From: MediAction@aol.com Date: Wed, 19 Jun 1996 01:58:33 -0400 Subject: MediAlert! - June 14 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- INDEX: "MediAlert! for 14 June 1996" -Item 1: "Gay or Guy?" [The Single Guy; NBC Entertainment; Law & Sexuality]. -Item 2: "Homophobe Shopping Network" [American Family Association; Unilever; PepsiCo; Procter & Gamble; Volkswagen; Mars; Revlon; Cosmair; Warner-Lambert; Muppets Tonight; Kathie Lee Gifford; FAIR; Empower America; The Dana Carvey Show; Friends; Good Company; Law and Order; Roseanne; Melrose Place; NYPD Blue; Party of Five; Sisters]. -Item 3: "MediAlert/BRIEFS" [New Yorker; Associated Press; Crock; Barnes & Noble; E Law]. -Item 4: "Web Watch" [Children's Animated Television Homepage; GLB Youth Advisor; Liberty Tree; Queercore Beat; A Different Light]. -General Information [about MediAlerts; author notes]. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- M e d i A l e r t ! ____________________________ June 14, 1996 Al Kielwasser [1] G A Y O R G U Y ? To ravage an old adage: the road to homophobia is paved with well-intentioned humor. A recent episode of NBC's "The Single Guy" (June 13) revolved around a recurrent sitcom theme, in which straight men are mistaken for gay. Upon closer inspection, such comic fantasies -- and the many "gay jokes" they support -- reveal a rather dour heterosexism. In this episode of "The Single Guy," the heterosexual lead -- "Jonathan" (Jonathan Silverman) -- is placed in a homosexual environment, as the house guest of a gay couple. Such a storyline COULD have given way to inventive humor, rather than the stale jokes it ultimately produced. First, Jonathan's gay hosts assume that he, too, is gay. Ironically, television fiction often portrays lesbians and gay men as INSENSITIVE to the facts of sexual orientation -- as dull buffoons or (even worse) wishful thinkers, who constantly project their own homosexuality onto "innocent" heterosexual bystanders. In reality, of course, lesbians and gays are -- of necessity -- better attuned to "reading the signs." This particular plot device plays upon a heterosexist convention, which positions straight folks at the epicenter of queer desire. In real life, such conceit takes many forms -- perhaps most tragically expressed as the "self-defense" pleas used by gay bashers. Jonathan's friends suggest that he tell his dullard hosts the truth. To the backdrop of canned laughter, he is playfully admonished: "It's about time you came out of the closet." The joke is obvious, and somewhat insulting. Such humor belittles the coming out experience by transposing it onto the lives of heterosexual men, where it becomes nothing more than an embarrassing "mix-up." When Jonathan does finally reveal his heterosexuality, his gay hosts respond with expressions like "I'm not following you" and "Wow, when did this happen" (as if to further demonstrate the dim wits of dizzy queens). Keeping with the sitcom's well-intentioned "liberalism," however, the gay men are not really upset; obligatory "it's no big thing" speeches are made by each. In another scene, Jonathan banters with the show's "lovable old coot" (Ernest Borgnine), who is oblivious to homosexuality. He tritely wonders why the two gay men haven't "settled down with the right girl" yet. Jonathan looks bemused, but says NOTHING. The message behind such humor is twofold. Even though these gay men had decided to live OUT of the closet, all-around "good guy" Jonathan chose to participate in concealing their identity (reinforcing the notion that homosexuality is a "dirty little secret"). Furthermore, there is no moral imperative to challenge HOMOPHOBIC ignorance. Indeed, such ignorance -- typically portrayed as an amusing affectation -- is RESPECTED. In this incident, Jonathan saw neither the need nor the opportunity for enlightenment. Continuing the plot's "mistaken sexual identity" premise, Jonathan himself assumes that another straight man -- his new friend "Ross" (David Schwimmer) -- is gay. Likewise, Ross assumes that Jonathan is gay. The audience is supposed to assume that this sort of thing is hysterically funny. By the episode's end, of course, both Jonathan and Ross declare their heterosexuality to each other. They laugh -- with RELIEF -- at all the confusion. These single (but REGULAR) guys all but congratulate each other for being heterosexual (i.e., NORMAL). One last, condescending joke concludes the story. "Sam" (Joey Slotnick) -- who is also heterosexual -- has been annoying Jonathan throughout the episode. In the final scene, Ross wonders if Sam might be gay, and asks Jonathan: "Is he?" The meaning of the question is only made clear through body language, as Ross swishes about the room. Seeing the question as an opportunity for revenge -- as a chance to get back at Sam -- Jonathan answers: "On yeah, big time!" Once again, gay rumors are reduced to the level of ultimate insult. The final joke barely rises above a slur. The use of "fag" as an insult is one of the most common punch lines in television and film. Such name-calling is also common in real life -- accenting a basher's punch, kick, or stab -- the soundtrack for hate crime. **** ACTION/OPTIONS: "The Single Guy" ranks among the TOP 20 television shows. Nielsen estimates for the first week of June indicate that the program reached an audience of approximately 15.4 million viewers. Such popular sitcoms want to do better; let them know how. Contact: "The Single guy," c/o NBC Entertainment, 3000 West Alameda Avenue, Burbank, CA 91523, tel. 818-840-4444, e-mail entertainment@nbc.com. Re/Sources: Despite their weakening LEGAL persuasion, homophobic "self-defense" pleas still enjoy a POPULAR currency. In his article "Dismantling the Homosexual Panic Defense" ("Law & Sexuality," vol. 2, Summer 1992), Gary David Comstock provides a brief overview of such pleas, which would excuse hate crimes on the assumption that "a gay man making sexual overtures to another man deserves to be punished physically." "Law & Sexuality" is edited and published annually by the students of Tulane Law School. Contact: "Law & Sexuality," Tulane Law School, 6801 Freret Street, New Orleans, LA 70118, tel. 504-865-5835. [2] H O M O P H O B E S H O P P I N G N E T W O R K The American Family Association continues to attack advertisers who "sponsor homosexuality" on prime-time television. Companies are blacklisted if they buy airtime during any programs deemed "pro-homosexual" by the AFA. The AFA does not aspire to fine distinctions. ALL prime-time depictions of homosexuality are perverse. Advertisers are reprimanded for sponsoring "objectionable" broadcasts -- past or present -- and are advised to withhold all such support in future. Otherwise, they are warned, AFA members across the nation will boycott their products. The AFA's most recent hit list (June 1996) accuses ten companies of "promoting homosexuality" on nine programs, which aired between March and May of this year. The following shows and sponsors have been targeted: * "The Dana Carvey Show" -- According to the AFA: "In a skit on George Washington... Ben Franklin is shown in bed with another man. 'The Ambiguously Gay Duo' is a cartoon skit with two Superman-style heroes who are also homosexual lovers. They drive a super car shaped like male genitalia.... In a spoof of Regis and Kathie Lee (Kathie Lee Gifford is known for her outspoken Christian faith), the Kathie Lee character sings a song to a monkey: 'I didn't evolve from you, I evolved from Jesus/We're two different species, I don't eat my own feces/You're not of my genus, that's why you don't cover your penis.'" Advertiser: Unilever. * "Friends" -- According to the AFA: "Ross shows the gang the 'Hers' and 'Hers' towels, a gift for his ex-wife and her lesbian lover." Advertiser: PepsiCo. * "Good Company" -- According to the AFA: "Prison/homosexual jokes appear in Jody's song: 'In a cell with some big guy named Mitch/Being his favorite little prison bi---.' Other characters are equally crude... [and] discuss urinals, how men use them and which man at work has the most impressive genitalia." Advertiser: Procter & Gamble. * "Law and Order" -- According to the AFA: "The homosexual agenda is promoted when a poor, misunderstood homosexual is a suspect in the case." Advertiser: Toyota. * "Melrose Place" -- According to the AFA: "Matt, regular homosexual character, turns off his date by talking about his former lover." Advertisers: Cosmair, Warner-Lambert. * "NYPD Blue" -- According to the AFA: "John, the homosexual secretary, appears in numerous scenes." Advertiser: Volkswagen. * "Party of Five" -- According to the AFA: "Claudia's homosexual violin teacher has a small part in the story." Advertiser: Mars. * "Roseanne" -- According to the AFA: "Roseanne, her sister Jackie and her homosexual business partner Leon all three are excited when a morning talk show comes to their diner to do interviews." Advertiser: PepsiCo (Taco Bell). * "Sisters" -- According to the AFA: "Norma [is] the lesbian boss of one of the series stars.... Also, the story takes a politically correct turn with its stretch to highlight unfair salaries for women in the workplace." Advertiser: Revlon. Even the Muppets could not escape the AFA's consumer wrath. The association cites PepsiCo for advertising during an April 5 broadcast of "Muppets Tonight," which featured "frequent sexual innuendo." Specifically, the AFA reports, "a mouse muppet sings 'I'm Too Sexy,' and a bear muppet uses blatant double entendre...." Several of the companies targeted by the AFA have also been attacked other homophobic shopping campaigns. Empower America, the Right Wing pressure group attempting to "clean up" TV talk shows, has assailed Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Warner-Lambert and Mars. According to Empower America, the group adopted the tactic of "going directly to the advertisers" because direct appeals to programmers "received little response." The strategic merits of "advertiser advocacy" remain debatable, however. Tactical effectiveness has yet to be determined. Jeff Cohen -- a progressive media activist and founder of Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) -- has suggested that boycotting advertisers "smacks of censorship." Moreover, he cautions: "Right-wing groups, because of their ideological closeness to certain corporate sponsors, have an easier time of getting their attention." Whatever the merits, this tactic is certainly grounded in a realistic assessment of market influences. "Selection of programming for network prime-time television is almost exclusively tied to the advertising marketplace," observes Fred Williams, a well-known media researcher. As long as mainstream television is commercially-driven, program content will be heavily-influenced by advertiser interests. **** ACTION/OPTIONS: Encourage corporate responsibility; urge these companies to publicly and forcefully repudiate the AFA's censorious efforts to promote homophobia. Contact: James A. Nixon, Vice President, Cosmair, Inc., 575 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10017, tel. 212-818-1500, fax 212-984-4999; Roger Enrico, Chair, PepsiCo, 700 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase, NY 10577, tel. 914-253-2000, fax 914-253-2070; Richard A. Goldstein, President, Unilever United States, Inc., 390 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10022, tel. 212-888-1260 or 800-598-1223, fax 212-906-4411; Melvin R. Goodes, Chair, Warner-Lambert Company, 201 Tabor Road, Morris Plains, NJ 07950, tel. 201-540-2000 or 800-223-0182, fax 201-540-3761; Jerry W. Levin, Chair, Revlon Group, Inc., 21 E. 63rd Street, New York, NY 10021, tel. 212-527-6300 or 800-334-8332; Forest E. Mars, Chair, Mars, Inc., 6885 Elm Street, McLean, VA 22101, tel. 703-821-4900; Clive Warrilow, President, Volkswagen of America, P.O. Box 3951, Troy, MI 48007, tel. 313-340-5000 or 800-822-8987, fax 313-340-5025; Shinji Sakai, President, Toyota Motor Sales, 19001 S. Western Avenue, Torrance, CA 90509, tel. 310-618-4000 or 800-331-4331, fax 310-618-7800; John E. Pepper, Chair, The Procter & Gamble Company, P.O. Box 599, Cincinnati, OH 45201, tel. 513-983-1100 or 800-435-9254, fax 513-945-9155. Re/Sources: Jeff Cohen's observations were made during an interview, which has been transcribed as "A Call To Media Activism" in Martin Lee and Norman Solomon's book "Unreliable Sources: A Guide to Detecting Bias in News Media" (New York: Carol Publishing Group). Contact: FAIR, 130 West 25th Street, New York, NY 10001, tel. 212-633-6700, fax 212-727-7668, e-mail fair@igc.apc.org, URL http://www.igc.apc.org/fair/. [3] M E D I A L E R T / B R I E F S ** ALMOST NEW . . . The Associated Press (June 10) reports that "New Yorker" magazine is "raising eyebrows again with a cover showing two male sailors locked in a passionate kiss in Times Square." According to AP: "The provocative sketch is a lampoon of the famous Life magazine photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt, who shot a euphoric World War II sailor kissing a nurse in the square on V-J Day. The cover of the June 17 issue... also appears to be a comment on the recent compromise under which lesbians and gay men can serve in the military only if they keep their sexual orientation private." The magazine's color sketch, by cartoonist Barry Blitt, is preceded by a similar "lampoon." The same concept was used last year, by a clothing manufacturer, in a black & white ad featuring a photo of faux sailors -- and queer "supermodels" -- Bob and Rod Jackson-Paris. Though AP doesn't mention that previous image, the oversight is trivial. More significantly, the AP report commits one of the most common errors in "don't ask, don't tell" coverage. The "recent (?) compromise under which lesbians and gay men can serve in the military" does NOT mandate privacy, but SECRECY or -- more to the point -- DECEIT. Contact: "The New Yorker;" 20 W. 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036; The Associated Press, 50 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020, tel. 212-621-1500. ** NO JOKING MATTER . . . The nationally-syndicated comic strip "Crock" is apparently full of it. In the June 1 strip, a character asks his troops: "What color would you like your new backpacks to be?" While a majority give the expected reply -- "khaki" -- a lone character yells out: "Pink!" Addressing the reader, the troop leader announces: "Houston....I think we have a problem." Contact: Bill Rechin and Don Wilder, Crock, c/o North American Syndicate, Inc., 216 East 45th Street, New York, NY 10017, tel. 212-455-4000 or 800-526-5464. ** READING IS FUNDAMENTAL(IST)? . . . A media watcher in Springfield, IL reports: "Our Barnes & Noble bookstore in has a display for Pride Month throughout June. A local Christian fundamentalist group is objecting and threatening a boycott, saying B&N is anti-family. We need supportive letters...." B&N stores in other cities have created similar displays, despite similar threats, and the company is generally perceived as "queer-friendly." Contact: Tom Tolworthy, President, Barnes & Noble, 120 5th Avenue, New York 10011; Kim Balinsky, Manager, Barnes & Noble, 3110 West White Oaks Drive, Springfield, IL 62704. ** SUBMIT! . . . The "Electronic Journal of Law" (E Law) is now seeking submissions for a special issue on "Sexuality and the Law." The editors indicate that: "This issue, planned for October, will include papers presented at a conference to be held at Murdoch University on August 3 concerning sexual orientation and the law. The special issue will also be produced in digital multimedia format to include audiovisual as well as textual materials and will be made available for distribution on CD-ROM disks. Consequently submissions in a variety of formats are welcome." Contact: Editorial Board, Electronic Journal of Law, Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia, e-mail elaw-editors@central.murdoch.edu.au. [5] W E B W A T C H ** COOL CAT . . . The Children's Animated Television Homepage (http://www.qcfurball.com/cat/) has announced its welcome return. The CAT site has been moved, and revamped. Highlights include "AIDS Daily Summaries" (http://www.qcfurball.com/cat/aids.html) and "The Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual Youth Advisor" (http://www.qcfurball.com/cat/glb/glb.html). "The CAT Chronicle" newsletter is also scheduled to return soon. Contact: Claude DiDomenica, e-mail claude@qcfurball.com. ** MEDIA WATCHDOG . . . "The Liberty Tree" -- subtitled "An Independent TeleJournal of Comment on Media" -- deals with various aspects of the media, "news, comment, and critical analysis." Contact: Liberty Tree, P.O. Box 382, Urbana, IL 61801, e-mail libertytree@prairienet.org, http://www.prairienet.org/libertytree/. ** THIS BEAT GOES ON . . . "Queercore Beat" has set new sites and "joined on with The Youth Arts Project (http://www.qcc.org/yap) to bring queercore music news to gay youth." The Youth Arts Project "provides an opportunity for young people to get hands on experience with the web. To check out the Youth Arts Queercore Beat pages, go to the above URL and find 'music' in the table of contents. Click on and voila... Queercore Beat!" ** SHELF HELP . . . "A Different Light" -- billed as "America's largest lesbian & gay bookseller" -- can be browsed at: http://www.adlbooks.com/~adl. [end] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- ABOUT MEDIALERTS "MediAlert!" [TM] is an activist-oriented column of media criticism, focused on lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender issues, and distributed weekly on request. Recipients may print, publish or post this material, in whole or part, under this or any title, without prior permission. When appropriate, attribution can be made to "Al Kielwasser" and/or "MediAlert." File copies of publications using "MediAlert!" are appreciated. Contact: "MediAlert!," 163 Park Street, San Francisco, CA 94110-5835, voice-mail 415-826-5203, fax 415-826-5203 (ext. 8), e-mail MediAction@aol.com. Next "MediAlert!" = Friday, June 21, 1996 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- AUTHOR NOTES Al Kielwasser is the editor of "Gay People, Sex and the Media" (Haworth Press) and has taught a wide range of courses and workshops in media theory and practice. His research appears in the "Journal of American Culture," "Journal of Homosexuality," "Journal of Popular Culture," "Feedback: Journal of the Broadcast Education Association," "Critical Studies in Mass Communication," and other publications; recently, he completed a two-year term as Chair of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation/San Francisco Bay Area (GLAAD/SFBA). __________________________________________________ Shape the forces that shape our society . . . challenge homophobia in and through the media. ___________________________________________________