Subject: GLAAD MediAlert (A), Dec. 11
From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 12 Dec 1995 01:28:27 -0500

SPECIAL NOTE:  This week's MediAlert column is continued, under separate
cover, as "GLAAD MediAlert (B), Dec. 11."

________________________________________________________INDEX:
(Part A)
1.  "Wedding Day Jitters" (Roseanne; ABC)
2.  "Talk Soap" (Soap Opera Weekly; Soap Opera Digest; All My Children; ABC)
3.  "The PC World of 'PC World'" (PC World)
4.  "Critical Mass:  Imitation or Liberation?" (Harper's Magazine;
lesbian/gay glossies)

(Part B)
5.  "Hearing Tests" (Associated Press; U.S. Congress; Log Cabin Republicans;
Parents, Schools & Values)
6.  "Gays On Fire" (Grace Under Fire; ABC)
8.  "Look Whose Talking . . ." (KSFO-AM; KST-AM; Jeff Katz; Spencer Hughes)
4.  "Media Briefs" (Alfie's Home; Freedom FM; NC-17; In The Life; Soap Opera
Weekly & HIV; web sites; Denver Board of Education; Atlas to the World Wide
Web)
10.  General Information (about GLAAD; about MediAlert; about membership)
________________________________________________________

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

       M  e  d  i  A  l  e  r  t   

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

for the week of 
December 11  - 17, 1995 (Part A)

by
Al Kielwasser 
Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, 
San Francisco Bay Area 

W E D D I N G   D A Y   J I T T E R S

The ABC television network rescheduled the December 12 broadcast of
"Roseanne," airing the episode at 9:30 PM instead of 8:00 PM, the show's
regular time slot.  The episode -- entitled "December Bride" -- featured the
long-awaited wedding of recurring gay character "Leon" (Martin Mull) and his
lover "Scott" (Fred Willard).  

"We felt the adult humor within the show was more appropriate at a later time
period when there are fewer children in the audience," explained ABC
spokesperson Janice Gretenmeyer.  According to Gretenmeyer, less than 10% of
viewers for the 9:30 PM period are children under 11 years old. 

Perhaps signaling a late-breaking concession to conservative lobbyists, ABC's
decision was announced without warning.  Even "TV Guide" was not notified in
advance; the magazine's December 9 -15 issue lists "Roseanne" at the usual
8:00 PM broadcast time.

While ABC's overall support for "Roseanne" might be admirable, this
particular decision is viciously homophobic.  As one critical viewer
observed:  "I was really struck by the comment that the gay marriage on
"Roseanne" should be moved to a later time slot so that children do not see
it.  See what?  That homosexuals can fall in love and have a happy domestic
life together?  What on earth is the message that is being sent here?"

Indeed, this is PRECISELY the sort of programming that children should be
ENCOURAGED to view.  Affirmative television images can help boost the
beleaguered self-esteem of so many queer youth.  Moreover, such programming
could help to combat the bigoted attitudes of the young men who commit most
of this nation's homophobic hate crimes.

ABC's decision reveals a blatant double-standard.  To protect children from
"adult humor," the network has NEVER rescheduled its other 8:00 PM programs
-- "Lois & Clark," "Family Matters," "Ellen" -- which routinely feature
EXPLICIT references to HETEROSEXUAL romance.

***   Action Alert!  Demand fairness from ABC.  Insist that the network
resist homophobic bias in making scheduling decisions; encourage ABC to
broadcast the "December Bride" re-run episode in "Roseanne's" usual time
slot.  Contact:  Ted Harbert, President, ABC Entertainment, 2040 Avenue of
the Stars, Los Angeles, CA 90067, tel. 310-557-7777, e-mail
[email-masked].

T A L K   S O A P   

The soap opera press -- represented by several, popular supermarket tabloids
-- has taken a generally favorable approach to lesbian and gay inclusion in
daytime dramas.  Several magazines have covered the introduction of a
significant, continuing gay character on the popular soap "All My Children"
(AMC).  The new character -- "Michael" -- is a school teacher and, so far,
the plot has twisted competently around his confrontations with homophobic
fears of pedophilia.

In the November 14 issue of "Soap Opera Weekly," editor Mimi Torchin voices
her support for "AMC's" decision to examine "daytime's least explored, most
ignored subject:  homosexuality."  "By making the charismatic super-teacher
Michael gay," Torchin wrote, "they have chosen the perfect means by which to
explore this lifestyle and the prejudices surrounding it."  Despite some
unfortunate references to "lifestyles," Torchin has consistently supported
affirmative lesbian and gay characters ("Soap Opera Digest" also uses
outmoded terminology; the December 19 issue refers to "the truth about
Michael's sexual preference"). 

The November 28 issue of "Soap Opera Weekly" also sides with Michael rather
than his detractors.  The "Weekly" writes of the "redneck roots" revealed by
the "ballistic" homophobia of Michael's brother-in-law. 

Of course, editorial support might be less significant than viewer support.
 According to "Soap Opera Digest" (November 21), viewer reaction to "AMC's"
new gay character could be pivotal.  The magazine reports:  "At present,
'AMC' is the only daytime soap to feature a gay character prominently.  The
show attempted a gay story once before, without success:  In 1983, a lesbian
storyline involving Devon and Lynn was axed when viewer reaction was
negative."

"AMC" head writer Lorraine Broderick expects the new storyline to fare
better, as viewers are "more tolerant" today.  "It's groundbreaking to have a
healthy gay, male character who is a long-term part of the community," she
said.  "It's also a step forward."  "ABC has been very supportive," Broderick
added.  "They know it's a big, contemporary story and they've been behind it
100 per cent."

However, the story is apparently not big enough -- yet -- to encompass any
gay romance.  Broderick told "Soap Opera Digest" (November 21) that her gay
character "initially . . . will not have a love interest.  Rather the story
will focus on the repercussions of his revelation." After interviewing
Broderick, "Soap Opera Weekly" (November 28) concluded:  "Will Michael find a
lover in Pine Valley?  No comment."  Significantly, soap operas are built
around the explicit sexual/romantic lives of their HETEROSEXUAL characters.

Nielsen ratings for November indicate that "All My Children" is viewed in
some 4,986,800 homes, making it the fourth most popular daytime drama on U.S.
television.

***  ACTION ALERT!   Send supportive comments to Mimi Torchin; also, advise
both the "Weekly" and the "Digest" to discontinue the use of such
inappropriate and inaccurate terms as "lifestyle" and "preference."  Contact:
 Mimi Torchin, Editor-in-Chief, "Soap Opera Weekly," 41 West 25th Street, New
York, NY 10010;  Lynn Leahey, Editor-in-Chief, "Soap Opera Digest," 45 West
25th street, New York, NY 10010.
                Support the inclusion of continuing queer characters on
daytime dramas.  Contact:  Thomas Campbell, ABC Daytime Programming, 2040
Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, CA 90067-4785, e-mail [email-masked].
                Encourage "AMC's" producer to fully develop Michael's
character, allowing him the important -- and human -- capacity for romantic
love.  Contact:  Felicia Minei Behr, Executive Producer, "All My Children,"
320 West 66th Street, New York, NY 10023.

T H E   P C   W O R L D   O F   " P C   W O R L D "

The December 1995 issue of "PC World" magazine includes the feature article
"Family Values," in which contributing editor James Martin reports on six
families asked to test-drive new home computer models.  A gay
African-American couple is included amongst the families profiled.

"It all started when 'PC World' invited six families -- all in the market for
new PCs -- to come by a local hotel suite and taste-test a half dozen
brand-new computers designed for the homes," Martin explains.  Throughout the
article, the gay men -- "Clifford A. Rivers, a rehabilitation counselor, and
Jayson Romine, a transportation contractor" -- are respected as just one of
the families.  The article contains pictures of four of the families,
including a shot of Romine and Rivers.

***  ACTION ALERT!  Compliment "PC World's" inclusive consciousness.
 Contact:  Philip Lemmons, Editor-in-Chief, and James A. Martin, Contributing
Editor, PC World Editorial, 501 Second Street, #600, San Francisco, CA 94107,
tel. 415-243-0500, fax 415-442-1891, e-mail [email-masked], URL
http://www.pcworld.com.

C R I T I C A L   M A S S  :    I M I T A T I O N   O R   L I B E R A T I O N
?  

The December 1995 issue of "Harper's Magazine" includes a critical essay by
Daniel Harris, "Out of the Closet and Into Never-Never Land," which examines
the lesbian and gay magazine market.  Harris raises a number of significant
issues that are worthy of debate in the lesbian, gay and bisexual
communities.  Unfortunately, his analysis also suffers from some sloppy
research and shallow thinking.

Harris begins with a plausible critique of the content of "upbeat, glossy gay
magazines," in which political concerns are "lost amid fashion spreads,
hair-care products, and Club Med packages."  "Doing their best to mimic
'Details' or 'Vanity Fair,'" Harris writes, "magazines such as 'Out,'
'Genre,' 'Men's Style,' and '10 Percent' present endless images of
well-adjusted gay bohemians, frolicking in a utopia never-never land where
homosexuals are no longer persecuted or self-loathing."  Given the dire
"political climate for gay rights," Harris argues, "these glossies are but
fantasy literature, mood enhancers for a demoralized movement."  "The picture
of gay life here is a sanitized one," he writes, "scrubbed clean of overt
sexuality and unseemly images."  Popular glossies omits photographs of people
with AIDS, says Harris, in favor of Hollywood icons and "ruddy, gym-buffed
physiques." 

While Harris raises a legitimate concern, his analysis falls short of
anything deep or even prescriptive.  He ignores articles on youth, education,
pedophilia, lobbying, cultural advocacy, AIDS, the religious right, and other
such "political concerns" that HAVE been examined -- and not always
marginally -- on the pages of "Out," "Ten Percent" and even "Men's Style."  

Apparently, Harris assumes that the queer community could (or should) be
served exclusively by one or two national magazines that, of necessity, are
"all-purpose" publications.  Yet, the mainstream magazine industry is clearly
a niche marketplace, with particular titles appealing predominantly to
particular needs and interests.  It is possible for a gay man to read about
hair-care products in "Ten Percent,"  anti-gay initiatives in "The Advocate,"
and the best parks to cruise for sex in "Steam Magazine."

Harris reports, correctly, that the editorial content of successful gay
magazines can be driven by advertising dollars.  Magazine's like 'Out' choose
to appeal to "image-conscious" and "style-conscious" queers because those
queers are appealing to major advertisers.  Of course, upscale gay consumers
hardly represent the sum of the queer universe, a point that Harris
ironically misses.  

Harris reports that "gays and lesbians have impressive demographics:  their
average household income of $47,000 a year is 12 percent higher than for most
Americans."  That statistic is bogus.  Such figures have been used
extensively, in fact, by the Religious Right in promoting the myth of
homosexuals as a "privileged class."  

The realities of the closet prevent the random sampling necessary for
accurate statistical profiles.  Significantly, higher percentages are often
produced by firms doing business for or with advertisers, who seek
communities with disposable income.  According to political scientist Kenneth
Sherrill, "There is no solid theoretical foundation to support any assumption
other than that gay people are randomly distributed about the American
population.  Similarly, there is no solid theoretical foundation to support
any assumption that gay people are any wealthier than average Americans."
 Furthermore, as Sherrill points out, "people who are low in deference,
respect and safety may well be forced to accept jobs at low wages or, at the
very least, trade off cash income for job security and freedom from
harassment." 

Finally, Harris derides popular gay glossies for their "fixation on
celebrities," which he asserts "reflects a larger dynamic that has taken hold
of gay culture:  the notion that liberation lies not with politicians but
with pop stars, the moral vanguard in American society."  "Gays are now
betting that the concrete social changes they have failed to realize through
conventional legal methods can be achieved by riding the coattails of mass
culture."

True enough.  The celebrity "profiles of courage" that are a staple of
popular gay magazines have tended to confuse political courage with the
"courage" of "making it."  Successful capitalists, unfortunately, ARE given
more coverage than successful activists.

In dismissing "the coattails of mass culture," however, Harris demonstrates a
complete misunderstanding of cultural advocacy and media activism.  In a very
real sense, liberation DOES lie "with the pop stars."  Harris (and some
social service agencies) might not like it, but it's simply a fact -- soap
operas and comics books CAN effectively curb hate violence.  Research and
experience demonstrate that, in order to achieve the widespread attitudinal
changes necessary to successfully combat homophobia, we MUST transform our
popular culture.  

***  ACTION ALERT!  Whether you agree or disagree with Daniel Harris, the
issues he raises are important ones.  To share your thoughts on the purpose
and function of queer magazines, contact Lewis H. Lapham, Editor, "Harper's,"
666 Broadway, New York, NY 10012, fax 212-228-5889. 

From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 12 Dec 1995 01:30:58 -0500
Subject: GLAAD MediAlert (B), Dec. 11

SPECIAL NOTE:  This week's MediAlert column is continued, under separate
cover, as "GLAAD MediAlert (A), Dec. 11."

________________________________________________________
INDEX:
(Part A)
1.  "Wedding Day Jitters" (Roseanne; ABC)
2.  "Talk Soap" (Soap Opera Weekly; Soap Opera Digest; All My Children; ABC)
3.  "The PC World of 'PC World'" (PC World)
4.  "Critical Mass:  Imitation or Liberation?" (Harper's Magazine;
lesbian/gay glossies)

(Part B)
5.  "Hearing Tests" (Associated Press; U.S. Congress; Log Cabin Republicans;
Parents, Schools & Values)
6.  "Gays On Fire" (Grace Under Fire; ABC)
8.  "Look Whose Talking . . ." (KSFO-AM; KST-AM; Jeff Katz; Spencer Hughes)
4.  "Media Briefs" (Alfie's Home; Freedom FM; NC-17; In The Life; Soap Opera
Weekly & HIV; web sites; Denver Board of Education; Atlas to the World Wide
Web)
10.  General Information (about GLAAD; about MediAlert; about membership)
________________________________________________________

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

       M  e  d  i  A  l  e  r  t   

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

for the week of 
December 11  - 17, 1995 (Part B)

by
Al Kielwasser 
Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, 
San Francisco Bay Area 

H E A R I N G   T E S T S  

On December 5 and 6, the U.S. Congress held special hearings regarding
"Parents, Schools and Values."  Originally slated as an inquiry into the
"promotion of homosexuality in schools," the proceedings were re-named and
rescheduled several times in an effort to skirt public criticism.

Despite ample pre-hearing publicity, media coverage of the event was
unexceptional.  An Associated Press report (December 7) opened with this
lead:  "Educators are going too far in their discussions of birth control,
homosexuality and AIDS in the nation's classrooms, implying that it's OK to
be promiscuous, three parents told a House subcommittee Wednesday.  But other
witnesses at a public hearing asked members of Congress not to block local
efforts to warn teen-agers about AIDS and teach them tolerance, especially
for fellow students."

AP writer Cassandra Burrell specifically quoted "parent Warren Grantham," who
testified that "some instructors cross the line and advocate homosexuality."
 However, Burrell did not report -- and apparently did not ask -- WHO
Grantham is, WHAT his qualifications are, and HOW or WHY he was invited by
the United States Congress to testify on this issue.  

Burrell DOES provide organizational affiliations for other witnesses
mentioned.  However, no substantive effort is made to qualify (and thus
clarify) what those affiliations signify.  For example, the AP article quotes
Claire Connelly, "president of the Gay & Lesbian Resource Center, a New
Age-style counseling clinic," who testified that certain education programs
"recruit" children "into the gay lifestyle."  Burrell reports:  "Connelly
said that as a lesbian activist, she supports programs that encourage
teen-agers to abstain from sex before marriage and remain monogamous
afterward." 

Obviously, Connelly is NOT a bona fide representative of any significant
lesbian or gay constituency, but a witness pulled from under some rock to
serve the purposes of Congressional homophobes.  That fact would hardly be
evident to the causal (heterosexual) reader, however.  Careful, precision
reporting would have provided more useful details regarding the credentials
of quoted witnesses.

Similarly, the AP story (like most mainstream reports) cites claims about
homosexual "recruitment," but provides no mention of any evidence.  Perhaps,
the witnesses also provided NO credible evidence, a fact that -- if true --
certainly merits reporting.  

While the mainstream media tended to downplay the homophobic motive of the
hearing, press releases issued by most lesbian, gay and bisexual
organizations roundly denounced the "voices of hate" that dominated the two
days of testimony.  The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) concluded
that the hearing "revealed itself to be precisely what youth advocates had
feared:  a taxpayer-funded platform for ant-gay extremists."  However, the
Log Cabin Republicans (LCR), representing lesbian and gay Republicans,
PRAISED the hearing as "fair and balanced" and "a forum for gay youth
advocacy."

The complete roster of scheduled witnesses included:  Sandi Martinez
(representative of the deeply-homophobic Concerned Women For America), Nancy
Maclone (mother opposed to condom availability),  Warrent Grantham (homophobe
who ran for his local school board but lost to a gay man), Claire Connelly
(self-loathing, self-identified "lesbian activist" who is really a
homophobe), George Dent (law professor who supports homophobic litigation
under the ruse of "parental rights"),  Ann Simon (teacher and Republican who
supports education about sexual orientation as a means to reduce anti-gay
violence), Alan Storm (school administrator who also supports education about
sexual orientation) and Mary Griffith (well-known lesbian/gay supporter and
mother of a gay son who committed suicide).

Unfortunately, in covering these "no promo homo" hearings, mainstream
reporters made no effort to access surveys or other data that CLEARLY
demonstrate an actual DEARTH of affirmative information about homosexuality
in textbooks and other educational media.  A National Gay and Lesbian Task
Force (NGLTF) report, issued to the press several months ago, could have
provided some context.  The report tracked 17 anti-gay state measures that
would mandate "only negative references to gay-related issues and individuals
through the education system."

In fact, the proper Congressional hearings would have investigated this REAL
issue:  the promotion of HOMOPHOBIA in schools.  Such hearings could have
examined the Federal government's (as yet non-existent) role in securing
educational equity for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth.  These
disenfranchised youth are frequently at the mercy of homophobic schools and
school-boards, which violate -- with impunity -- each students' right to fair
and factual information about sexual orientation.  

*** ACTION ALERT!  Send letters to any and all appropriate newspapers or
magazines, exposing the homophobic focus of the "Parents, Schools and Values"
hearings; encourage the Associated Press and other news outlets to provide
more-rigorous and substantive reporting in this vital area.  Contact:
 Associated Press, 50 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020, tel.
212-621-1500.     
                Recommend a higher standard of "fairness" and "balance" to
the Log Cabin Republicans.  Contact:  Richard Tafel, Executive Director, Log
Cabin Republicans, 1101 14th Street NW, Suite 1040, Washington, DC 20005,
tel. 202-347-5306, fax 202-347-5224, e-mail [email-masked].
                Finally, urge the U. S. Secretary of Education and your
(supportive) Congressional representatives to denounce the malicious motive
of the recent hearings, call attention to the real problem of wide-spread
homophobic indoctrination in our nation's public schools, and assert the
Federal government's responsibility in securing educational equity for
lesbian and gay youth.  Contact:  Richard W. Riley, Secretary of Education,
Room 6263, Building FB10, 600 Independence Avenue, Washington, DC, tel.
202-401-3000, URL http://www.ed.gov/index.html or ftp.ed.gov (additional
information is available from the Department of Education's Information
Resource Center, tel. 800-872-5327).
                Call the U. S. Capitol Switchboard, tel. 202-224-3121, for
names and addresses of your Congressional representatives.  House of
Representatives addresses are also available on-line, at web
(http://www.house.gov/) and FTP sites (ftp.servtech.com/pub/users/maxlent).

G A Y S   O N   F I R E   

"Grace Under Fire," an ABC situation comedy, currently ranks among the top
ten most-watched television programs.  Nielsen ratings estimate that, for the
week of November 27 - December 3, the show was watched by almost 22 MILLION
viewers. 

In a recent (December 6) broadcast, title character "Grace" (Brett Butler)
accidentally discovers that her ex-husband's father is gay.  The
father-in-law, "Emmet" (Bryan Clark), has been a recurring, though not
regular character on the show. 

In the December 6 episode, Grace happens upon Emmet at an out-of-the-way bar,
where he and his lover are enjoying each other's company.  Emmet explains
that he has been involved in this relationship for several years, but pleads
with Grace to keep the affair a secret, particularly from his wife.

On a positive note, this plot twist hinted at some of the unique struggles
faced by older gay men.  Also, Emmet IS portrayed as a caring, committed and
generally sane man.  

On the downside, of course, Emmet is also a liar.  Though he claims that his
sex-less marriage is not a loveless one, Emmet nevertheless betrays his
wife's trust and gets Grace to participate in the fraud.  

Unfortunately, there seems to be little room for Emmet to evolve beyond a
hackneyed plot contrivance.  Sitcoms have routinely outed random characters
for an easy laugh.  In such cases, the homosexual CHARACTER typically has no
"life" beyond the homosexual REVELATION and its all-important impact upon the
HETEROSEXUAL cast.  

Hopefully, ABC and "Grace Under Fire" will do something more with "Emmet,"
perhaps bringing his gay love-life out into the open -- right alongside the
show's heterosexual cast.

***  ACTION ALERT!  Send feedback to Ted Harbert, President, ABC
Entertainment, 2040 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, CA 90067, tel.
310-557-7777, e-mail [email-masked].

L O O K   W H O S E   T A L K I N G  .  .  .  

Two Northern California radio stations continue to pollute the airwaves with
their conservative "hate talk" formats.  Sacramento-based KST (650 AM)  is
the source of some of the most homophobic bile ever broadcast, while San
Francisco's KSFO (560 AM) is once again spreading AIDS hysteria.

KST is home base for Jeff Katz, a morning talk-show host who regularly spends
several hate-filled and fact-less hours engaged in homophobic ranting.
 During one recent (November 27) broadcast, for example, Katz spent an hour
or more describing a repulsive image that he saw from his car window:  two
men, "who looked like football players," kissing each other.  Again and
again, Katz wailed:  "I just felt physically ill," "I almost had to pull
over," "God, it just honestly made me sick!"  

Katz also "informed" his audience that all homosexuals are pedophiles.  "They
do want your children!" he shouted.  "They do not reproduce . . . .  They're
not gonna be happy until they steal your kids."  

At KSFO, during a (December 2) broadcast motivated by World AIDS Day, weekend
host Spencer Hughes suggested that gay men living with HIV/AIDS somehow
DESERVED their disease.  Citing higher rates of infection amongst gay men,
Hughes indicated that homosexuality itself was at fault.  He shouted:  "I am
fed up with people saying that homosexual sex is just as normal as
heterosexual sex!  I'm sick and tired of people saying, 'oh, heterosexuals
have just as much a chance of getting it as gay people.'  It's an absolute
lie and it has to end here . . . .  And if you can't handle that, the hell
with you!  Keep up with your dangerous lifestyles and you'll end up in a
casket too . . . .  because of your own stupidity, and ignorance and complete
idiocy!"  

Though Hughes cited accurate HIV statistics, his interpretation was faulty
and his tone hateful.  The AIDS virus is NOT attracted to any particular
demographic traits, of course.  The prejudice that causes indifference IS.
 The spread of AIDS in certain communities -- gays, prostitutes, and people
of color -- demonstrates nothing more than our society's willingness to
tolerate a plague for as long as it seemed to be killing "all the right
people."

***  ACTION ALERT!  Send complaints to Jack Swanson, Operations Manager,
KSFO-AM 560, 900 Front Street, San Francisco, CA 94111-1450, tel.
415-398-5600, fax 415-954-8700;  Dave Burke, General Manager, KST-AM, 10910
Olson Drive, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670, tel. 916-858-1578, fax 916-858-1588.
 Copy your correspondence to the Federal Communications Commission, Mass
Media Bureau, Enforcement Division, Washington, DC 20554.  Advertisers during
the (November 27) Jeff Katz show included Glendale Federal Bank
(1-800-41-FEDUP); you can let this company know that underwriting bigotry is
bad for business.

M E D I A    B R I E F S  

*  WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT? . . .  The November issue of "South Dakota Citizen"
(a periodical for homophobes) offers consolation to "parents and family
groups" who are "rightly outraged" over "pro-homosexual attitudes in the
classroom."  The "Citizen" announces:  "Now . . . there is hope for dealing
with homosexuality truthfully -- and lovingly -- as presented in the new
children's book, 'Alfie's Home.'  This is the story of a boy who struggles
with homosexuality and then transitions into heterosexuality after finding
help and experiencing his parents' love."  
                The new book is the product of International Healing
Foundation, Inc. (IHF), which "is looking for concerned citizens who want to
offer our children hope and who want to set the record straight."  The
"Citizen" encourages readers to "TAKE ACTION:  Contact IHF for your free
copies of 'Alfie's Home' to donate to your local public libraries and public
schools.  Write:  IHF, P.O. Box 901, Bowie, MD 20718-0901.  Telephone (301)
858-1181."

*  LONDON CALLING . . .  Freedom (104.9) FM, lesbian and gay radio for
London, is now online with "The Official Freedom FM Web Page"
(http://freedomfm.co.uk/index.html).  The new site includes program schedules
and a link to Freedom FM's Real Audio site, "where Net users can hear us
broadcasting in real time!"

*  THE PRICE OF PREJUDICE . . .  Last month, the distributors of "When Night
Is Falling" (a film containing two lesbian love scenes) rejected the NC-17
rating assigned to the film; rather than edit the movie to secure an R,
October Films risked releasing the movie without an official rating.  October
Films and other critics have accused the Motion Picture Association of
America (MPAA) of unfairly assigning NC-17 ratings to movies with homoerotic
content, with their heterosexual counterparts are given the less-restrictive
R.  According to a newly-published poll, this bias can be a costly one for
queer films.  
                The Hollywood Reporter/Robinson Lerer Sawyer Miller Poll of
adults (18+) estimates that "an NC-17 rating can keep nearly a quarter of the
available audience away from a movie" ("The Hollywood Reporter," December 5).
 Survey results indicate that the NC-17 rating can "steer away a substantial
segment of the audience for a film considered to be a high-quality
production.  Twenty-four percent of those polled said they would refuse to
attend an NC-17 rated film even if it has received mass critical acclaim."
 Based on these findings, Marcella Berland, senior vice-president of KRC
Research, has concluded that the NC-17 rating is a definite "handicap,"
significantly diminishing a film's chances for mainstream success and
profitability. 

*  LIFE SIGNS . . .  Now in its fourth season, "In The Life" (ITL) is billed
as "broadcast television's only regularly scheduled series concentrating
solely on gay issues."  For a free ITL membership guide, call 1-800-627-ONTV
or e-mail [email-masked].

*  TV & HIV . . .  In a recent issue of "Soap Opera Weekly," columnist
Marlena De Lacroix challenges soaps and their viewers to support realistic
AIDS storylines ("Critical Condition," November 21).  In another issue, a
reader explains how such fictional storylines helped her to overcome stubborn
"stereotypes and prejudices" in real life, as she realized "AIDS was not just
a homosexual disease, but a human disease" ("Reader's View:  In Remembrance
of Our Friends," November 14).  Contact:  Mimi Torchin, Editor-in-Chief,
"Soap Opera Weekly," 41 West 25th Street, New York, NY 10010. 

*  WEB WATCH . . .  (1)  The P.E.R.S.O.N. Project web site -- "Public
Education Regarding Sexual Orientation Nationally" -- provides access to
resources for education activists (http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/);
additional information is available from Jessea Greenman, P.E.R.S.O.N., 586
62nd Street, Oakland, CA 94609-1245, tel./fax 510-601-8883, e-mail
[email-masked].    (2)  Claude DiDomenica, of Children's
Animated Television, has created "Name That Fascist!," a site with a sense of
humor (http://www1.usa1.com/~furball/fascist/).    (3)  An invaluable
resource for queer media monitors, Carol Mortimer's Gay TV Home Page provides
detailed comments and weekly previews of "TV shows with gay, lesbian, other
sexual minority, and gay/straight AIDS themes"
(http://pages.prodigy.com/NJ/carol_mortimer/gay_tv_menu.html).

*  POSTER PREVAILS . . .  An informational poster WILL hang on the walls of
Denver's 10 high schools, despite objections by organized homophobes.
 According to the "Rocky Mountain News," the new poster "will stress the
impropriety of slurs and intimidation based on race, gender and sexual
orientation."  
                Focus on the Family (FOF), a Colorado Springs-based
heterosexual supremacist group, waged an unsuccessful campaign to censor the
poster and has criticized the school board's recent decision .  "To include
homosexuality along with such characteristics as race, ethnicity and gender
is to accept an understanding of homosexuality which is not grounded in
fact," said FOF spokesperson Lawrence Burtoft.  
                Support for the poster campaign can be directed 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 the Letters
Editor, "Rocky Mountain News," 400 W. Colfax Avenue, Denver, CO 80204, fax
303-892-2568, e-mail [email-masked]. 

*  E-MEDIA . . .  Karen Wickre, co-founder and chair of Digital Queers, has
authored (with Bob Powell) a new book, "Atlas to the World Wide Web."  This
reference manual highlights some of the web's most useful features, including
various sites dedicated to communications, magazines, film, journalism,
marketing, music, newspapers, radio, television, video and other subjects of
value to media activism and activists.  Direct comments, questions, or
requests for a free catalog to:  Ziff-Davis Press, 5903 Christie Avenue,
Emeryville, CA 94608, tel. 800-688-0448.
                Digital Queers is a non-profit organization dedicated to the
enhancement of electronic activism within the lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender communities.  For more information, contact :  Digital Queers,
1360 Mission Street, Suite 200, San Francisco, CA 94103, tel. 415-252-6282,
fax 415-252-6290, e-mail [email-masked], URL http://www.dq.org/dq.

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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
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To notify GLAAD/SFBA of any defamatory or affirmative media coverage, or to
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GLAAD's work is directly supported by our members.  Please consider joining
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 Membership.

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