From: MediAction@aol.com Date: Mon, 9 Sep 1996 13:40:11 -0400 Subject: MEDIAlert! - Sept. 1-14 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- INDEX: "MEDIAlert!" for 1-14 Sept. 96 - Item 1: PROBABLE FLAWS [Beth Winship; Ask Beth; Two Teenagers in Twenty; The Gay Teen]. - Item 2: ROSIE-COLORED GLASSES [Globe; The Rosie O'Donnell Show; Michelle Blakely; Melissa Etheridge; Julie Cypher; Contested Closets]. - Item 3: WEB WATCH [Gay/Lesbian International News Network; News for Queers; Rapture Index; Tinseltown's Queer Web Site]. - Item 4: MEDIALERT!/BRIEFS [Consumer Reports; Cracker Barrel; Spin City; Billy Strayhorn; First Contact; Star Trek; Prime; Turbo; BaGaL Comic Connection; Open Prairie Cartoon Syndicate; Gay Press Report; Leslie Harpold]. - General Information [about MEDIAlerts; author notes]. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- M E D I A l e r t ! _______________________________ September 1-14 , 1996 Al Kielwasser [ 1 ] P R O B A B L E F L A W S Beth Winship's widely-syndicated advice column -- "Ask Beth" -- is a sort of "Dear Abby" for adolescents. Not unexpectedly, many of Winship's young readers ask questions about sexuality. And for the most part, she offers sound advice. Winship's columns are generally free of the sex-negativity and homophobia that muffles (and muddles) so many others. Yet, even though "Ask Beth" is clearly NOT a homophobic column, Winship persistently falls prey to a common heterosexist bias. Whenever readers ask "Am I Gay?" (which they do with some regularity), Winship tends to obsess over the PROBABILITY of heterosexuality probability while -- consequently -- she all but ignores homosexual POSSIBILITIES. In Winship's August 11 column, for example, a reader writes: "Dear Beth -- Last year, I was obsessed with this girl. I watched her all the time.... I think about her all the time. Am I homosexual because I had these feelings toward another girl?" Winship immediately answers with an abrupt: "Not at all." "Many teens who aren't homosexual have a crush on someone of the same sex," she adds. "Becoming adolescent can be a huge and confusing change. You're a stranger to yourself. You don't know how you look or how you feel." Not until the third paragraph of her (four paragraph) reply does Winship acknowledge -- albeit obliquely -- those teens who ARE homosexual. "Most people have some homosexual feelings, fantasies or experiences at some time in their lives but are afraid to admit it because our society is still so afraid of homosexuality," she says. "Only about 10 percent of the population is exclusively gay." In her concluding paragraph, Winship offers this final word of advice: "Use this crush as a key to learning more about yourself. In a journal, detail the qualities that you love about this person. Then explore which of these things you'd like to develop in yourself." Overall, Winship's advice is clearly well-intended (and perhaps even better than most). Nevertheless, she ultimately fails to acknowledge -- let alone encourage -- any possibility that this girl might well be lesbian or bisexual. Winship's immediate reply ("Not at all") to the girl's question ("Am I homosexual?") is dismissive at best. Other appropriate answers (such as "Maybe," or even "Not necessarily") would have struck a much less heterosexist keynote. Like too-many advice columnists, Winship appears utterly preoccupied with allaying the fears of "confused" but presumably (or at least probably) HETEROSEXUAL youth. Such comfort is not really intended for queer (or questioning) teens. Indeed, Winship's August 11 column contains NOTHING explicitly positive about homo- or bisexuality, and does not bother to offer ANY lesbian/gay organizational contacts (by way of contrast, for instance, Winship's September 1 column refers readers to several groups, including The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Planned Parenthood). Also like many other writers (and parents, teachers, textbooks, TV shows, movies . . . ), Winship lumps "homosexual feelings" within the general capriciousness and confusion of adolescence. There is ALWAYS the chance that homosexuality is "just a phase." Conversely, Winship treats adolescent HETEROSEXUALITY as if it were -- uniquely -- a fixed sexual identity. The distinction is NOT advantageous, for either homosexual OR heterosexual youth. In Ann Heron's collection of writings by gay and lesbian youth ("Two Teenagers in Twenty," 1994), one young woman recalls: "I found myself having sex with boys to prove I wasn't gay. Maybe I was even trying to prove it to myself! I didn't enjoy having sex with boys.... I became very confused about my sexuality." Likewise, another 18-year-old lesbian writes: "I realized I wasn't straight about three years ago, when I found myself hopelessly infatuated with a straight girlfriend. I tried to ignore it, but I couldn't stop thinking about her. Every time I thought I might be gay, I became very scared.... I avoided the issue for another year." Heron's anthology is filled with dozens of similar accounts. Significantly, THIS sort of confusion and fear is NOT at all a natural or normal function of adolescence, but the result of homophobia. The LAST thing these youth need is patronizing advice -- "You're a stranger to yourself," "Most people have some homosexual feelings," "You don't know how you feel" -- that utterly ignores the lived reality of their oppression (and seems more likely to encourage continued denial rather than self-exploration). Particularly in the "moderate" and "progressive" press, the potential for homosexuality is treated as something that children "shouldn't worry about." NOT because homosexuality is a good (or simply neutral) thing, however, but merely because it's UNLIKELY. This subtle bias only reinforces homophobic stigma, powerfully suggesting there is something essentially "good," "lucky" or simply "better" about being heterosexual. Those who worry about the chances of homosexual affliction can take some comfort in the assurance that "only about 10 percent of the population is exclusively gay." No doubt, occasionally reminding "questioning youth" that they are PROBABLY not homosexual can relieve a certain amount of needless worry and stress. Most often, however, such "benign" reminders are given indiscriminately and to excess. Youth who identify as heterosexual are NEVER advised to examine or distrust their "confused" feelings. A double standard exists throughout the media, as in real life, reflecting the most pernicious presumption of a heterosexist culture. Children are innocent, until proven queer. **** Ac t i o n / O p t i o n s ! : "Ask Beth" has made an obvious effort to move beyond homophobia; ask Winship to do the same in regard to heterosexism. Send comments to Beth Winship, "Ask Beth," Los Angeles Times Syndicate, 218 South Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Despite a few phobic faux pas (e.g., in an October 1991 column, Winship told a 15-year-old boy that "the rectum isn't meant for penetration"), "Ask Beth's" prior record has been generally good . . . if not better. For instance, Winship's recent advice compares less-favorably to a September 1994 column, in which a young girl explained that she had been having fantasies about another girl, though she still liked a certain boy. "What should I do?," the girl asked. Winship replied: "It's normal to have bisexual feelings and experiences. Many do. The pressure to have heterosexual relationships in this society is so overwhelming that any homosexual feelings are considered wrong. No wonder you feel confused." Winship also directed the reader to Parents & Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) for further assistance and expert advice. **** R e / S o u r c e s : "Two Teenagers in Twenty" was edited by Ann Heron, who also edited the book's groundbreaking first version, "One Teenager in Ten" (Alyson Publications, 40 Plympton Street, Boston, MA 02118). Several affirmative and progressive reviews of the informational/social/political needs of lesbian and gay youth can be found in "The Gay Teen," edited by Gerald Unks (Routledge, 29 W. 35th Street, New York, NY 10001); especially relevant are articles by Amy Reynolds and Michael Koski ("Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Teens and the School Counselor"), Peter McLaren ("Moral Panic, Schooling, and Gay Identity"), and Glorianne Leck ("The Politics of Adolescent Sexual Identity and Queer Responses"). [For additional background on "Ask Beth," see The GLAAD Media Watch, September 15, 1994] [ 2 ] R O S I E C O L O R E D G L A S S E S A much-maligned supermarket tabloid recently made an effort to portray something of value in Rosie O'Donnell's lesbianism. Ironically, O'Donnell's own widely-acclaimed television show will not do the same. The September 3 cover of the "Globe" announces: "Rosie O'Donnell in Gay Marriage." Inside the weekly paper, a two-page headline is more revealing: "Rosie's Secret Marriage -- Gay Talk Queen and Grease Star Michelle Blakely Raising Baby in Luxury Love Nest" (a small sidebar updates readers on the pregnancy of another famous lesbian pair, pop star Melissa Etheridge and partner Julie Cypher). For the most part, the "Globe" treats O'Donnell's relationship with no less -- and no more -- sensationalism than given in the paper's detailing of heterosexual love lives. The article is illustrated with several pictures of the (apparently) happy couple, and reporter Diane Albright repeatedly makes positive references to their romance (e.g., "O'Donnell has finally found true love," "the loving couple is ecstatic," "thanks to marriage-mate Michelle, Rosie's lonely nights and search for love are finally over"). Notably, O'Donnell's daily television show COULD provide an even more powerful platform for an unpretentious, natural affirmation of lesbian life. The host remains locked in her on-camera closet, however. And so too, it seems, will her guests. Incredibly, this talk-show stands out from the pack precisely because it -- unlike most others -- has specifically EXCLUDED any discussion of queer love. O'Donnell has been crowned the "Queen of Nice" and roundly hailed by critics who view her show as an antidote to such "trash talk." *** Ac t i o n / O p t i o n s : Feedback for or about Rosie O'Donnell should be directed to "The Rosie O'Donnell Show," 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112, tel. 212-664-3056, e-mail TheR0@aol.com or TheR0SIE@aol.com; "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" is a production of Kid Ro Productions, in association with Telepictures Productions, and is distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. Comments for the "Globe" can be sent to Robert Taylor, Managing Editor, "Globe," 5401 NW Broken Sound Blvd., Boca Raton, FL 33487, tel. 407-997-7733. *** R e / S o u r c e s : As the debate over celebrity closets recycles yet again, Larry Gross' 1993 book -- "Contested Closets: The Politics and Ethics of Outing" -- remains one of the best takes on the subject (particularly in its attention to central media issues); Gross teaches in the Annenberg School for Communication (University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104) and "Contested Closets" is published by the University of Minnesota Press (2037 University Avenue Southeast, Minneapolis, MN 55455-3092). [ 3 ] W E B W A T C H ** NEWS, PAPERLESS . . . The Gay/Lesbian International News Network -- "online with its BBS since 1990" -- is now also on the world wide web (http://www.glinn.com). According to GLINN's Dan Schramm (e-mail dschramm@quaterra.com), browsers can "read and post gay/lesbian news" and explore "many other interesting areas as well." Another web info-source is Scott Chiu's "News for Queers" (http://www.ece.utexas.edu/~chiu/qnews.html), also available by electronic mail. Says Chiu: "For comments, further information, hate mail, free subscription, or free unsubscription, please e-mail me" (scott.chiu@mail.utexas.edu, or qnews@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu). ** SITE GAG . . . The "Rapture Index" (http://novia.net/~todd) is one of several disparate (and dismal) web sites lashing out at "the liberal media." Among the site's recent low-lights, "young Republican" Todd (e-mail todd@oasis.novia.net) warns of "demon masters that are commanding the press" and the impending "wrath of God." ** MOVING ENTERTAINMENT . . . Nicholas Snow -- aka "The Tinseltown Queer" -- announces the launch of "Tinseltown's Queer Web Site" (http://www.gaywired.com/ttownqueer/). The new site shares the editorial purpose of Snow's local "Tinseltown's Queer" TV series: "To examine and strengthen the relationship between the entertainment industry and the Queer Civil Rights Movement, thereby positively impacting the movement itself; and to provide a media platform for issues pertinent to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community." Currently located on the TQ web are "a calendar of events involving entertainment and activism," "Nicholas Snow's Open Letter to Hollywood and the World" (entitled "Tinseltown is Burning"), and "information about the 'Secret Hollywood Project,' to be unveiled prior to National Coming Out Day." "The TQ Web Site is a work in progress," says Snow, "but it will hopefully serve to be a powerful tool in the dismantling of Hollywood's Closets." For additional information, contact: Nicholas Snow, 7985 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 450, West Hollywood, CA 90046 tel. 213-969-0582 (office) or 818-771-7690 (24-Hour recorded information), fax 213-969-8374, e-mail Ttownqueer@aol.com. [ 4 ] M E D I A L E R T ! / B R I E F S **** CONSUMER DISTORTS . . . Unique amongst periodicals, "Consumer Reports" (CR) has earned both popularity and respect for its impartial reviews of every imaginable product. The magazine's official motto declares: "We report on current issues of concern to consumers. Our staff of researchers and editors brings you in-depth information on matters that affect your health, your money and your well-being." Despite the well-earned reputation and noble motto, however, the magazine's latest (September, 1996) issue is somewhat less than fair or accurate. In a review of various restaurant chains, CR takes account of such basic qualities as value, service, mood and food. Ranked among the LOWEST on the magazine's list is Denny's, and CR conscientiously makes note of the restaurant's penchant for racism. Unfortunately, though, CR also gives its HIGHEST rating is to Cracker Barrel, a large chain of restaurants and gift shops in the South and Midwest -- and one of the nation's most homophobic businesses. In 1990, Cracker Barrel explicitly ordered all of its restaurants to identify and fire any lesbian or gay employees. The blatant bigotry of that policy has since been "softened," but -- by most accounts -- a profound atmosphere of homophobia still pervades the company. Despite the notoriety of Cracker Barrel's intolerance, "Consumer Reports" never mentions it. Instead, the magazine only notes that this "family restaurant... markets nostalgia." Once again, the high costs of homophobia have been ignored. C o n t a c t : "Consumer Reports," Consumers Union, 101 Truman Avenue, Yonkers, NY 10703 (CR is also available online, through CompuServe, Prodigy and America OnLine); Cracker Barrel/Old Country Store, Inc., Hartmann Drive, P.O. Box 787, Lebanon, TN 37088, tel. 800-955-0121. **** QUEER SPIN . . . The Fall TV season is upon us, and at least one new series -- "Spin City" -- premiered on a gay plot point. The pilot episode for the new sitcom, which stars Michael J. Fox, pitted a New York City mayor against angry lesbian and gay voters. "Spin City" is currently slated to air on Tuesday nights, across the ABC television network. C o n t a c t : ABC Entertainment, 2040 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, CA 90067, tel. 310-557-7777, e-mail abcaudr@ccabc.com. **** NOTE WORTHY . . . The nation's largest-circulating newspaper, "USA Today," recently reported that, "Almost three decades after Billy Strayhorn's death, the gifted jazz composer and pianist is finally getting his due." Strayhorn is featured in a new biography, "Lush Life," and is also the subject of "several new recordings showcasing the child prodigy's familiar and never-heard compositions." According to "USA Today" (August 30): "Strayhorn worked for jazz great Duke Ellington, whose orchestra performed many of his pieces. But the artist lived in Ellington's shadow, perhaps because he was black and openly gay at a time when it was very tough to be either." C o n t a c t : "USA Today," 1000 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22229, fax 703-276-5513, e-mail usatoday@clark.net. **** CONTINUING OMISSION . . . The familiar "Star Trek" theme announces a "continuing mission, to seek out new life and new civilizations... to boldly go where no one has gone before." Alas, however, it seems that Paramount's popular sci-fi saga is actually locked in a cowardly voyage of continuing omission. On August 8, the "London Daily Mail" had reported that (at long last) Trekkers would be treated to a gay character -- Lieutenant Hawk, a crew member in the upcoming Star Trek feature film, "First Contact." However, Trek producer Rick Berman now denies the report. According to Berman, there are currently no plans for including lesbian or gay characters in the movie OR in either of his two popular Star Trek TV series, "Voyager" and "Deep Space 9." C o n t a c t : Kerry McCouggage, President, Paramount Television, 5555 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90038. **** SUPER-HOMO . . . In recent issues of the comic book "Prime" (numbers 9 and 10), super-hero "Turbo" reveals his homosexuality. Turbo comes out to the book's 13-year-old title character, "Kevin" (alias the adult "Prime") and both super-heroes wrestle with familiar themes of fear, isolation, deception, and -- ultimately -- understanding and acceptance. In other comic news . . . Hubris Press has set a January, 1997 launch date for "The BaGaL Comic Connection - A Lesbian and Gay Comic Arts Newsmagazine." According to publisher Kristen Enos, this new quarterly magazine will be "devoted to creators and creations of comic books and strips of gay and lesbian interest." The premiere issue will spotlight the comic creativity of Ivan Velez, Jr. ("Tales of the Closet") and Donna Barr ("The Desert Peach"). And finally . . . Web crawlers can find several well-known lesbian/gay cartoon strips at the Open Prairie Cartoon Syndicate site (http://www.winternet.com/~oprairie). Included are such comic institutions as Alison Bechdel's "Dykes to Watch Out For" and Joe Hoover's "The Open Prairie." Note: The cartoons at this site runs two weeks to a month behind their newspaper counterparts. C o n t a c t : Open Prairie Syndicate, P.O. Box 8117, Minneapolis, MN 55408, tel. 612-861-3208, e-mail oprairie@winternet.com. "BaGaL Comic Connection," Hubris Press, P.O. Box 5383, Irvine, CA 92716-5383, e-mail Hubrisprs@aol.com. "Prime," Malibu Comics Entertainment, 3340 Ocean Park Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90405. [For additional background on other lesbian/bisexual/gay super-heroes, see "Comic Reliefs," MEDIAlert!, April 8-14, 1996] **** REVENEWS . . . According to a dispatch from "Business Wire" (August 19), "advertising spending in gay print publications reached $73.7 million this year -- a 19.6 percent increase over last year's $61 million." These figures are the result of "the third annual Gay Press Report, a national study of 138 gay-oriented magazines and newspapers in the United States." The survey was conducted by Mulryan/Nash, a New York-based advertising agency "which specializes in reaching gay consumers." For the first time, the Gay Press Report also included "an in-depth study on editorial coverage." As "Business Wire" reports, the survey "discovered a major discrepancy in proportion." "While editorial coverage of the arts -- movies, theater, books, music, etc. -- amounts to 23.5 percent, ad revenues in these categories amounts to a combined total of only 6.3 percent." It would seem that many media industries are still hesitant to acknowledge the extent of their lesbian and gay audience . . . and more obviously support those whose support is so obvious. C o n t a c t : Bill Gordon, Mulryan/Nash, tel. 212-633-6139. **** E-MEDIALERT! . . . . A new online publication plans to feature "media savvy critical thinkers" and -- according to publisher Leslie Harpold -- lesbian and gay thoughts will be included. The forthcoming E-Zine "is not 'gay-centric' but will be gay friendly, and strives to be representational," says Harpold. "The style is smart, snappy, and take no prisoners." Other topics slated for coverage include: "Consumerism," "Women in the Media," "Sex," "Music," "Web Reviews," "Art," and "Advertising." C o n t a c t : Leslie Harpold, e-mail lolly@interport.net. [End of column text] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ABOUT MEDIALERTS "MEDIAlert!" [TM] (formerly "The GLAAD Media Watch") is a biweekly, activist-oriented column of media criticism, focused on lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender issues. This column has been distributed continuously since 1992, on request, as a community service. Recipients may print, publish or post this material, in whole or part, under this or any title, without prior permission. When appropriate, attribution may be made to "Al Kielwasser" and/or "MEDIAlert!" File copies of publications using all or part of any "MEDIAlert!" are appreciated. Some current and back issues of "MEDIAlert!" are available online, through the Queer Resources Directory (http://www.qrd.org/qrd/media/medialert/) or the news section of AOL's "Gay & Lesbian Community Forum" (keyword: GLCF). Next "MEDIAlert!" = September 15-30, 1996. 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. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- AUTHOR NOTES Al Kielwasser is the editor of "Gay People, Sex and the Media" (New York: Haworth Press). He has taught a wide range of courses and workshops in media theory and practice, and his research appears in the "Journal of American Culture," "Journal of Homosexuality," "Journal of Popular Culture," "Feedback: The Journal of the Broadcast Education Association," "The High School Journal," "Critical Studies in Mass Communication," and other publications; he was twice elected Chair of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation/San Francisco Bay Area. ______________________________________________ Shape the forces that shape our society . . . challenge homophobia in and through the media. _______________________________________________