212-484-8000, fax 212-956-2847; Masaaki Morita, Chair, Sony Corporation of America, One Sony Drive, Park Ridge, NJ 07656, tel. 201-930-1000, fax 201-358-4060; Kerry McCluggage, Chair, Paramount Television Group, 5555 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90038, tel. 213-956-5076, fax 213-956-5555; Michael King, CEO, King World Productions, 12400 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1200, Los Angeles, CA 90025, tel. 310-826-1108, fax 310-207-2179; Sumner Redstone, CEO, Viacom/National Amusements, P.O. Box 9126, Dedham, MA 02027-9126, tel. 617-461-1600, fax 617-461-0107; John Curley, CEO, Gannett & Multimedia Entertainment Company, 1100 Wilson Blvd., 31st Floor, Arlington, VA 22234, tel. 703-284-6000; All-American Communications, 2114 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90405, tel. 310-450-3193, fax 310-452-9053; Rick Jacobson, CEO, Tribune Entertainment, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611, tel. 312-222-4441, fax 312-222-3815. Also, balance the "overwhelming support" for Bennett and Lieberman's campaign. Send more-challenging calls and letters to: The Honorable Joseph I. Lieberman, United States Senate, Hart SOB 316, Washington, DC 20510, tel. 202-224-4041, e-mail senator_lieberman@.senate.gov, URL ftp://ftp.senate.gov/member/ct/lieberman/general/lieberman.html. C R I T I C A L M E S S The "San Jose Mercury News" -- a leading local and national news source has generally performed well in its coverage of the lesbian and gay beat. However, the paper's theater critic, Judith Green, is an unfortunate exception. In her reviews, Green has consistently coughed up homophobic phlegm. In the "Mercury's" November 6 edition, Green reviewed Theatre Rhino's production of "The Desk Set." The play's director, Danny Scheie, had cast men in both the male and female roles, without changing a word of the original (1955) script. This tweaking of gender assumptions, and the consequent infusion of gay sensibility, did not sit well with Green. She declared the production "dreadful" and "insulting" and argued that the director "abandoned anything like artistic principles for heterobashing polemics." "The original script . . . has been lost to the director's loud gay agenda," Green explained. Green also complained that the acting was "appalling: campy, limp-wristed, fey and outrageous." She criticized one actor because he "doesn't bother to act, just to act out." She ridiculed the director for continuing "his theme of 'gender-bending' perfectly intelligible plays into incoherence." Aghast, Green wrote: "The three researchers answer the phone in their own male voices: 'Research Department, MISS Meyer . . . MISS Costello . . . MISS Saylor.' Bunny Watson, the department head, calls her staff 'girls.'" "All this would be bad enough," Green concluded, "except that Scheie has been so busy making it all gay that he hasn't bothered to direct." As if condemning the play's "gayness" were not enough, Green also attacked a "long, badly reasoned essay" written by the director and included in the program. The essay's first line ("The theater has always belonged to gays and lesbians") is deemed "aggressive" by Green, and she declared the entire essay "paranoid." Scheie's observations (on the problematic interplay of oppression and resistance, preoccupation and occupation, that marks the history of drama in queer communities) are dismissed by Green as "flights of fancy." According to Green's rhetoric, gay people expressing pride are "aggressive" (as if our very existence posed a threat). Gay people challenging homophobia are "paranoid" (as if our oppression were imaginary). Gay people interested in their own history and culture are "fools" (as if we were too simple or irrelevant for serious thought). Green has exhibited such classic homophobia again and again. In her review of "Beyond Baghdad," she asked: "Why should anyone else care about a 'dyke musical' (as it calls itself) that lives in its own little world populated only by self-referential lesbians?" In a review of "Twelfth Night," Green wrote: "I am staggered to read in the program that 'a gay sensibility really helps to follow the story line.' Really? It seems to me that millions of theatergoers in the last 350 years, some of whom were probably not gay, have been able to follow the storyline, not to mention the text, the metaphors, the resonances in the complex tapestry of interpretation in Shakespeare's work." Such reviews are an embarrassment to the craft of criticism, and such reviewers are a blight on the profession of journalism. It's time to bring down the curtain on Judith Green. *** ACTION ALERT! Urge the "Merc" to do as well on its feature pages as it does in the news section; if Green cannot be REEDUCATED, then she can surely be REPLACED. Direct complaints to: Judith Green, "San Jose Mercury News," 750 Ridder Park Drive, San Jose, CA 95190, tel. 408-920-5000 or 415-852-9139, fax 408-288-8060, URL http://www.sjmercury.com; copy your correspondence to Ceppos, Jerry Ceppos, Executive Editor, "San Jose Mercury News," e-mail JCEPPOS@aol. M E D I A B R I E F S * HOMO VIDEO . . . "Out for a Change: Addressing Homophobia in Women's Sports" is an educational video suitable for high school or college classrooms and libraries. This broadcast-quality video "exposes the devastating emotional impact homophobia has on ALL women athletes" and "clearly shows that homophobia is a political tool used to retain straight male control over the multi-billion dollar sports industry." An accompanying curriculum is also available. Contact: Woman Vision, 3145 Geary Blvd., Box 421, San Francisco, CA 94118, tel. 415-346-2336, fax 415-346-1047. * DUTCH TREAT . . . "Dutch Gay News" is a "non-commercial, volunteer activity aimed at spreading information concerning all aspects of the Dutch gay community." Contact: "DGN," c/o Bert Schuur, John Franklinstraat 71-iii, NL-1056 TA, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, tel./fax int-31-20-6837486, e-mail berts@xs4all.nl, URL http://www.xs4all.nl/~berts. * MIXED MEDIA . . . This month's "Mixed-Up Medium" award goes to "USA Today." On November 1, the nation's most popular newspaper printed a front-page "Newsline" item about Maine's anti-gay initiative. Titled "Gay Rights," the news brief stated: "Maine residents divided over looming referendum to ban lawmakers and communities from extending special civil rights protection to homosexuals." There is, of course, nothing "special" about the EQUAL protection that was under attack in Maine, and "USA Today" should guard against parroting the Right Wing's "special rights" rhetoric, which has NO basis in current legal reality. Contact: "USA Today," 1000 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22229, tel. 703-276-3400, fax 703-276-5513, e-mail usatoday@clark.net. * WEB WATCH . . . 1. On December 1st, Youth Action Online (YAO) will launch "Oasis," a monthly magazine "for queer and questioning youth" (http://www.youth.org); for more information, contact Jeff Walsh (e-mail, jeff@youth.org). 2. "OUT!" -- New Zealand's gay magazine -- has established a World Wide Web site (http://nz.com/NZ/Queer/out.html). 3. The Public Broadcasting System (PBS) has reorganized its web site and announced plans to bring all PBS station onto the web by march, 1996; to date, 55 of the nation's 345 public television stations have established web sites (http://www.pbs.org). 4. As "a service to the gay community," Thinker Unlimited is offering a new online book, "A Queer Guide to the Internet," available on the web in ASCII text and downloadable zipfile versions (http://www.infi.net/~cyrwyn/wwwtu.htm). 5. Glen Lubbert (e-mail, glubbert@fyi.net) has "collected an entire list of files that will help journalists in doing online research" (http://www.fyi.net/~glubbert/copy.html). 6. OutProud: The National Coalition for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Youth publishes "QueerAmerica," a comprehensive database listing more than 3,7000 organizations throughout the U.S. and Canada (http://www.outproud.org/outproud/). * SPECIAL WRITES . . . "DoiDien," the Vietnamese lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender magazine, seeks articles, photos, essays and interviews. The next issue (# 4) will focus on women, and the deadline for submissions is January 6, 1996. Contact: D. Tran, 939 S. Serrano Ave., #404, Los Angeles, CA 90006. * REPORT CARD . . . "Safe Schools" is a recent report published by the Northwest Coalition Against Malicious Harassment. For a free copy, call NCAMH (tel. 206-233-9136) or write to "Safe Schools" Report, Northwest Coalition Against Malicious Harassment, P.O. Box 16776, Seattle, WA 98116. * E-MEDIA . . . The latest (October) issue of "ScotsGay" -- a "magazine for lesbians, gay men and bisexuals," published in Scotland, -- is now available free, by e-mail. To subscribe, send a message to listserver@drink.demon.co.uk. The first two (not subject) lines of the message should be "subscribe scotsgay-list" and "get sgcurrent." Direct any questions to postmaster@drink.demon.co.uk. * COMING ATTRACTIONS . . . Candace Gingrich, lesbian activist and superior sibling to homophobe Newt Gingrich, will appear in an upcoming episode of the NBC sitcom "Friends." Gingrich will play a minister who conducts a lesbian wedding ceremony for the ex-wife of David Schwimmer's character and the lover with whom she is raising a family. Such a plot line guarantees that "Friends" will become public enemy number one for the American Family Association and other homophobic media watchdog groups. Counter the hate mail and send supportive feedback to: Warren Littlefield, Vice-President of Entertainment, c/o NBC Viewer Services, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112. **************************************************** A B O U T G L A A D . . . The GAY & LESBIAN ALLIANCE AGAINST DEFAMATION challenges homophobia in and through the mass media . . . shaping the forces that shape our society. Founded in 1988, the SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA CHAPTER of GLAAD is a non-profit, volunteer-based, membership organization dedicated to cultural advocacy and media activism. GLAAD/SFBA promotes the fair, accurate and diverse representation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender lives. GLAAD/SFBA is the oldest GLAAD chapter in the nation. To notify GLAAD/SFBA of any defamatory or affirmative media coverage, or to request GLAAD membership information, please call our 24-hour MediAlert Hotline (415-861-4588) or write to: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, 1360 Mission Street, Suite 200, San Francisco, CA 94103, tel. 415-861-2244, fax 415-861-4893, e-mail glaadsfba@aol.com, URL http://www.gaytrek.com/gaytrek/glaad.html. To assist our on-going monitoring and response efforts, GLAAD/SFBA appreciates copies of any correspondence individuals send to, or receive from, the media. **************************************************** A B O U T M E D I A L E R T . . . MediAlert is a weekly column that may be printed, published or posted, under this or any title, in whole or part, without prior permission. When appropriate, attribution should be made to "Al Kielwasser" and/or "GLAAD San Francisco." MediAlerts are available by mail, e-mail or fax. GLAAD/SFBA greatly appreciates copies of any publications that make use of these weekly reports. **************************************************** A B O U T M E M B E R S H I P . . . GLAAD's work is directly supported by our members. Please consider joining with us in one of the following membership categories. All memberships include a subscription to the monthly newsletter, "GLAAD Update." Indicate your choice below and mail check or credit card information to: GLAAD/SFBA, 1360 Mission Street, Suite 200, San Francisco, CA 94103, Attn: Membership. ( ) $ 5 Youth Membership (18 and under) ( ) $ 35 Basic Membership ( ) $50 Household Membership ( ) $100 Institutional Membership (community organizations/media/businesses) ( ) $250 GLAAD Guardian (includes complimentary limited-edition Project 21 lesbian/gay/bisexual history poster) ( ) A check is enclosed. ( ) Please bill my VISA # ___________________________ MASTERCARD#_____________________ EXP. DATE:_________________________ NAME:________________________________________________ ADDRESS:______________________________________________ CITY:_________________________________________________ STATE:______________________ ZIP:______________________ PHONE (Optional):________________________________________ E-MAIL (Optional):_______________________________________ Send me more information about . . . ( ) Project 21 (GLAAD's educational equity/textbook reform program) ( ) The GLAAD Phone Tree Network ( ) GLAAD volunteer opportunities GLAAD/SFBA is a non-profit [501(c)(3)] organization; all contributions are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law. **************************************************** "MediAlert" [TM] is a trademark of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation/San Francisco Bay Area.