From: MediAction@aol.com Date: Sun, 2 Feb 1997 09:19:19 -0500 (EST) Subject: MEDIAlert! - 01.31.97 ["A"] ---------------------------------------------------------------- INDEX: "MEDIAlert!" for 31 JAN 97 (Please note: Parts "A" and "B" are posted separately; this post contains Part "A" only) ["A"] -ITEM 1: "Don't Ask, Don't Television" [Dallas Independent School District; Getting Personal; Montgomery County Public Schools; Shades of Grey]. -ITEM 2: "Rating the Ratings" [Murphy Brown; TV-PG; TV-14; Jack Valenti; AFA; FCC]. -ITEM 3: "Reporting Homophobia" [Esquire; Journal of Abnormal Psychology]. ["B"] -ITEM 4: "Holiday Sins" [Holiday Inn; Super Bowl]. -ITEM 5: "Media/Briefs" [More Tales of the City; Alternate Sources; All Over Me; Chasing Amy; Kiss Me, Guido; Newsday; Gay Teen's Pen Pal Connection; EuroBoy]. -ITEM 6: "Web Watch" [The Current News; Lesbian.org]. ---------------------------------------------------------------- [Part "A"] M E D I A l e r t ! ___________________________ January 17-31 Al Kielwasser [1] D O N 'T A S K , D O N ' T T E L E V I S I O N It seems that homophobic censorship is par for the course at the nation's high schools. Maryland school officials recently refused to lift their ban on the broadcast of a student-produced talk show, which featured a robust discussion of same-sex marriage. In Texas, like-minded censors canceled a similar student production because it included an interview with a gay man in drag. According to the Associated Press (Jan. 23), "a Dallas school official pulled the plug on a student-produced television show that featured a man in a dress discussing his homosexuality." The AP reports that: "Robert Hinkle, an official with the Dallas Independent School District, said he made the decision because 'maybe there was a constituency out there that wasn't prepared maturely for accepting this information.' School officials are [currently] crafting guidelines to regulate the programs students broadcast over a school cable channel." The students' series -- "Getting Personal" -- was terminated in December, following production of the episode addressing homosexuality. That episode was produced by Lincoln High School Student Tserilyn Tse, "with the approval of her teacher, parents and principal" (AP, Jan. 23). In an interview with Dallas TV station WFAA, Tse told reporters: "I didn't do that show because I personally like gays or I hate gays; I did this show because I want you to know more." "From what I understand," Tse added, "education is basically teaching somebody how to go out and get the knowledge for themselves.'' In a similar case, educational TV has also been censored at Montgomery Blair High School in Maryland. On January 9, Montgomery County school chief Paul Vance upheld a ban against broadcasting a student-produced talk show, which featured a discussion of same-sex marriage. The episode would have aired as part as part of a monthly series -- "Shades of Grey" -- which is regularly carried on one of the school district's two cable channels. Like all episodes of "Shades of Grey," the same-sex marriage program was produced by students at Montgomery Blair High School's television station -- WBNC-TV. Programs in the series have tackled a range of social issues, from gun control to female circumcision, without similar incident. In a 14-page report on the matter, prepared at Vance's behest, the school district evasively concludes that the same-sex marriage episode failed to meet "appropriate technical or content standards for an educational television channel." In announcing his decision, Vance upheld the objections of Barbara Wood, program manager, and Joseph Villani, director of the school system's cable operations. Wood said decided to yank the broadcast because a gay panelist "brought up the issue of religion and God in a very heated and controversial manner. We have to be extremely careful about not airing programs that have strong religious overtones." For his part, Villani felt the episode featured "too much advocacy" and , he also told students, the subject was simply not "appropriate" for an educational TV station. The topic of same-sex marriage is simply "too hot," Villani said. "It raises lots of issues that I'm not sure the mainstream is comfortable hearing about." Andrea Stuart, the show's executive producer, disagrees. Along with other students who worked on the series, Stuart has charged school officials with a violation of free speech and she plans to appeal Vance's decision to a higher authority -- the Montgomery County Board of Education. As described by the "Washington Blade" (Jan. 17), Stuart's banned episode featured a moderator and four panelists, "two who supported the legal recognition of same-sex marriage and two who did not." During the program, one of the panelists -- veteran civil rights activist Frank Kameny -- objects to some anti-gay rhetoric, and "states that the Constitution allows all people to 'have our own views of God.' 'My God gave us homosexuality,' he says , '... to be enjoyed to its fullest, and my God sanctifies same-sex marriages even if your God does not." Jamin Raskin, attorney for the students, maintains that district representatives are now backtracking on the motive -- if not the substance -- of their decision. According to Raskin: "There are numerous places where school officials told the students that they had no problem with the technical part of the broadcast but with what Frank Kameny said. Now they're saying that this [decision] has to do with the technical work on the show." In December, for example, Joseph Villani had told a "Washington Post" reporter that same-sex marriage "is a topic we are not going to get in the middle of." Now, however, he insists the ban was "not about whether kids should be discussing these topics. It was a programming decision." Parroting this new party line, a spokesperson for the school district recently said the "central issue is not censorship, but whether a broadcaster such as Montgomery County Public Schools has a responsibility to ensure program quality." District representative Brian Porter also stated that the school's cable system "has aired more than once a 1995 show on same-sex marriage in which each of the four panelists are either gay male, lesbian, or bisexual." Andrea Stuart remains skeptical, however. "A lot of the students that have participated in the TV programs here have felt strongly about the quality of what we produce," Stuart says. "It's interesting to see that in someone else's opinion, programs we were producing two years ago are of better quality than what we're doing now." After viewing a tape of the banned broadcast, "Washington Blade" columnist Steve Twomey could find no basis -- other than homophobia -- for the censors "heated" claims. In his view: "The show graphically depicts four adults and one teenager. It graphically depicts them fully and conservatively clothed, sitting in chairs. They talk for about an hour. Nobody swears, tells an off-color joke or mentions an X-rated organ. Although matters get heated, no punches are thrown. I saw no guns, condoms or centerfolds." "Nervous about how conservatives might react," says Twomey, school officials "panicked over something as timid as a pro-and-con chat about same-sex unions." He concludes: "Too much education on the education channel is a no-no, it seems." Ironically, the school district's own guidelines -- "A Student's Guide to Rights and Responsibilities in Montgomery County Public Schools" (1996-97) -- encourage "freedom of inquiry and expression." The district also "prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, marital status, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation or disability in employment or in any of its education programs, services, and activities." However, in a survey reported just last year, OVER HALF of Montgomery's high school students said they had personally witnessed instances of homophobic discrimination. Such survey results are as common as censorship. Indeed, homophobic classrooms are the product of homophobic censors. The recent cases in Maryland and Texas reflect a broader trend, threatening school districts across the country. "Within the typical secondary school curriculum, homosexuals do not exist," says Gerald Unks, editor of "The High School Journal" and a professor of education at the University of North Carolina. Such systematic omission, he suggests, is nothing less than "a breach of a student's academic freedom." "It is in the same category as all of the other topics that self-appointed thought police have historically sought to keep out of the classroom -- evolution, Communism, and the rest," Unks says. "Societies are totalitarian to the extent that they have areas of belief and attitude that are closed to reflective examination and thought." Leanne Katz, executive director of the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC), has also observed "a worsening national climate for artistic expression," particularly where children are concerned. Among other things, Katz hopes to "discredit the 'spin' that it is desirable for different First Amendment standards to apply in different communities." "Students in the many places where there are ludicrous efforts to characterize educators as enemies of families are entitled to -- and need access to -- the same array of books and ideas as young people everywhere," she explains. Indeed, when and wherever such entitlements are denied with impunity, EVERY student -- and, really, ALL of society -- continues to suffer. As Gerald Unks points out: "The absence from the curriculum of valid information about homosexuality cuts both ways; heterosexual students are given no reasons not to hate homosexuals, while homosexual students are given no reason not to hate themselves." * * * * ACTION ALERT!: Defend the speech rights of students -- so often prone to the whims of homophobia -- and support their appeals for intellectual freedom and integrity. Send feedback to: Robert Hinkle, Dallas Independent School District, 3700 Ross Avenue, Dallas, TX 75204-5422, tel. 214-989-8080 or 214-989-8000; Dr. Paul L. Vance, Superintendent of Schools and Secretary-Treasurer, Board of Education, Montgomery County Public Schools, 850 Hungerford Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850-1744, tel. 301-279-3381, fax 301-279-3205, http://mcps.k12.md.us/. Messages of support for Blair's students and staff can also be posted directly the school's web site (http://www.mbhs.edu/). Related activist resources, free for the asking, include a handy "Resolution on Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Youths in the Schools" (from the National Association of School Psychologists, 4340 East West Highway, Suite 402, Bethesda, MD 20814, tel. 301-657-0270, fax 301-657-0275, e-mail NASP8455@aol.com) and "Express Yourself," a multimedia MAC-compatible computer program "created to teach high school students about their First Amendment rights" (distributed by the American Civil Liberties Union, 1663 Mission Street, Suite 460, San Francisco, CA 94103, tel. 415-621-2006, e-mail FFP1ACLUNC@aol.com). Web browsers can access "Creating Safe Schools for Lesbian and Gay Students: A Resource Guide for School Staff" (http://members.tripod.com/~twood/guide.html). Attacks on student media are regularly challenged in "Censorship News," a newsletter of the National Coalition Against Censorship (275 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, tel. 212-807-6222, e-mail ncac@netcom.com, http://www.ncac.org). Gerald Unks -- editor of "The High School Journal" and "The Gay Teen" -- can be contacted at: School of Education, 212D Peabody Hall, University of North Carolina, CB #3500, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3500, tel. 919-962-1395. [2] R A T I N G T H E R A T I N G S Last year, as head of an industry group overseeing the nation's TV ratings system, Jack Valenti promised that his new scheme "is not designed to discourage creation of lesbian- and gay-themed programming" (GLAAD Press Release, Dec. 19). In its early application, however, the new system seems to favor an old -- and homophobic -- bias. Two recent episodes of "Murphy Brown" (ABC) provide a suggestive case-in-point. A rating of "TV-PG" was assigned to the February 3 broadcast of "Murphy Brown," listed in "TV Guide" with this description: "Jim believes romance can blossom for him again -- this time with the raven-haired receptionist (Mary-Margaret Humes) -- at Lansing's new girlfriend's charity benefit for exotic dancers." Conversely, producers gave a "TV-14" rating to the previous week's show. The January 27 episode, not coincidentally, featured a gay character and plotline. During the January 27 broadcast, "Murphy Brown's" regular cast reacts to -- and learns from -- a theatrical production of "Frank's" autobiography... in which the straight lead is unexpectedly cast as gay by the play's homosexual director. The episode's approach to homosexuality is anything but overt, unlike the more blatant HETERO-eroticism suggested for February 3. Once again, homosexuality is grossly rated as a de facto "controversy" -- regardless of particular treatment -- intended "for mature audiences only." Heterosexuality, however, is given to much finer distinctions... more often deemed "suitable for young viewers." As explained in a recent issue of "TV Guide" (Feb. 7), the ratings of "TV-PG" and "TV-14" differ significantly. "TV-PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)" is assigned to a program that "may contain some material that some parents would find unsuitable for younger children; it may contain infrequent coarse language, limited violence, and some suggestive sexual dialogue or situations." By contrast, the more dire rating of "TV-14 (Parents Strongly Cautioned)" is used to indicate: "This program may contain some material that many parents would find unsuitable for children under 14 years of age; it may contain sophisticated themes, sexual content, strong language, and more intense violence." One of the nation's loudest (if not leading) Right-Wing media watch groups -- the American Family Association -- has already announced "a boycott of advertisers who support television shows tagged with a TV-14 rating." "We will select one or more of the leading sponsors of the programs rated TV-14 and call for a boycott of their products," said AFA president Donald Wildmon. "We will use the ratings provided by the networks to identify the top sponsors of filth." Launched this year, the new TV ratings are currently under review by the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC must give final approval to this scheme, and commissioners are expected to formally solicit public comment in the near future. Groups expected to recommend rejection of the plan include the Center for Media Education and the ACLU. * * * * ACTION ALERT!: Send critical feedback to Leslie Moonves, President of CBS Entertainment, CBS, 7800 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036, e-mail marketing@cbs.com; copy your correspondence to TV Parental Guidelines Oversight Monitoring Board, P.O. Box 14097, Washington, DC 20004, tel. 202-879-9364, http://www.tvguidelines.org/. To inform the FCC, contact: The Chair and All Members, Federal Communications Commission, 1919 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20554, tel. 202-418-0200 or 202-632-7000, e-mail fccinfo@fcc.gov, http://www.fcc.gov/. [3] R E P O R T I N G H O M O P H O B I A The latest issue of "Esquire" magazine (Feb. 1997) includes an intriguing piece by Michael Segell: "Homophobia Doesn't Lie." Though less than perfect, the article's "food for thought" still offers more than most. For despite rising reports of homosexuality in the news, HOMOPHOBIA remains one of journalism's least-mentioned words. To open his article, Segell poses an urgent question. He writes: "Last November, Jonathan Schmitz was convicted of blasting two shotgun holes in the chest of a gay man who had declared on national television that he had a secret crush on Schmitz. Following the trial, the defendant's lawyer announced his desire to sue the show's host, Jenny Jones, for creating what he called 'this unnecessary, unreasonable, negligent risk.' Just what risk was he talking about?" In his "burst of homophobic rage," Segell suggests, Jonathan Schmitz was acting no differently than a lot of "normal" men. "To homosexuals, Schmitz's response, though extreme, was not unexpected," Segell writes. "Ninety percent of gay men report having been a target of verbal abuse or threats, and more than a third of them claim to be survivors of violence related to their homosexuality." Segell goes on to explain that gay bashing is still largely understudied and misunderstood. As an exception, however, Segell cites a recent report in the "Journal of Abnormal Psychology" -- in which "Henry Adams, a professor of clinical psychology at the University of Georgia, and his colleagues set out to investigate the susceptibility of homophobic and nonhomophobic men to homosexual imagery." Segell carefully relates various details of this study, which seem to confirm that "homophobia is the result of repressed homosexual urges or a form of latent homosexuality." Unfortunately, however, he gives little weight to the study's LIMITATIONS -- and there are several. First, the sample is small and idiosyncratic (subjects consisted of "sixty-four white male heterosexuals between eighteen and thirty-one years old"). Moreover, the researchers utilized images of EXPLICIT sexual activity -- images that are not the stuff of everyday, mundane exposure. Finally, the study relied upon physiological responses ("arousal was measured by a gauge attached to the base of the penis that detects erectile response and records it on a computer"); such measures -- taken in decidedly "unnatural" lab settings -- raise a host of questions in regard to validity. In his article, Segell quotes Adams, who concludes: "Men who are upset by being around gay men probably have these tendencies themselves. The thing you dislike most in yourself is the kind of thing you might jump on somebody else for." While this could be true for some (or even many) homophobes, it is certainly not true for all. More importantly, such research -- particularly as reported in the popular press -- tends to lend support to the notion that gay men are somehow responsible for their own bashings. Lost in Segell's summary of findings is an important fact: many devout heterosexuals ARE the carriers of substantial homophobia. Jesse Helms and Pat Robertson are not (hopefully) latent homosexuals. Yet they, and others like them, are potent sources of societal homophobia. The ignorance and hate they legislate and preach is, often, the foundation for a gay basher's murderous rage. Adams' research does not fully explain every hate crime, including some of the most heinous and high-profile cases. Recently, for example, the execution-style killer of a lesbian couple in Oregon admitted he knew the women were lesbians... which made it "easier" to kill them. Is latent homosexuality -- or societal homophobia -- the more likely or potent precursor to this hate crime? Though missing the chance to raise such questions, Segell's article nevertheless proceeds to a point worth pondering. "While Jonathan Schmitz's catastrophic response to his inner turmoil is, thankfully, rare, homophobia is not," says Segell. "In an enlightened climate, gay bashing would be a form of self-outing. And to a homophobic man, that could prove to be the ultimate deterrent to violence." * * * * ACTION ALERT!: Share compliments or critiques with "Esquire," 250 West Fifty-fifth Street, New York, NY 10019, tel. 212-649-2000, e-mail Esquire@hearst.com. [End Part A] -------------------------------------------------------------- ABOUT MEDIALERTS Distributed as a community press service since 1992, "MEDIAlert!" [TM] is a biweekly, advocacy-oriented column of media criticism, primarily focused on lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender issues. 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 all or part of any "MEDIAlert!" are always appreciated. Next "MEDIAlert!": February 15, 1997. Contact: A. P. Kielwasser, MEDIAction, 163 Park Street, San Francisco, CA 94110-5835, voice-mail/fax 415-826-5203, e-mail mediaction@aol.com. -------------------------------------------------------------- AUTHOR NOTES Al Kielwasser is the editor of "Gay People, Sex and the Media" (New York: Haworth Press); his criticism and research have appeared widely, in both mainstream and academic publications (including the "Journal of American Culture," "Journal of Homosexuality," "Journal of Popular Culture," and "Critical Studies in Mass Communication"), and he was twice elected Chair of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation/San Francisco Bay Area.