Subject: MEDIAlert! ["C"] - 04.4.97
From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 7 Apr 1997 23:34:59 -0400 (EDT)

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INDEX:  "MEDIAlert!"  for 04.4.97  [PART "C"]

-ITEM 5:  "Treating Homophobia" [Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman; CBS; Chicago
Sun-Times; Boston Globe; Chicago Tribune].

-ITEM 6:  "Good Vibrations" [Vibe; Me'Shell Ndege'Ocello].

-ITEM 7:  "Way To Go (On-Line!)" [Right Wing Watch Online; People For the
American Way].

-ITEM 8:  "Artistic License" [License to Kill; Los Angeles Times; Variety;
Village Voice].

-ITEM 9:  "Leisure Slime" [Leisure Suit Larry; Sierra On-Line; Computer
Gaming World].

-ITEM 10:  "A Positive Note" [Cyndi Lauper; Sisters of Avalon; Epic Records;
Philadelphia Daily News].

-ITEM 11:  "Queer and There" [Queering the South].

-ITEM 12:  "Web Watch..." [This Way Out; Men of All Colors Together; Queer
Rock & Metal; Social Justice Connections; Ford GLOBE].

(Please Note:  Parts "A" [Items 1-2] and "B" [Items 3-4] are posted
separately)
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M E D I A l e r t ! / B   R   I   E   F   S
__________________________________

April 4 - 17                 Al Kielwasser

[5]

****  TREATING HOMOPHOBIA . . . .    Though its plot unfolds on the early
American frontier, "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" is a deliberate effort to
break with the constraints of more-conventional "westerns."  Appropriately,
this CBS series recently did what few (if any) "period dramas" have ever done
-- by working a homosexual character into a plotline that challenged the
ignorance and prejudice of homophobia.

In the April 5 episode, "Dr. Quinn's" home town is visited by Walt Whitman
(played by guest star Donald Moffat), who had ventured to Utah for a poetry
reading.  Rumors spread, however, and the community turns ugly -- especially
after Whitman's "male companion" arrives to join him.

Even Dr. Quinn (Jane Seymour) -- who is usually the town's singular source of
enlightenment -- falls prey to the ignorance and fear of homophobia.  Quinn
frets when her son, an "aspiring writer," intends to spend time with Whitman.

Eventually, however, Quinn is able to put common sense ahead of nonsense once
more.  Following the lead of her "Cheyenne neighbors" -- who apparently
accept homosexuality without prejudice or fear -- Quinn recognizes the error
of her homophobic ways.

Lon Grahnke, television reviewer for the "Chicago Sun-Times" ("Walt Whitman
Cures Dr. Quinn," April 5) gave the episode a "three star" recommendation.
 Significantly, Grahnke praised the show both for its artistic merit AND
social conscience.

The broadcast was similarly -- though somewhat less-sensitively -- applauded
by the "Chicago Tribune" ("Channel Surfing," April 5) and "Boston Globe"
("Walt Whitman Comes Out On 'Dr. Quinn,'" April 5).

Contrasting "Dr. Quinn's" approach with other "more heavy-handed and less
effective.... lessons in bigotry," Steve Johnson -- the "Tribune's"
television critic -- concluded that:  "The episode doesn't settle for easy
solutions, and it handles the issue with sensitivity and good sense."  

Finally, in the eyes of "Globe" reviewer Renee Graham, the episode "does a
surprisingly effective job of setting history straight."  "Yes, this is
basically a Sunday school lesson about tolerance, but at least the points are
made with a minimum of peachiness," said Graham.  "Besides, think about it:
 Walt Whitman gets to come out on television without endless hype, boycotts
from small-minded, self-proclaimed religious leaders, or a 'Prime Time'
interview with Diane Sawyer."

Of course, Whitman is a considerably DEAD poet (and not a recurring
character).  The boycotters are currently preoccupied with living lesbians.

C o n t a c t :  Leslie Moonves, President, CBS Entertainment, 7800 Beverly
Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036, e-mail [email-masked]; Lon Grahnke, "Chicago
Sun-Times," 401 N. Wabash Ave., Chicago, IL 60611, tel. 312-321-3000, fax
312-321-2120, e-mail [email-masked]; Steve Johnson, "Chicago Tribune,"
P. O. Box 4041, Chicago, IL 60611-4041, tel. 312-222-2598, fax 312-222-3143,
e-mail [email-masked]; Renee Graham, "Boston Globe," P.O. Box 2378,
Boston, MA 02107, fax 617-929-2098, e-mail [email-masked].

[6]

****  GOOD VIBRATIONS . . . .    The latest edition of "Vibe" -- a popular
magazine covering urban music and culture -- includes an "uncensored
conversation" with a singular bisexual artist.  Me'Shell Ndege'Ocello -- "a
killer musician, a Grammy nominee, a mother, and the only openly black
bisexual recording artist working today" -- is the subject of "Have No Fear,"
an interview in the magazine's May issue.

According to the "Entertainment Wire" service (April 3),  Ndege'ocello is
"fearlessly revealing" in this interview, expressing "her thoughts on
everything from the conflict between lust and her Islamic beliefs, to the
differences between sex with men and women."

That fearless voice promises to be heard by a growing audience.  The
publishers of "Vibe" report that the magazine "has more than doubled its
circulation over the last three years, increasing to 450,000."  The May issue
hits newsstands on April 8.

C o n t a c t :  Alan Light, Editor, "Vibe," 205 Lexington Ave., 3rd Floor,
New York, NY 10016, tel. 212-522-1722 (or 212-522-7092), fax 212-522-4578,
e-mail [email-masked], web http://www.vibe.com.

[7]

****  WAY TO GO (ON-LINE!) . . . .    "Right Wing Watch Online" is a new
e-mail service from the progressive watchdogs at People For the American Way
(PFAW).  Posted "every few weeks," this electronic bulletin highlights PFAW's
on-going monitoring of "the Religious Right's work...  their television and
radio broadcasts, direct mail, newsletters, books and more."  "We'll tell you
what they're saying and doing in their various communications," PFAW
explains, "and you can draw your own conclusions."

"Right Wing Watch Online" is free for the asking.  To subscribe,  send an
e-mail message mail to [email-masked], with no subject and the following
text in the body:  SUB RWW.

C o n t a c t :  People For the American Way, 2000 M Street #400, Washington,
DC 20036, tel. 202-467-4999, e-mail [email-masked], web
http://www.pfaw.org.

[8]

****  ARTISTIC LICENSE . . . .    "Licensed to Kill" has been deemed "a
powerful investigation" by the "Los Angeles Times" and hailed by "Variety"
 as "...a harrowing look at homophobia and gay bashing...a highly
intelligent, matter of fact exploration of sexual prejudice and violence."
 The documentary, which examines "the minds of men who murder homosexuals,"
 has already won accolades at the Sundance film festival and is now being
shown in several cities in conjunction with community fundraising efforts.

"We've seen a slew of documentaries and features on homophobia and
gay-bashing made from the victim's point of view," says Elliott Stein of the
"Village Voice" (April 1).  "Licensed To Kill switches the focus, profiling
seven convicted killers of gays."

Opening in theaters nationwide this month, "Licensed To Kill" was produced
and directed by Arthur Dong.

C o n t a c t :  "Los Angeles Times," Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA
90053, tel. 213-237-7000, fax 213-237-4712 (or 213-237-7679); "Daily
Variety," 5700 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036, tel. 213-857-6660, fax
213-857-0742; "Village Voice," 36 Cooper Square, New York, NY 10003, tel.
212-475-3300; Arthur Dong, e-mail [email-masked].

[9]

**** LEISURE SLIME . . . .    "Leisure Suit Larry," an adult computer game
from Sierra On-Line, is intended to be smutty and irreverent (perhaps even
sexist).  However, the latest version -- "Leisure Suit Larry 7" -- is
gratuitously homophobic as well.

According to Charles Ardai, a reviewer for "Computer Gaming World," the
game's thin plot centers on "Larry's" ability to "make time" with a
half-dozen women.  "There's also a mysterious woman in black, who hires you
to kill her husband," Ardai explains.  "In the game's most distasteful
sequence you do just that, by jumping into the old man's bed and humping him
to death (Larry then spends the rest of the game insisting that he's not
homosexual).  I certainly could have lived without that."

C o n t a c t :  Sierra On-Line, 3380 - 146th Place SE, Suite 300, Bellevue,
WA 98007, tel. 206-644-4343 or 800-743-7725, fax 206-644-7697, e-mail
[email-masked], web http://www.sierra.com; "Computer Gaming World," 135
Main Street, San Francisco, CA 94105-1812, tel. 415-357-4900, fax
415-357-4977, web http://www.zdnet.com/~gaming.

[10]

****  ON A POSITIVE NOTE . . . .    According to the Philadelphia "Daily
News" (April 1) Cyndi Lauper's latest album -- "Sisters of Avalon" (Epic) --
"certainly demands to be taken seriously, with its thoroughly modern
integration of hip-hop, world beat, country and punky musical forms, and its
parables of modern life, co-authored by the singer in a simple but affecting
way."  To the ear of "News" critic Jonathan Takiff, moreover, at least two of
the tunes strike a queer-positive note.

"Say a Prayer" is a ballad of "all the souls cut down before their prime,"
which, suggests Takiff, is a reference to AIDS.  "A much happier gay
lifestyle vibe" can be heard in "Brimstone and Fire," he writes.  This song,
says Takiff, is "a saga of a random encounter in her laundry room that
threatens to turn romantic if Cyndi doesn't spoil the spaghetti sauce."

C o n t a c t :  Epic Records, 1211 S Highland Ave., Los Angeles, CA
90019-1734; "Philadelphia Daily News," 400 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA
19101, fax 215-854-5691, e-mail [email-masked].

[11]

****  QUEER AND THERE . . . .    "Queering the South" is the theme for an
upcoming conference of "lgbt activists, academic and artists."  Broadly
conceived, this three-day gathering in Atlanta (June 25-27) hopes to address
everything from "Jim Nabors" to "queer journalism" -- as part of a larger
effort "to explore how sexuality, race, religion, region, class and gender
shape our relationship to the South and southern identity."

In related news...  contributions are sought for an anthology of "essays by
gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered (queer) southerners critiquing the
South."  This collection is being compiled by Carlos Dews, an English
professor at the University of West Florida.

C o n t a c t :  Queering the South, P.O. Box 15470, Atlanta, GA 30333, tel.
404-727-4367, e-mail [email-masked], web
http://www.atlantapride.org/qts.html; Carlos L. Dews, Department of English,
University of West Florida, 11000 University Parkway, Pensacola, FL 32514,
e-mail [email-masked].

[12]

W  E  B   W  A  T  C  H .  .  .  .
_________________________

**  20/20 EAR SITE . . .   "This Way Out," an international gay and lesbian
radio magazine, airs on over 85 public/community radio stations throughout
the U.S. and Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK., Denmark, Sweden, and
The Netherlands.  Transcripts and recordings of "This Way Out" programs are
now available in cyberspace, as well.  The series maintains a "continually
updated" home page of its own [http://www.thiswayout.org], and can also be
accessed through the "news & entertainment" area at Planet Out
[http://www.planetout.com].

**  MULTI - MEDIUM . . .   Men of All Colors Together/San Francisco Bay Area
(MacT/SFBA) is a gay/bisexual, multiracial and multicultural organization
"committed to fostering supportive environments wherein racial and cultural
barriers can be overcome;" group members "engage in educational, political,
cultural and social activities as means of dealing with the racism,
homophobia and other inequities in our communities and in our lives." The
MacT/SFBA web site provides further information
[http://users.aol.com/mactsfba/home/page.html].

**  BIG AND HARD . . .   Peter Anderson -- "a gay man who's a big fan of hard
rock and heavy metal music" -- has launched his own webzine, "devoted to the
idea of rockin' the queer scene and queerin' the rock scene."  "If your fed
up with a diet of Boyzone and Madonna," says Anderson:  "Tune in!"
[http://wkweb4.cableinet.co.uk/peteranderson/INDEX.HTM].

**  WELL CONNECTED . . .   The Social Justice Connections site offers "links
to social justice organizations around the web, commentary on the role of
national progressive organizations, and practical resources for activists."
[http://www.shentel.net/sjc/home.html].

**  WORKING THE WEB . . .   Ford Gay, Lesbian or Bisexual Employees (Ford
GLOBE) -- "a formal network group for employees of Ford Motor Company who are
gay, lesbian or bisexual or who support their concerns" -- recently launched
their official web site.  The new pages provide information about Ford
GLOBE's "worldwide activities both inside and outside the company, news
articles on gay, lesbian and bisexual workplace issues, and links to related
sites on the web." [http://people.delphi.com/fordglobe].

[End - Part "C"]

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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 18, 1997.  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.