Subject: GLAAD MediAlert, Jan. 1-7
From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 2 Jan 1996 01:51:58 -0500

_______________________________________________________________
INDEX:
1.  "Bad Newsgroups" (CompuServe)
2.  "Global Disaster" (Jeff Jacoby, Boston Globe)
3.  "Advice Without Virtue" (Ruth Westheimer, Chicago Tribune)
4.  "Voices of Reason" (Lynn Minton, Fresh Voices, Parade)
5.  "Media Briefs" (Walt Disney, Inc.; web sites;  Jeffrey, Orion Home Video;
Diversity -- A People of Color Coalition; newsletters; on-line mailing lists;
Digital Queers annual gala)
6.  General Information (about GLAAD; about MediAlert; about membership)
_______________________________________________________________

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

       M  e  d  i  A  l  e  r  t   

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

for the week of 
January 1 - 7, 1996 

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

B A D   N E W S G R O U P S   

In a massive capitulation to censorship, the world's leading online service
-- CompuServe, Inc. -- has suspended access to over 200 Internet
"newsgroups."  The new ban was orchestrated during the last week of 1995.

Though it affects all CompuServe users around the globe, the ban was
initiated at the request of just one country -- Germany.  According to a
company spokesperson, "German government officials, as part of an
investigation of illegal material on the Internet, ordered CompuServe to do
what was necessary with respect to specified newsgroups in order to comply
with German law."  

CompuServe currently has 500,000 clients in Western Europe, and hopes to
quick double that number.  Overall, the company currently services more than
4 million users in more than 140 million countries.

"Newsgroups" are specialized forums that allow Internet users to read or post
information on almost any conceivable subject.  By one estimate, there are
currently over 16,000 active newsgroups, dedicated to everything from
baseball (rec.sport.baseball) to bondage (alt.sex.bondage).

Most the newsgroups banned by CompuServe addressed (or simply APPEARED to
address) an erotic or sex-related theme.  The company deleted a number of
lesbian, gay and bisexual groups, INCLUDING groups that had NO erotic focus.
 CompuServe banned newsgroups dedicated to resources for young queers,
lesbian/gay journalism, and information about coming out.

Of course, lumping ALL lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender subjects under
the heading "sexually explicit" is inaccurate as well as defamatory.  The
definition of heterosexual lives is never limited ONLY to sex acts.

It would STILL be unacceptable, however, even if CompuServe had "only" banned
SEXUALLY-EXPLICIT newsgroups.  The censorship of such groups -- queer or
otherwise -- is equally retarded and regressive.  

As queer communities know, SEX NEGATIVITY goes hand-in-hand with HOMOPHOBIA.
 Prohibitions against the SEXUAL communication of "pornography" and
"obscenity" lead, inevitably, to prohibitions against HOMOSEXUAL
communication of any kind.

Acting with very little integrity, CompuServe has attempted to deflect
criticism by claiming the company is at the complete mercy of German law.  A
CompuServe spokesperson explained:  "CompuServe did not select any groups or
determine the nature of the newsgroups that have been impacted by this
action."

If one person selects the titles, but another person strikes the match,
aren't BOTH guilty of book burning?  A censor who is following someone else's
orders is STILL a censor.

***   ACTION ALERT!   Demand that CompuServe act as a mature, responsible
caretaker of free expression on the Internet.  Contact:  Robert Massey,
President, CompuServe, Inc., 5000 Arlington Center Boulevard, Columbus, Ohio
43220, tel. 614-457-0802, e-mail 70006,[email-masked].  CompuServe
members can also complain directly to customer service, via "GO FEEDBACK."

G L O B A L   D I S A S T E R   

In the December 21 "Boston Globe," columnist Jeff Jacoby looks back on
"Another Year Of Liberal Libels."  His thesis -- that criticism of bigotry
is, itself, an act hate speech -- has become a popular rhetorical ploy,
particularly amongst bigots (for example, when PFLAG publicizes Pat
Robertson's homophobic hate speech, Pat Robertson condemns PFLAG for making
such hateful accusations).  

Jacoby argues, in essence, that calling someone a "homophobe" or "racist" is
no less a slur than "fag" or "nigger."  He claims:  "No slur is more popular
in the hate lexicon of the Left than 'racist.'  Except possibly 'Nazi.'  When
characterizing conservatives and Republicans, liberals reach for both."  

According to Jacoby, a "never-ending campaign to demonize conservatives and
conservative ideas rolled on" throughout 1995.  But, he says, this "bile from
the Left" did not attract the same attention or condemnation that is heaped
upon racist or homophobic epithets.  

"When some prominent Republican utters a nasty epithet, the condemnation is
swift, certain, and severe, " Jacoby writes.  "House Majority Leader Dick
Armey was buried beneath an avalanche of censure when he blurtingly referred
to the gay congressman from the Boston suburbs as 'Barney Fag.'"

"But left-wing vitriol rarely seems to have that effect," Jacoby complains.
 "Nobody hissed with disapproval when Jesse Jackson, miffed at a Supreme
Court decision, declared that the justices were 'paving the way back to
slavery.'  There was no storm of outrage when the president of the American
Bar Association, George Bushnell, described Congressional Republicans as
'reptilian bastards'."

Of course, Jacoby's "logic" ignores some rather fundamental distinctions.
 Not all "nasty epithets" are created equal.  Not all "ugly slurs" constitute
hate speech.

The disproportionate, systematic HATE VIOLENCE experienced by certain
communities (queers, women, and people of color) distinguishes particular
slurs (homophobic, misogynist, and racist epithets) as HATE SPEECH.  Supreme
Court Justices are not, on the basis of their occupational identity,
subjected to psychiatric cures, refused employment or housing, and denied
custody of their children.  Congressional Republicans are not, on the basis
of their party affiliation, being beaten, stabbed, or shot to death.  

According to the FBI's conservative estimates, homosexuals are among the most
frequent victims of hate crime in the United States.  Homophobes, as a group,
have never made the list.  

Outrageously, homophobes -- masquerading as victims rather than victimizers
-- are now attempting to deny responsibility for the consequences of their
own hate.  They intend, quite simply, to get away with murder.  

***   ACTION ALERT!   Hold Jacoby accountable; expose the masquerade.  Send
critical feedback to:  Jeff Jacoby, columnist (e-mail [email-masked]), and
Matthew Storing, Editor, "Boston Globe," Box 2378, Boston, MA 02107-2378,
tel. 617-929-3020, fax 617-929-2098, e-mail [email-masked]. 

A D V I C E   W I T H O U T   V I R T U E  

Mainstream advice columnists now regularly tackle queer questions, with
varying degrees of success, in newspapers around the globe.  A recent effort
by Ruth Westheimer is a notable failure.

In "Ask Dr. Ruth" ("Chicago Tribune," Dec. 21), the popular sex expert
responds to a 17-year-old gay transvestite, who wrote:  "I have a big
dilemma.  I live at home with my mother and stepfather and neither one of
them agrees with my lifestyle . . . .  I have not flaunted my lifestyle in
their faces.  I do not have my boyfriend call my house and I don't use my
mother's clothes.  I dress at my friend's house and my boyfriend pages me.  I
go to the mall to buy my own clothes, makeup and jewelry."  The young man
concluded:  "My parents want me to move out, but I don't have a place to
stay.  Do you have any advice?"

Westheimer answered:  "Since you are only 17, you do have a dilemma.  Without
a job, it is really not possible for you to move out.  You need to finish
your schooling . . . ."  She added:  "Since you have been discreet, I hope
you can convince your mother and stepfather to allow you to stay.  You might
want to sit down and talk to them and tell them that you will do everything
in your power to keep your lifestyle under wraps.  Ask them to give you a
little more time so you can get on your feet."  "If that fails," Westheimer
concluded, "there may be a group home nearby where you can find a place to
stay."

Westheimer's advice is lazy and vacuous.  "There may be a group home
somewhere" is hardly the stuff of expert wisdom.  Westheimer might have at
least expended the slightest energy and referred this potentially-homeless
boy to specific hotlines or agencies in his area.

Westheimer is either indifferent or blind to this teenager's real dilemma.
 The boy isn't TOYING with the idea of moving.  He is facing the very real
possibility of FORCED homelessness because of his sexual orientation (it's an
all-too-common problem, as an "expert" like Westheimer should know).  

Westheimer advises the boy to tell his parents "that you will do everything
in your power to keep your lifestyle under wraps."  As an "expert,"
Westheimer might have mentioned that the closet (however unavoidable it can
seem) is NOT a healthy place to live.   Conceding to the ignorance of others
might be necessary for immediate survival, but it must always be a LAST
option.

Casually, Westheimer suggests that this teenager might further accommodate
his parents.  More accurately, of course, the boy would be accommodating his
PARENT'S  BIGOTRY and IGNORANCE.  The problem, after all, is THEIRS.  

Homosexuality is not the cause of homophobia.  Homophobes are not cured when
homosexuals go "under wraps." 

Unfortunately, Westheimer never considers the possibility that this boy's
parents could -- like many others -- exchange their ignorance for
understanding.  Instead, she writes as if homophobia were chronic.
 Westheimer's advice neither affirms nor informs.

***   ACTION ALERT!   Share your own advice with:  Ruth Westheimer, "Ask Dr.
Ruth," c/o "The Chicago Tribune," 435 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611,
tel. 312-222-3232, fax 312-222-2568.

V O I C E S   O F   R E A S O N   

Lynn Minton's "Fresh Voices" has scored another successive hit against
homophobia.  The column, in which Minton moderates youth discussions of
current affairs, is published weekly in "Parade" magazine.  "Parade" is a
popular tabloid, inserted in the Sunday editions of newspapers throughout the
country.

Titled "Who Is 'Your Own Kind'?," Minton's December 24 column features teen
perspectives on the use of slurs in school.  Minton talked with a panel of
four high-school youth, ranging from 16- to 18-years-old.  Their discussion
spanned issues of "political correctness," free speech, racism, anti-Semitism
and homophobia.

One young man, John Bechtold (age 18), attempted to argue that when students
use slurs like "nigger" and "fag," they are NOT attacking any particular
group in a bigoted way.  "It's just used as another insult," he said.  "It's
not referring to a person or group of persons."

Minton challenged Bechtold to think again.  "Suppose I'm a black person,"
Minton said, "and somebody in the hall says 'nigger.'  He isn't really
prejudiced -- he's just using the term as an insult.  You think I won't find
that offensive?"

During the discussion, one of the younger students -- Jennifer Kalweit (age
16) -- pointed out a problem in her school that is common in many others.
 "Basically," Kalweit said, "there's no diversity here . . . .  You walk
through the halls, and you hear comments:  'You're a nigger.'  Or, 'You're a
faggot.'  They just use it like any other word in their vocabulary."

Another student, Michelle Haff (age 16), agreed.  Haff observed:  "People use
the word 'faggot' in their everyday vocabulary.  And it's just come to a
point where some of us are sick of it."  

Haff illustrated this problem, with a specific recollection:  "Me and my
friend were sitting in the library and two guys were talking, and my friend
said, 'Will you please not use that word?'  And they were like, 'Why?
 Faggot, faggot, faggot.  Why does that bother you?'  Another person at our
table wrote the word 'fag' on a piece of paper and was flashing it in front
of us and would not give up.  And one guy said, 'I don't understand why it
offends you.  You're not gay.  And no one in this room is gay.'  He has no
way of knowing that at all . . . ."

Commenting on Haff's recollection, Minton said:  "Maybe you interpret your
'own kind' a little more broadly than some people."  Haff responded:  "Yes.
 Definitely.  Humankind."

"Fresh Voices" provides a singular, high-profile and accessible forum for
challenging bigotry (for example, the December 10 column interrogated the
heinous notion of "special rights").  Through this column, Lynn Minton has
consistently attempted to affirm young queer identities.

***   ACTION ALERT!   Support should 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. 

M E D I A   B R I E F S 

IT'S A SMALL-MINDED WORLD, AFTER ALL . . .   The December 15 "Entertainment
Weekly" offers another report on Right Wing attacks against Walt Disney, Inc.
 In "Disney Catches Hell," Benjamin Svetkey explains how "gay day and
'subliminal' messages at Mickey & Co. bring on the Religious Right's wrath."
 Contact:  "Entertainment Weekly," 1675 Broadway, New York, NY 10019; Michael
Eisner, Chair, The Walt Disney Company, 500 South Buena Vista Street,
Burbank, CA 91521, tel. 818-560-1000. 

WEB WATCH . . .   1.  A World Wide Web site has been established for the 11th
International Conference on AIDS
(http://unixg.ubc.ca:880/stlouis/AIDS96.html).     2.  Professing the
"friendliest way to learn more about bisexual, gay and lesbian Democratic
politics in Utah," a web site has been launched by GLUD -- Gay and Lesbian
Utah Democrats (http://members.aol.com/glud/).     3.  Net surfers concerned
with net censors will find much of value at web sites maintained by the
Center for Democracy and Technology (http://www.cdt.org/), Electronic
Frontier Foundation (http://www.eff.org/), Electronic Privacy Information
Center (http://www.epic.org/), Wired Magazine
(http://www.hotwired.com/special/indecent/), and Voters Telecommunications
Watch (http://www.vtw.org./).     4.  "Critical Mass" -- the "Webzine of
Communication Issues" -- intends to provide a forum to explore mass
communication, media literacy, and "the potential of the WWW as a
communication and publication medium" (http://fas.sfu.ca/comm/c-mass/).
    5.  The Institute for Alternative Journalism (IAG) has launched
"Democracy Works," a website that "highlights news from organizations
fighting intolerance and far right political trends, provides links to other
progressive web sites, and features some of the best alternative journalism"
(http://www.alternet.org/an/demworks.html).

HOMO VIDEO . . .  Print ads for the home video release of "Jeffrey"
prominently (and passionately!) feature a same-sex kissing scene.  Orion Home
Video, the film's distributor, has also established a promotional website for
"Jeffrey" (http://www.datalounge.com/jeffrey).  Contact:  Orion, 304 Park
Avenue South, New York, NY 10010.

CONFERENCE CALL . . .  "Keep Your Head To The Sky:  Queers Of Color Coming
Together" is the theme of an upcoming conference, called "to develop
strategies and combine our strength as Communities of Color to combat hate,
discrimination, and oppression."  The event unfolds April 19, 1996, at Ohio
State University, Columbus.  Currently, organizers are seeking
presentation/workshop proposals AND "technoqueers to spread news of the
conference everywhere."  Contact:  Diversity of Ohio, 263 Crestview Road,
Columbus, OH 43202, tel. 614-486-5664, e-mail [email-masked] or
[email-masked].

NEWSLETTER NEWS . . .  1.  "Out In Academia" is a "newsletter of
multicultural & lesbian studies."  Contact:  "Out In Academia," 300 Eshleman
Hall, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720.     2.  "D.A.T.A."
(Disability Access to Arts) is the newsletter of the Corporation on
Disabilities and Telecommunication/Northern California.  The CDT was founded
in 1981 "to encourage better media portrayals of disabled people and to
provide support for people with disabilities interested in or working in
media."  Contact:  CDT/NC, P.O. Box 1107, Berkeley, CA 94701, e-mail
[email-masked].    

E-MEDIA . . .  1.  AIDS activism and health care politics are the focus an
ACT UP's on-line mailing list.  To subscribe, e-mail
[email-masked], with "Subscribe ACT UP Please" in your message
area.    2.  As part of a new Transgender Family & Friends Support Network,
PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) has launched a
TGS-PFLAG, an on-line mailing list for "people all over the world who have
friends or family members who are transgendered" and "those in the TG
community who are concerned with issues of parental/familial acceptance."  To
subscribe, e-mail [email-masked], with "SUBSCRIBE" in the message
area.

PAYING THE TOLL . . .  Freedom of access is anything but free.  The potential
of new media -- computers, modems, printers -- is often prohibited by cost.
 Fortunately, one organization -- Digital Queers (DQ) -- was founded to help
community activists pay the tolls on the new "Information Superhighway."  DQ
chapters (which are currently active in Boston, Atlanta, Florida, Chicago,
Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, London, Sydney, and
Washington, DC) provide computer training, funds and resources to non-profit
and community service groups.  To do that work, of course, DQ must raise
funds of its own.  This year's DQ fundraising gala -- featuring comedian
Suzanne Westenhoefer -- takes place January 13, in San Francisco.  For
details, contact:  Digital Queers, 584 Castro Street, Suite 560, San
Francisco, CA 94114, tel. 415-252-6282, e-mail [email-masked] (fundraiser
information) or [email-masked] (general information).

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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 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 largest and 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 [email-masked], URL
 http://www.gaytrek.com/gaytrek/glaad.html.

To assist our on-going monitoring and response efforts, GLAAD/SFBA
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