From: GLAADSFBA@aol.com Date: Wed, 20 Dec 1995 13:07:54 -0500 Subject: MediAlert, Dec. 18-24 _____________________________________________________ INDEX: 1. "Spousal Support" (Roseanne, ABC, 20th Century Fox, Tri-Star, Universal Studios, Stetson Cologne, Denny's, Pillsbury, Taco Bell, Fox Home Video) 2. "Parading It" (Fresh Voices, Parade Magazine) 3. "Singled IN . . . For Once!" (MTV, Singled Out) 4. "Dollars and (Non)Sense" (Inside Business, CNN, Advertising Age, Do Tell, Inc.) 5. "Nothing To Talk About?" (William Bennett, Joseph Lieberman, Sam Nunn, Empower America, television talk shows/corporate sponsors) 6. "Media Briefs" (Utne Reader/Entertainment Weekly; NECA; weekly web sites; Tzabaco; Hermaphrodites With Attitude) 7. General Information (about GLAAD; about MediAlert; about membership) _______________________________________________________________ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * M e d i A l e r t * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * for the week of December 18 - 24, 1995 by Al Kielwasser Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, San Francisco Bay Area S P O U S A L S U P P O R T Despite ABC's paranoid rescheduling of the show, "Roseanne's" December 12 broadcast still carried an affirmative message of gay love. The episode -- "December Bride" -- centered on the wedding of recurring character "Leon" (Martin Mull) and his lover "Scott" (Fred Willard). To viewers that complained about ABC's decision to broadcast the show at a later time (in order to "protect" children), the company has responded: "The show was not pushed back because of the homosexual wedding between the characters played by Martin Mull and Fred Willard, but due to the adult humor that was sprinkled throughout the episode." That excuse appears disingenuous at best, especially since other 8:00 PM sitcoms on ABC have featured much more "adult" -- but significantly HETEROSEXUAL -- humor. In any event, the advertisers who bought time during the controversial broadcast are bound to catch flack from homophobic media watchdog groups like the American Family Association. Companies supporting the "December Bride" episode included: Denny's, 20th Century Fox, Tri-Star, Universal Studios, Stetson Cologne, Pillsbury, Taco Bell, and Fox Home Video. *** ACTION ALERT! To counter the hate mail, you can compliment those companies that supported this "Roseanne" episode. Contact: Denny's, Paul Tierney, Chair, Flagstar Companies, Inc., 203 E. Main St., Spartanburg, SC 29319, tel. 803-597-8000; Universal Studios, Kirk Nakamura, Chair, Matsushita Electric Corp., 1 Panasonic Way, Secaucus, NJ 07094, tel. 800-447-4700; Taco Bell, Wayne Calloway, Chair, PepsiCo, 700 Anderson Hill Rd., Purchase, NY 10577, tel. 914-253-2000, fax 914-253-2070; 20th Century Fox, Rupert Murdoch, Chair, News America Publishing, Inc., 1211 Ave. of the Americas, New York, NY 10036, tel. 212-852-7000; Stetson Colognes, Thomas Bonoma, Pres., Benckiser Consumer Products, 55 Federal Rd., Danbury, CT 06813, tel. 203-731-5000, fax 203-790-0778; Pillsbury, George Bull, Chair, Grand Metropolitan, Inc., 712 5th Ave., Ste. 4600, New York, NY 10019, tel. 212-554-9200, fax 212-554-9246; Tri-Star Pictures, Masaaki Morita, Chair, Sony Corp. of America, 1 Sony Dr., Park Ridge, NJ 07656, tel. 201-930-1000, fax 201-358-4060. Comments for ABC should be directed to Ted Harbert, President, ABC Entertainment, 2040 Ave. of the Stars, Los Angeles, CA 90067, tel. 310-557-7777, e-mail abcaudr@ccabc.com. P A R A D I N G I T Lynn Minton writes a weekly column, "Fresh Voices," that provides a youth forum for group discussions of current events. Minton's column appears in "Parade Magazine," a popular supplement included in Sunday newspapers across the nation. The December 10 edition of "Fresh Voices" examined the issue of "'Special Rights' and Affirmative Action." For this column, Minton featured the perspectives of five teens. Her chorus of "fresh voices" was composed of one woman, three whites, and two African-American men. Four participants were 17 years old; one young man was 18. One of the (white, 17-year-old) boys, Sean, opened the discussion by arguing: "I am against all special rights for minorities . . . . I also believe that gays should not have special rights. Certain cities in Colorado have a law which gives gays special status as a minority in college, in hiring situations or whatever. And I'm not for that." Significantly, Minton interjected: "Are you talking about . . . policies which grant preferences . . . . or are you talking about the laws that say you can't discriminate against someone because of their sexual orientation -- like the laws that say you can't discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin or gender?" Sean admitted he was "not familiar with the exact laws," and added: "It's just what I've been told. I thought they granted some sort of 'special rights' status for gays." Sean also insisted: "We already HAVE anti-discrimination in the Constitution. That's the basic premise we are founded on -- that we are all created equal." To which a savvy Amanda (the lone female) replied: "But when they said, 'All men are created equal,' they meant except blacks, women and homosexuals . . . . Our society has a long way to go . . . before we're on equal ground." She added: "As for homosexuals, they're not asking for special rights, they're asking to be equal." The other youths tended to agree, for the most part, with Amanda. Most took eloquent stands against homophobia and racism. Rob, one of the young African-American men, admitted that "Homosexuality goes against everything I've ever been taught." "But," he said, "I really don't see why people should discriminate because of it." While Sean persisted (however more hesitantly) with his "no special rights for gays" rhetoric, Rob was given the last word. The column concluded with Rob's retort to Sean: "As for 'special rights,' there was a time in our history when it was considered a 'special right' for a black person just to walk down the street." Today -- at a time when so many adults are deceived by the fallacy of "special rights' (especially through insidious efforts to pit ethnicity against sexual orientation) -- Minton's contribution to helping children towards clarity is particularly admirable. In several past columns, as well, Minton has provided similarly accurate and affirmative coverage. *** ACTION ALERT! Praise can be directed to Lynn Minton, Box 5103, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163-5103 (Minton especially seeks feedback from teens); copy your compliments to Carlo Vittorini, Chair and Publisher, "Parade," Parade Publications, 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017. S I N G L E D I N , F O R O N C E ! MTV has announced that lesbians and gays WILL be included in at least one episode of the network's dating game show, "Singled Out." The "Akron Beacon Journal" (Dec. 12) reports that "Singled Out" will have "an all-gay audience for one show, giving one man and one woman the chance to land a same-sex date." Even if limited to a single broadcast, MTV's progressive move represents a MAJOR media milestone. The "mainstream," commercial networks have NEVER included lesbians or gays on any of television's myriad relationship shows. From the "Dating Game" to "Love Connection," all such popular shows have been fiercely heterosexist. For lesbians or gay men, visible affection has been a long-standing television taboo. As a past issue of "Entertainment Weekly" (June 10, 1994) opined, homosexuals on television are "turning up regularly . . . but when it comes to romance it's all talk and no action." In each episode of "Singled Out" contestants employ various techniques to "weed out" a date from a large group of contenders. According to the MTV's official, original synopsis: " 'Singled Out' is the ultimate relationship show where contestants get a chance to choose their ideal mate from a studio audience filled with the opposite sex." Now -- for once, at least -- the SAME sex will be included too. *** ACTION ALERT! Send supportive feedback to Judy McGrath, President, MTV Networks, Inc., 1515 Broadway, New York, NY 10036, tel. 212-258-8712, fax 212-258-8718, e-mail feedback@mtv.com or mtvmail@aol.com; America OnLine users can also post compliments directly to AOL's MTV message area (keyword: MTV). DO L L A R S A N D ( N O N ) S E N S E The December 16 broadcast of CNN's "Inside Business" series took a look at "marketing to the gay and lesbian consumer." The feature, which occupied much of the half-hour show, included a news report and discussion segments. The in-studio guests interviewed by host Deborah Marchini were Pam Derderian (co-founder of "Do Tell, Inc." -- a lesbian/gay credit card venture) and Michael Wilke (a reporter assigned to the gay beat for "Advertising Age" magazine). Overall, this "Inside Business" report was both informative and interesting. Topics ranged from Ikea's ground-breaking gay TV campaign to the less-forthright (but nevertheless noteworthy) efforts of such companies as AT&T and American Express. "Inside Business" viewers learned that several "religious right" groups have successfully frightened advertisers away from the lesbian and gay market, even though few actual boycotts have ever done much damage. Despite the fear, however, the report also noted that companies have clearly profited from the unique loyalty shown by gay consumers whenever seminal ad campaigns have addressed the community openly AND respectfully. When host Marchini asked her guests "to what extent is this marketing and to what extent is this politics?," Wilke replied: "The hesitation on the part of marketers to reach out . . . IS politics." He specifically criticized those advertisers who have favored "low key" rather than direct approaches to lesbian and gay representation. Unfortunately, this otherwise admirable program -- like so much business reporting on the "gay market" -- was marred by some dubious demographics. The report opened by characterizing lesbians and gays as a community with "more disposable income and leisure time than their straight counterparts." Neither guest challenged these inflated statistics. Promulgated by such gay-oriented marketing firms as Overlooked Opinions, these misleading numbers are now consistently used by homophobic organizations to paint queers as a "privileged class," remote from any discrimination and undeserving of "special rights." Wilke simply observed: "It is typically accepted that [gays] have above average income . . . ." Meanwhile, Derderian went out of her way to prove the point. According to Derderian, lesbians and gays have an annual aggregate income of over $514 billion, with gay men earning an average of $50,000 per year and lesbians earning $30,000 to $40,000. Derderian's specious estimates are based on limited, non-random surveys that do not fully account for the realities of the closet or the economic constraints imposed by homophobia. Too often, lesbian and gay entrepreneurs carelessly tout such inflated figures -- numbers which (because they are attractive to investors and advertisers) serve the business queer's financial interests, at the expense of fairness and accuracy in reporting. In a recent overview of lesbian/gay income myths and realities ("Us? Wealthy?" Our Own Community Press, Nov. 1995), Lee Hanson, staff writer for "Our Own Community Press," fittingly concluded: "Marketing data is valuable. Businesses need it, but business data isn't meant to be generalized to the whole community . . . . Lesbian and gay communities must be prepared to respond readily to opponents who use statistics to be damned liars." *** ACTION ALERT! Praise CNN's interest in queer business; also, encourage both business persons AND business reporters to shed more light on the difficulties of measuring the gay economy (and how probably-inflated estimates of "disposable wealth" have become an insidious propaganda tool for homophobes). Contact: Deborah Marchini, "Inside Business," CNN, One CNN Center, P.O. Box 105366, Atlanta, GA 30348, tel. 404-827-1700, fax 404-737-3323, e-mail cnn.feedback@cnn.com; Mike Wilke, "Advertising Age," 220 E. 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017, tel. 212-210-0170. N O T H I N G T O T A L K A B O U T ? William Bennett, former Education Secretary under Ronald Reagan, is currently the best-selling author of "The Book of Virtues." He is also featured in the viciously homophobic video, "Gay Rights, Special Rights." Last month, the conservative homophobe sent a threatening letter to the distributors of ten popular TV talk-shows. In his letter, Bennett warned these distributors to clean up their "trashy" talk [see "Talk Showdown," GLAAD MediAlert, Nov. 20-26]. This month, Bennett and company heightened their anti-talk show effort with the release of a national broadcast campaign. In the new television spot, sponsored by Empower America, Bennett is joined by sell-out Senators Sam Nunn (D-Georgia) and Joseph Lieberman (D-Connecticut). Their ad encourages public sanction of corporations that sponsor the "salacious" TV talk shows that so offend Bennett. The major advertisers targeted in Bennett's new spot include Philip Morris, Helene Curtis Industries, and Warner-Lambert. According to "U.S. News & World Report" ("Trash TV Takes A Hit," Dec. 18), Bennett has already succeeded in pressuring Sears and Procter & Gamble to pull their support. "This proves that sunlight is the best disinfectant," Bennett said (ironic words for a man who prefers to keep factual information about homosexuality hidden from America's school children!). Certainly, a number of individual TV talk shows have done a less than admirable job in sensationalizing sexuality. However, the genre as a whole has done more than most in providing a forum for the open and diverse treatment of queer matters. Many of the talk shows targeted by Bennett participated in this year's "Day of Compassion," an AIDS-awareness campaign coordinated annually by Hollywood Supports. This year, as well, several of these "trashy" talk shows served as singular venues for relatively thoughtful (or at least non-hostile) discussions by and about lesbian and gay youth, bisexuals, gay parents, transsexuals, and drag queens. The significance of these talk shows should not be underestimated. For isolated queers, such imagery and information is scant. Television, however, is EVERYWHERE. A recent episode of "Geraldo" -- self-reflexively devoted to a discussion of the talk show phenomenon -- included a gay teen among the guests. This young man had previously appeared on the show, at a time in his life when he was very near suicide. Now, he had returned to talk about his "talk show experience." He noted that being a guest on "Geraldo" actually lead him out of despair, and into a community of pride and support. Responding to the young man's story, another guest -- pop psychologist Joyce Brothers -- told him: "You're saying that helps everyone who is afraid to come out." Indeed it does. And that is but one prosocial function of "trash TV" that we must not sacrifice to William Bennett's moral code. Interestingly, Bennett's name also pops up in a recent "TV Guide" cover story about talk-show host Kathie Lee Gifford ("Kathie Lee Gets Mad," Dec. 16-22). Gifford, who is the epitome of all things vapid, tells "TV Guide:" "I'm concerned that TV has become a wasteland . . . . If things don't change on the show, I won't return." Among the changes Gifford wants for her nationally-syndicated show -- "Live With Regis & Kathie Lee" -- is more control over the guest list (she is not happy with guests selected by the show's producer, Michael Gelman, whom Gifford berates as "a male, Jewish, single guy"). According to "TV Guide," Gifford would prefer to chat with William Bennett rather than Boy George. Of course, the vacuous world of "Regis & Kathie Lee" is NOT on the Empower America hit list. Perhaps, after all, this fact betrays the ultimate goal of Bennett's campaign -- the uncontested proliferation of talk shows that have NOTHING to say. *** ACTION ALERT! Encourage advertisers to resist immature homophobes like William Bennett and to EXPLICITLY voice their support for television's fair, accurate and diverse treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender subjects. Contact: Geoffrey Bible, Chair, Philip Morris Companies, Inc., 120 Park Ave., New York, NY 10017, tel. 800-343-0975, fax 212-878-2167; Edward Brennan, Chair, Sears, Roebuck & Co., Sears Tower, Chicago, IL 60684, tel. 708-286-2500; Edwin Artzt, Chair, Procter & Gamble Co., P.O. Box 599, Cincinnati, OH 45201, tel. 800-435-9254; Gerald Gidwitz, Chair, Helene Curtis Industries, Inc., 325 N. Wells St., Chicago, IL 60610, tel. 312-661-0222, fax 312-836-0125. M E D I A B R I E F S TALKING ABOUT TALKING . . . Offering a more-positive balance to the frenzied rhetoric of "anti-sleaze" TV critics, two recent magazine articles examine the talk-show phenomenon, from popular and academic perspectives, respectively. In the January/February 1996 issue of "Utne Reader," Joshua Gamson, a gay Yale sociology professor, deftly deconstructs the peril and the promise of TV talk -- specifically in regard to queer subjects. According to Gamson: "To speak for and about yourself as a gay man or a lesbian on television, to break silences that are systematically and ubiquitously enforced in public life, is profoundly political." "TV talk shows may be crass and voyeuristic," the essay concludes, "but they give a voice to those who have been silenced." Contact: "Utne Reader," 1624 Harma Place, Suite 330, Minneapolis, MN 55403, tel. 612-338-5040. On a much "lighter" side, journalist A. J. Jacobs provides a popular gloss on "Talkin' Trash," in "Entertainment Weekly's" December 8 issue. The author spoons up "five reasons why Montel, Ricki, Sally, and Geraldo Don't Stink." Reason No. 2: "They Break New Ground." Contact: "Entertainment Weekly," 1675 Broadway, New York, NY 10019. EDUCATIONAL MEDIA . . . The Network of Educators on the Americas (NECA) is preparing to publish "Roots of Racism/Stories of Resistance: Critical Strategies for K-12 Multicultural Education," a groundbreaking teaching resource. NECA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the development and promotion of "teaching methods and resources for social and economic justice." Contact: NECA, P.O. Box 73038, Washington, DC 20056-3038, tel. 202-806-7277, fax 202-806-7663. WEB WATCH . . . 1. "Critical Mass" -- the "Webzine of Communication Issues" -- intends to provide a forum to discuss mass communication, encourage media literacy, and "further explore the potential of the WWW as a communication and publication medium;" the latest issues examines government, politics and "Cyberdemocracy" (http://fas.sfu.ca/comm/c-mass/). 2. The Brothers Network has launched a new web page offering "resources and information for Bi and Gay men of color (http://www.cybergate.com/~kamnow/tbn.htm). 3. Community United Against Violence (CUAV) -- the nation's oldest community project focused on anti-queer hate violence -- has just debuted its web site, which features "safety and prevention information, links to local organizations fighting hate violence, self-defense information and links, same-sex domestic violence resources, and the latest statistical analysis of hate crime" (http://www.xq.com/cuav/index.html). 4. "Square Pegs Zine," a new queer youth web site, is self-described as a collection of "writings, photos, poetry, rad links, reviews, and soon-to-come discussion areas" (http://arts.ucsc.edu/squarepegs/home.index.html). PAJAMA PARTIES . . . According to the "New York Times" (Dec. 9), more than 200,000 people have received the first edition of "Tzabaco," believed to be "the first mail-order catalogue that advertises traditional clothing with same-sex models in suggestive poses." "We definitely make use of homo-positive images," explained Tzabaco's publisher, David Dow, "but we don't have anything that is -- for lack of a better phrase -- 'gay merchandise,' like rainbow flags and erotica" (the Tzabaco catalogue features merchandise found in Dow's Healdsburg, California store of the same name). The "homo-positive" images include two embracing male pajama models, and a lesbian couple holding each other on a park bench. The "Times" quotes one of the catalogue's recipients, Scott Miller (age 24), who noted: "I thought I was getting the guy downstairs' mail again." NEWSLETTER NEWS . . . A singular and substantive resource, "Hermaphrodites With Attitude" is the quarterly newsletter of the Intersex Society of North America (ISNA). The Summer 1995 issue includes articles on politics, academics, parenting and more. ISNA is a "peer support and advocacy group for intersexuals -- individuals who are born with mixed sexual anatomy." Cheryl Chase, ISNA's executive director, sees an obvious alliance and overlap across and within intersexual and other queer communities. "We who are intersexual are queer because we are born with bodies that defy cultural notions of male and female," Chase explains. "We are also frequently gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered. The consequences of being born into a gender-anxious culture with such an unruly body are extreme." For more information, contact: ISNA, P.O. Box 31791, San Francisco, CA 94131, tel. 415-436-0585, e-mail info@isna.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 an independently-incorporated, 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 and largest 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. **************************************************** 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." **************************************************** 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." Reuqest a detailed membership brochure from GLAAD/SFBA, 1360 Mission Street, Suite 200, San Francisco, CA 94103, tel. 415-861-2244, e-mail billuni@aol.com. 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.