Subject: MEDIAlert!/BRIEFS ["C"] - 03.21.97
From: [email-masked]
Date: Sun, 23 Mar 1997 15:36:30 -0500 (EST)

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INDEX:  "MEDIAlert!" for 03.21.97 [PART "C" ONLY] 

-ITEM 4:  "Singing Lessons" [Jewel; Pieces of You; Atlantic Records; Pedro
Zamora AIDS Foundation; Stereo-Type].

-ITEM 5:  "God Vs. Glamour" [Christian Broadcasting Network; 700 Club; Media
Research Center; Glamour; Working Woman].

-ITEM 6:  "Free At Last" [The Free Press; Gilroy High School].

-ITEM 7:  ""Place Matt" [Melrose Place; FOX].

-ITEM 8:  "Web Watch!" [Citizens Internet Empowerment Coalition;
Communications Decency Act; National Black ITL Calendar; Dyke TV; Hate Watch;
LA Girl Guide; Alternative Press Center; FACTNews; News Watch].

-ITEM 9:  "(Un)Sound Bites" [Rosie O'Donnell; Christianity Online].
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M E D I A l e r t !  /  B  R  I  E  F  S
_______________________________

March 16-31, 1997   Al Kielwasser

[4]

* * * *   SINGING LESSONS . . . .    In the galaxy of "rising stars,"
22-year-old musician Jewel Kilcher shines a little brighter.  Her Atlantic
debut release -- "Pieces of You" -- has earned both critical and commercial
success, and manages to take a swipe at homophobia too.  

The title track for "Pieces of You" is a meditation on bigotry.  The lyrics
describe four individuals -- an "ugly girl," "pretty girl," "faggot" and
"Jew" -- each representing a group targeted by prejudicial slurs and bigoted
assumptions.  A pointed chorus asks bigots to consider how those they hate
might, in fact, be "pieces of you."  At the third stanza, Jewel sings:

You say he's a faggot, does it make you want to hurt him?
You say he's a faggot, do you want to bash in his brain?
You say he's a faggot, does he make you sick to your stomach?
You say he's a faggot, are you afraid you're just the same?
CHORUS:  Faggot, faggot, do you hate him
'Cause he's pieces of you?

According to Atlantic's "official bio," each of the 14 songs Jewel performs
on the album "possesses stark honesty and keen insight, balanced by an
ability to absorb life's realities and tell a story that somehow makes sense
of it all...  if you listen closely enough to 'Pieces of You,' you may well
discover a piece of yourself lying somewhere within the songs."

Also to her credit, Jewel has performed at benefit concerts for such
organizations as the Pedro Zamora Foundation (according to foundation
president Brian Quintana, the benefit showcased artists who "are sensitive to
the cause" or whose "music or philosophy advances our agenda of educating
America's youth about AIDS").

Because of their appeal to younger audiences, queer-positive music and
musicians are a favorite target of fundamentalist homophobes.

C o n t a c t :  Atlantic Records, 75 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10019,
e-mail [email-masked]; Atlantic publishes a free promotional
bulletin, "Stereo-Type: The Atlantic Group's Gay & Lesbian Newsletter" (Peter
Galvin, Editor, "Stereo-Type," 75 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10019,
e-mail [email-masked]).  "Jewel's Unofficial Home Page,"
http://www.cs.mun.ca/~colins/jewel.html.

[5]

* * * *   GOD VS. GLAMOUR . . . .    Media mogul and arch-homophobe Pat
Robertson has called for a letter writing campaign to counter an evil source
of leftist propaganda:  "the popular women's magazines that grace America's
coffee tables and grocery store checkout lines."  Using his Christian
Broadcasting Network (CBN) and syndicated "700 Club" as a platform, Robertson
is touting a recent "study" of women's magazines, conducted jointly by
Consumer Alert and the Media Research Center (actually a propaganda agent of
the Religious Right).  According to this "research," the nation's leading
glossies are "a liberal pipeline to America's soccer moms."

As reported in a CBN/700 Club "Fact Sheet" (February 4), all of the top-13
women's magazines "have a consistently liberal slant on public policy issues"
and "they regularly promote liberal activism and politically correct
ideology."  Singled out as "two of the most biased" magazines are "Glamour"
and "Working Woman" (No doubt, Robertson would prefer to read something like
"Barefoot and Pregnant Woman").

Not coincidentally, both "Working Woman" and "Glamour" have provided positive
lesbian coverage.  Last year, "Glamour" featured two notable articles -- "My
Lesbian Mom" and "The Contagion of Prejudice."  This year, the Valentine's
issue (February 1997) included a column on lesbian marriage, by Guinevere
Turner.

The "biggest concern," according to CBN, is that "women reading these
magazines will begin accepting left-wing doctrine as fact."  As a remedy, the
right-wing faithful have been encouraged to contact the editors of women's
magazines, and expose them to "alternative views."

"If they don't hear from people who have a different point of view, they are
going to think that they are doing exactly what they're supposed to do," says
Dale Bourke, a CBN source and former editor of "Today's Christian Woman."
 "If you feel that a magazine is too liberal, write a letter, and ask your
friends to write a letter," Bourke advises.  "A dozen letters is a huge
amount of volume on any one topic."

C o n t a c t :  "Glamour," 350 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10017-3704, tel.
212-880-8062, fax 212-880-6922; Lynn Povich, Editor-in-Chief, "Working
Woman," 6380 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048-5003, tel. 213-938-8042 or
213-653-8672, e-mail [email-masked] (or [email-masked]), web
http://www.womweb.com/sitmww.htm; Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., 977
Centerville Turnpike, Virginia Beach, VA 23463, tel. 757-420-0700,
http://www.cc.org; Media Research Center, 113 S. West St., 2nd Floor,
Alexandria, VA 22314, tel. 703-683-5004.

[6]

* * * *   FREE AT LAST . . . .    In the discouraging battle against
homophobic censors, at least one student newspaper can claim a victory -- of
sorts.  A school board in California has rescinded a ban that prohibited
Gilroy High School's paper -- "The Free Press" -- from publishing a paid
advertisement for a local lesbian/gay youth service agency.

The Billy DeFrank Gay and Lesbian Community Center, located in San Jose,
provides a variety of counseling and support services for youth.  Notices
about such services were barred from "The Free Press" last year, in response
to complaints by a few vocal bigots.

The recent reversal of the ban is attributed largely to the efforts of the
newspaper's editor-in-chief, student Laura Gonzalez.  Gonzalez achieved her
victory DESPITE a disinterested administration.

Throughout the proceedings, Gilroy High's principal refused to offer any
"public support" for running the ad.  The school board's decision was
similarly reluctant; a passion for press freedom did NOT motivate the vote of
most board members, who explained that their primary interest was avoiding a
lawsuit.

The California Education Code (Section 48907) guarantees that "students of
the public schools shall have the right to exercise freedom of speech and of
the press including, but not  limited to, the use of bulletin boards, the
distribution of printed materials or petitions, the wearing of buttons,
badges, and other insignia, and the right of expression in official
publications."  The only exceptions are for material that is "obscene,
libelous, or slanderous" or "which so incites students as to create a clear
and present danger of the commission of unlawful acts on school premises or
the violation of lawful school regulations, or the substantial disruption of
the orderly operation of school."

C o n t a c t :  Laura Gonzalez, Editor-in-Chief, "The Free Press"
(http://www.gusd.k12.ca.us/schools/ghs/fpress.htm) and Basil Huffman, Interim
Principal, Gilroy High School, 750 West Tenth St., Gilroy, CA 95020, tel.
408-847-2424, fax 408-847-3505; Mark Good, Governing Board, Gilroy Unified
School District, 7810 Arroyo Circle, Gilroy, CA 95020, tel. 408-847-2700, fax
408-842-1158; Billy DeFrank Lesbian and Gay Community Center, 175 Stockton
Ave., San Jose, CA 95126-2760, tel. 408-293-3040, e-mail [email-masked].

[7]

* * * *   PLACE MATT . . . .    On the March 17 episode of FOX's "Melrose
Place," gay character "Matt" offers to raise his teenage niece, following the
death of his brother in a plane crash.  Matt's mother has a major homophobia
relapse, and suggests that homosexuality would make Matt an unfit parent.  As
in past episodes, however, "MP" scriptwriters provided Matt with an effective
rebuttal to the rant.

Provided this storyline develops, the plot should thicken in favor of lesbian
and gay parenting.  That issue is a particular hot button, even for so-called
"moderates" (who are comfortable with the idea of gay soldiers, but recoil at
the thought of gay fathers).

"Any future storyline will most likely feature a court battle between Matt
and his mom for custody," says Scott Miller, a gay media watcher.  "The
important thing is that the issue of gay parenting will be brought to the
surface and hopefully, like tonight (March 17), the forces of homophobia will
look petty and foolish." 

C o n t a c t :  Peter Roth, President, Fox Entertainment Group, P.O. Box
900, Beverly Hills, CA 90123, fax 310-369-1433, e-mail [email-masked].

[8]

W  E  B   W  A  T  C  H  !

***  FREEDOM OF SURF . . . .    The Citizens Internet Empowerment Coalition
(CIEC) provides a site for late-breaking news, actions and alerts concerning
the "Communications Decency Act," which was argued before the U.S. Supreme
Court on March 19.  The legislation was enacted by Congress last year but
subsequently found unconstitutional by two lower courts.  The Supreme Court's
decision is expected in June.  "The outcome of this legal battle will have
far reaching implications," CIEC explains.  "At stake is nothing less than
the future of the First Amendment in the information age."
[http://www.ciec.org].

***  LIFE TIMES . . .    The "National Black ITL Calendar" is a nationwide
roster "of specific interest to black people in the life," highlighting a
diverse range of events (movies, lectures, social gatherings, activist
meetings, and more), which have BOTH a black AND a gay or lesbian focus.  "It
is not a calendar that lists all the events that individual black lesbians
and gay men might be interested in attending," the publishers are careful to
point out, "since individual black lesbians or gay men might be interested in
attending ANY black event or ANY lesbian or gay event."  The most recent
version of the calendar is now available at the "BLK" website.
 [http://www.blk.com].

***  A RARE MEDIUM, WELL DONE . . .    "Dyke TV" can now be seen (VDOLive),
heard (RealAudio) AND discussed -- all online.  A new "Dyke TV Discussion
Board" has been added to the Free Speech TV web site.
 [http://www.freespeech.org/dyketv/].

***  FACE THE HATE . . .    HateWatch is a nonprofit organization that
"monitors the growing and evolving threat of hate group activity on the
Internet."  The organization's web site provides links to other anti-violence
organizations; it also catalogues hate group home pages, including homophobic
efforts (such as "S.T.R.A.I.G.H.T" -- the Society To Remove All Immoral
Godless Homosexual Trash).  "Though the language and images on this site may
be offensive to some," says HateWatch director Samuel Macy, "we believe the
best way to combat this growing trend of intolerance is to face it head on."
 [http://hatewatch.org].

***  GO ON, GIRL! . . .    "LA Girl Guide," a free bi/lesbian monthly, is now
on the world wide web.  Promising "more to be added every week," the
magazine's new site currently features artwork, photography, band dates and
club listings -- most with a Southern California focus.
 [http://www.girlguide.com].

***  ALTERNATIVELY SPEAKING . . .    An online directory of alternative
periodicals -- ranging from "The Advocate" to "Z Magazine" -- s available at
the Alternative Press Center site, which also features numerous links to
various activist groups, news services, and media-watch groups.  Founded in
1969, APC remains "one of the oldest self-sustaining alternative media
institutions in the United States. 
[http://www.igc.apc.org/altpress].

***  MATTER OF FACT . . .    The latest copy of "FACTNews" -- a free digest
"devoted to alerting netizens about freedom of speech, the right to privacy,
and freedom of thought" -- is now online.  Included in the March '97 issue
are a report on university attempts at net blocking, and a briefing on
FACTNet's "continuing court fight to keep the Internet free of controls."
 [http://www.factnet.org].

***  ON THE NEWS . . .    "News Watch" is a new, progressive 'zine that
"tries to critically analyze news and current events...  to report important
news stories that are ignored and correct 'errors' in stories that are
mis-reported."  Informally written and produced by editor Jake Sexton, "News
Watch" is currently a bi-weekly publication.
 [http://members.tripod.com/~Antithesis/NW.htm].

[9]

( U N ) S O U N D  B I T E S . . . 

A sampling of the e-mail messages, posted this month in America OnLine's
"Christianity" forum, as part of an on-going debate over Rosie O'Donnell's
rumored lesbianism:

*   "She is not gay...  I watch Rosie everyday!  She's a nice decent person!
 Just because she's nice, doesn't mean something has to be wrong with her.  I
love Rosie!  Love always in the Lord, Elizabeth"  -- [email-masked].

*   "The Bible says that being gay is an abomination to the Lord. I don't
know if she is gay or not. I know that I like her show and she seems to be a
nice, loving person. If she is gay, then we all need to pray for her. Love
the sinner, hate the sin."  -- [email-masked].

*   "If Rosie was gay would she scream about how she has the hots for Tom
Cruise?  No!  I don't think so...."  -- [email-masked].

[End of Part "C;" Part "A" (News Style) and Part "B" (Ellen) posted
separately]

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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!" = April 4, 1997.  [Regular subscribers, please note:
 Starting with this issue, "MEDIAlert!" will be sent out on the first and
third Friday of each month, rather than the second and fourth].

Contact:  A. P. Kielwasser, MEDIAction, 163 Park Street, San Francisco, CA
94110-5835, voice-mail/fax 415-826-5203, e-mail [email-masked].

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AUTHOR NOTES

Al Kielwasser is the editor of "Gay People, Sex and the Media" (New York:
 Haworth Press).  His media 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"); he was twice elected Chair of the
Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation/San Francisco Bay Area.