From: MediAction@aol.com Date: Mon, 7 Apr 1997 23:34:59 -0400 (EDT) Subject: MEDIAlert! ["C"] - 04.4.97 ------------------------------------------------------------ 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) ------------------------------------------------------------ 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 marketing@cbs.com; Lon Grahnke, "Chicago Sun-Times," 401 N. Wabash Ave., Chicago, IL 60611, tel. 312-321-3000, fax 312-321-2120, e-mail letters@suntimes.com; Steve Johnson, "Chicago Tribune," P. O. Box 4041, Chicago, IL 60611-4041, tel. 312-222-2598, fax 312-222-3143, e-mail tribletter@aol.com; Renee Graham, "Boston Globe," P.O. Box 2378, Boston, MA 02107, fax 617-929-2098, e-mail letter@globe.com. [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 vibeonline@nyo.com, 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 MAISER@PFAW.ORG, 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 sstelzer@pfaw.org, 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 adongla@aol.com. [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 support@sierra.com, 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 dailynews.opinion@phillynews.com. [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 qtsmail@learnlink.emory.edu, 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 cdews@uwf.cc.uwf.edu. [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"] ---------------------------------------------------------- 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 mediaction@aol.com. ---------------------------------------------------------- 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.