From: GLAADSFBA@aol.com Date: Tue, 28 Nov 1995 14:57:17 -0500 Subject: GLAAD MediAlert, Nov. 27 INDEX: 1. "Combating Cyber Phobia" (Microsystems Software, Cyber Patrol) 2. "Sexual Stupidity" (Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, Concerned Women for America, Focus on the Family, Coalition for Positive Sexuality) 3. "The Games SOME People Play (Swaps, Tribune Entertainment, All-American TV) 4. "POZ For Concern" (POZ magazine, Liz Smith) 5. "Media Briefs" (Making Contact, web sites, The Arizona Republic/Ballot Measure Nine, Communications Decency Act). 6. General Information (about GLAAD; about MediAlert; about membership) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * M e d i A l e r t * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * for the week of November 27 - December 3, 1995 by Al Kielwasser Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, San Francisco Bay Area C O M B A T I N G C Y B E R P H O B I A Regulation of the Internet continues to be a top priority for censors at all levels of society, from Congress to the clergy. Much of this effort has championed the "protection" of children from "indecent" and "obscene" communications. Billed as "self-censorship" alternatives, various software companies have now begun marketing internet "blocking" programs. Aimed at parents, these programs essentially restrict access to certain "objectionable" Internet sites and services. Recent entries in the field include "SurfWatch," "KIDSAFE," and "Cyber Patrol." Published by Microsystems Software, "Cyber Patrol" claims to make the Internet "safer for all children." Originally, the company's criteria for what constitutes "safe" material EXCLUDED any lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender resources. For example, software's "banned" web sites included everything from Gay Games 1988 to the Billy DeFrank Lesbian and Gay Community center in San Jose. In response to protests, Microsystems has now promised to revise the company's homophobic criteria. Spokesperson Richard Gorgens explained that blocked Internet sites are selected by a panel of educators and parents, following "well-defined" criteria. According to Gorgens, gay and lesbian resources will no longer be automatically excluded or blocked. It remains to be seen if Microsystems will continue to pander to parental homophobia. Unfortunately, queer youth are literally dying for information, which should not be denied them under ANY pretense. It should NOT be deeply homophobic parents who decide what information is available to their lesbian or gay children. *** ACTION ALERT! Encourage Microsystems to include lesbians and gays on its selection panel and ask the company to send you a copy of the current site-blocking guidelines utilized by that panel; remind Microsystems NOT to pander to parental homophobia. Contact: Richard Gorgens, Microsystems Software, Inc., 600 Worcester Road, Framington, Massachusetts, 01701, tel. 508-879-9000, e-mail cyberinf@microsys.com, URL http://www.cyberpatrol.com. Microsystems also encourages people to seek review of any currently blocked site by e-mailing cybernot@microsys.com. S E X U A L S T U P I D I T Y The Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SEICUS) celebrated its 31st anniversary this year. The organization's mission, as articulated in 1964, seeks "to establish human sexuality as a healthy entity . . . to dignify it by openness of approach . . . designed to lead toward its understanding and its freedom from exploitation . . . ." Because SEICUS promotes comprehensive (and non-homophobic) sex education, the organization and its publications have become a favorite target for exploitation by the "Religious" Right. A recent fundraising campaign by the "Concerned Women for America" (CWA), which bills itself as "the nation's largest pro-family women's organization," attacks sex education in general and SEICUS in particular. The CWA mailer features a photo of a young school girl under the banner headline: "I don't want her robbed of her innocence. Do You?" Inside the envelope CWA members are told that SEICUS -- "the main source of sex education materials adopted by the U.S. Department of education" -- has the audacity to claim that children should be taught: "Some men and women are homosexual," "Homosexuals are also known as gay men and lesbian women" and "Some couples who love each other live together in the same home without getting married." CWA president Beverly LaHaye tells her members: "Imagine! Innocent children of 5 or 6 years of age being told homosexuality is normal . . . . young hearts and minds not ready for such information . . . . THIS IS WRONG!" LaHaye encourages her members to lobby local school boards to adopt "pro-family sex instruction" that teaches only "heterosexual sex between man and woman" and "pre-marital abstinence." Moreover, she encourages her members to fight "anti-family sex instruction" that teaches children the "importance of self and desires," "homosexuality/bisexuality normal," "sex is 'safe' with condoms," and "all options are equal in value." Two "petitions of protest" are included in the CWA mailing. One is directed to Debra Haffner, the executive director of SEICUS. The other is directed to the CWA member's Congressperson. The congressional petition states: "Because you are my representative in Congress, I am petitioning you today to investigate if the Sex Information and education Council of the United States (SEICUS) receives any federal or state funds, either directly or indirectly. I am outraged at the sex education agenda SEICUS wants to force on every child and school in America . . . . NO CHILD SHOULD BE MADE TO PARTICIPATE IN SIECUS-DESIGNED PROGRAMS THAT BLATANTLY PROMOTE PROMISCUITY, HOMOSEXUALITY, MASTURBATION, ABORTION, INCEST, AND PEDOPHILIA. Please let me know in writing what you will be doing in our district and in Congress to protect our children from SIECUS's influence." What the greedy LaHaye conveniently ignores is that -- all across the United States -- it is common for school districts to allow parents to "opt out" their children from ANY sex education course, and most textbooks still PROMOTE HOMOPHOBIA. To suggest that SEICUS guidelines encourage pedophilia or incest is a fabrication, betraying the fact the LaHaye is less interested in the truth than she is making money off of her members' fears. LaHaye announces that she will be sending a copy of a new CWA publication, "School Administrator Sex Education Report," to school districts throughout the country, to alert public officials and "stop this blatantly evil and perverse indoctrination of innocent, unsuspecting children." SEICUS has also come under attack from the homophobes at "Focus on the Family" (FOF). FOF's Ron Reno has recently published a "research" paper entitled "SIECUS: You Won't Believe What They Want to Teach Your Kids." FOF has also been circulation a racist and sex-negative video "Sex, Lies & . . . The Truth," which the organization claims "has been used in more than 10,000 public schools." *** ACTION ALERT! Write your Representatives in the U.S. Congress, encouraging them to reject the CWA's efforts to promote ignorance and hate; copy your correspondence to SEICUS. Also, encourage your local school board to adopt the sort of curriculum outlined in the 1991 SEICUS publication, "Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education: Kindergarten - 12th Grade." Finally, arm yourself with information about SEICUS and its many worthy projects. Contact: SIECUS, 130 West 42nd Street, Suite 350, New York, NY 10036-7802, tel. 212-819-9770, fax 212-819-9776. Additional resources are available from the Coalition for Positive Sexuality, which has published a pro-sex, pro-queer pamphlet for distribution to teens. Contact: Coalition for Positive Sexuality, 3712 N. Broadway, # 191, Chicago, IL 60613, tel. 312-604-1654, e-mail cps@positive.org, URL http://www.positive.org/~cps. For information from and about the homophobes and their efforts to censor fair and factual textbooks, request a free copy of "Concerns About Public Education" (item FX345) from Focus on the Family, Colorado Springs, CO 80995, tel. 800-A-FAMILY. T H E G A M E S S O M E P E O P L E P L A Y This year, lesbians and gays have made unprecedented inroads in TV drama, comedy and talk. However, queers have remained conspicuously absent from one genre -- the "relationship game shows" (programs like "Singled Out," "Love Connection," etc.). Two new relationship game shows will be added to the growing television genre for the Fall, 1996 season. "Swaps" is being billed as a "clean" program, in which couples who had been in a relationship decide whether to get back together or date someone else. The series will be produced by Tribune Entertainment. All-American TV will produce a one-hour relationship show. As yet unnamed, the series intends to offer a "positive look at love in the '90s." Host John Schneider, of "Dukes of Hazzard" fame, "will travel around the country and bring together couples." Built specifically around DEMONSTRATIVE romance, such shows COULD contribute uniquely to lesbian and gay visibility. For the most part, mainstream television has refused to portray lesbians and gay men as romantic -- let alone SEXUAL -- beings. The real-world consequences of such that refusal can be found in the homophobic hatred that surrounds public expressions of lover between queers. In her new book "Eight Bullets," for example, Claudia Brenner details the death of her lover, who was shot and killed by a man who happened to see the women KISS. *** ACTION ALERT! Encourage the distributors of these programs to break new ground, avoiding the heterosexist bias of every game show that has come before them. Contact: Rick Jacobson, CEO, Tribune Entertainment, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611, tel. 312-222-4441, fax 312-222-3815; Henry Siegel, President, All-American Television, 875 Third Ave., 9th Floor, New York, NY 10022, tel. 212-418-3000, fax 212-418-3010. P O Z F O R C O N C E R N POZ -- "the magazine by and about people whose lives are affected by AIDS" -- competently fills a grotesque gap in the media marketplace. Unfortunately, the magazine's own record of professionalism is tainted by association with a less-than-ideal journalist, Liz Smith. Smith is featured prominently in recent POZ promotional materials, in which she describes the magazine as "powerful, courageous and beautifully written." It is ironic (and sad) that Smith -- who has treated her own lesbianism as a social disease -- should speak of journalistic "courage." One of the nation's leading gossip columnists, Smith writes for "New York News Day" and appears on the "E!" cable network. In past columns, Smith has purposely masked the homosexuality of celebrities such as Malcom Forbes and Rock Hudson. She has referred to lesbians and gay men as "you people." In 1984, Smith expressed public disgust when Harvey Fierstein thanked his lover at the Tony Awards. She continues to refer to "sexual preference" rather than "sexual orientation." Smith's writing has -- not surprisingly -- reflected a sex-negative bitterness. Reviewing Judy Nelson's book "Love Match," for example, Smith wrote: "There is nothing about S-E-X. (This is probably good -- a landmark perhaps -- since most lesbian literature, gay newspaper coverage, and general gossip seem to be exclusively about sex.)." This June, the gossip columnist was "outraged" by gossip that she had begun a relationship with ABC-TV reporter Cynthia McFadden. Said Smith: "I'm a 72-year-old who lives alone. This is just so unfair to Cynthia and her career." For Smith, homosexual gossip (however founded) has always been much more "unfair" than the heterosexual gossip (however unfounded) that she has spread for years. When asked why his magazine would choose an alliance with Smith, POZ's Sean Strub replied: "My experience, in 15 years of New York activism, is that she is far more friend than foe. Moreover, I think she has grown to find pride in her lesbianism and the community we share with her." Defending Smith's "occasional slips of the tongue," Strub notes that POZ "is proud to have her support." He adds: "The reasons why we use her quote in our promotional materials are the same reasons why it is critical that we demand that she represent a model of journalistic integrity on gay and lesbian issues: she is respected, well-known and accessible to middle America." So is Jesse Helms. *** ACTION ALERT! Send comments to: Sean Strub, Strubco, Inc./POZ Magazine, 349 West 12th Street, New York, NY 10014, tel. 212-242-1900, fax 212-691-5246. M E D I A B R I E F S * GETTING CONNECTED . . . "Making Contact" is a new, nationwide, progressive radio series designed to "give listeners information they need to take action." Recent programs have addressed "Hate Radio," "The Political and Religious Right," and "Homophobia in America." Encourage your local broadcast outlets to carry this vital series, which is available free to all public radio stations. For a catalog of taped programs, as well as more information about the series and how you can support it, contact: "Making Contact," National Radio Project, 830 Los Trancos Road, Portola Valley, CA 94028, tel. 415-851-7256, fax 415-851-0731, e-mail contact@igc.apc.org. * WEB WATCH . . . (1) World Wide Web browsers can now access the home page of the European Gay & Lesbian Sports Federation (http://www.gaysport.org). (2) October Films has set up a web site to coincide with the release of the new lesbian love story "When Night Is Falling" (http://www.octoberfilms.com). (3) AIDS/HIV web sites include the ArtAIDS Home Page (http://artaids.dcs.qmw.ac.uk:8001/entrance/entrance.html), the Names Project AIDS Memeorial Quilt (http://www.aidsquilt.org), and the Safe Sex Page (http://www.cmpharm.ucsf.edu/~troyer/safesex.html). * BAD REVIEWER . . . "Ballot Measure Nine" is a documentary that details the fight against the anti-gay hate initiative sponsored by the Oregon Citizens Alliance (OCA). Though giving it three out of four stars, Bob Fenster's review of this documentary calls for an odd sense of "balance." Fenster laments: "It's evident that the filmmakers side with the gay activists. OCA leaders are always shown making extreme, hate-mongering statements, while no extreme gay activists are included in the film. The film reports the vandalism and violence visited upon gay supporters, but has nothing to say about cases of retaliation against the OCA." Fenster concludes: "Despite its prejudices, the film does succeed as a document of how the divisiveness in American politics is splitting the American people." Excuse me? This is a documentary, not a newscast -- the point of view is EVIDENTLY purposeful, not unintentional or devious. Moreover, this film documents HOMOPHOBIA, not some vague "divisiveness" that is the equal product of queer and straight prejudice. Fighting back against that homophobia -- in a literal effort to preserve one's life and liberty -- can NEVER be "extreme." Fenster's review appeared in "The Arizona Republic" (November 10). Contact: "The Arizona Republic," Box 1950, Phoenix, AZ 85001, fax 602-271-8933, e-mail Opinions@aol.com. * E-MEDIALERT . . . On-line users can join in the effort to put the breaks on the homophobic, sex-negative and censorious Exon/Coats "Communications Decency Act" (CDA) now worming its way through Congress. For more information on the campaign to stop the CDA, e-mail vtv@vtw.org (put "send alert" in the subject line for the latest alert, or "send cdafaq" for the CDA FAQ.) For general CDA information, e-mail cda-info@cdt.org; for information on the current status of the CDA, e-mail cda-stat@cdt.org. **************************************************** 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. 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