From: MediAction@aol.com Date: Wed, 17 Sep 1997 07:16:08 -0400 (EDT) Subject: MEDIAlert! ["A"] - 9.16.97 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- INDEX: "MEDIAlert!" - 09.16.97 [Part "A" ONLY] -ITEM 1: "Ellen Meets Emmy" [Ellen DeGeneres; TV Guide; Emmy Awards; Helen Hunt; Jaime Tarses; ABC; WBMA; Chrysler; General Motors; Johnson & Johnson]. -ITEM 2: "Spoof Positive" [In & Out; Hollywood Reporter; Daily Variety; Buzz; Tom Selleck; Mr. Showbiz; NGLTF; Paramount; E!]. -ITEM 3: "Crossed Wires" [Reuters; AP; Minnesota Human Rights Act; Alyson Almanac; People With A History]. -ITEM 4: "Just Say No, To Michelangelo?" [Duneland School Corporation; Gay & Lesbian Community Action Council; Post Tribune; Indiana Department of Education]. Part "B" ["Media/Briefs" and "Web Watch"] posted SEPARATELY. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- M E D I A l e r t ! _____________________________ September 16, 1997 Al Kielwasser [1] E L L E N M E E T S E M M Y That pervasive staple of U.S. publishing -- "TV Guide's" Fall Preview (Sept. 13-19) -- officially heralds the start of another television season. This year's issue includes a queer-positive tidbit, from staff writer Daniel Cerone, who asked "Who Should Win and Who Will Win" the Emmy Awards. Of the nominees for best comedy actress, Cerone insisted that Ellen DeGeneres should AND would win. "You'll be guaranteed at least one office-pool Emmy win if you check DeGeneres here," he wrote. "Ellen Morgan's tentative emergence from the closet was TV comedy at its best -- funny and touching -- made even more powerful by the coming out of DeGeneres herself." Unfortunately, there are no guarantees in Hollywood and Cerone's prediction -- while affirming -- proved false. At the 49th Annual "Emmycast" (Sept. 14), DeGeneres did NOT win the award for comedy series ACTING. She DID win the Emmy for comedy series WRITING, however -- given in recognition of her coming-out episode. DeGeneres accepted the award on behalf of "all the gay teenagers out there." "There's nothing wrong with you," she said. "Don't ever let anybody make you feel ashamed of who you are.'' The Emmy for best actress in a comedy series went to Helen Hunt ("Mad About You"). But even Hunt said, in accepting her award: "I was so blown away by Ellen DeGeneres' work in that episode, I just want to say I'm proud to be in the same list." DeGeneres later told the Associated Press (Sept. 15) that such Emmy-night recognition is a "big nod" of approval from the industry, and "she hopes her character will help viewers see that 'there are gay people and we are OK, because growing up I didn't have that, gay characters." "Well, Mary Tyler Moore and Rhoda were lovers," Degeneres added with a laugh. "But they didn't talk about it." Though widely-condemned by homophobic critics, "Ellen's" historic outing last season proved a ratings success for ABC. Only one affiliate, Birmingham's WBMA-TV, refused to carry the pivotal episode when it first aired -- and even that station has since recanted. Recently, WBMA decided to broadcast the show after all, when it was rerun by the network. The success of right-wing efforts to discourage advertisers from sponsoring "Ellen" also seems to be in decline, according to ABC president Jamie Tarses. At a recent meeting of the Hollywood Radio and TV Society, Tarses told television executives that "if some advertisers don't like it, there are others willing to take their place" (Associated Press, Sept. 12). "We're not having trouble selling the show,'' Tarses said. Last April, several companies -- including Chrysler, General Motors, and Johnson & Johnson -- pulled their ads from "Ellen." According to Tarses, some of those same businesses have since "begged to get back in." This year's premiere (Sept. 24) launches "Ellen's" first full season as a lesbian-led sitcom -- a first for the history of television, as well. In recent interviews, DeGeneres has hinted at the shape her character's love life might take over the next few months. Ellen's first bout with unrequited love will unfold -- naturally enough -- at the gym. She becomes attracted to her trainer, played by "Cybill" co-star Dedee Pfeiffer. Though that relationship is written to fail, DeGeneres also told "TV Guide" (Sept. 6-12) that her character will definitely date -- if not kiss -- other women. "I want to get into this sooner rather than later," DeGeneres said. "This is a delicate balancing act because we don't want to lose any of our audience, but she will get a girlfriend." If they are so intolerant that a simple same-sex kiss offends them, perhaps SOME audience members are already lost -- in more ways than one. Appealing to the "lowest common denominator," TV content standards are too frequently set by bigots. Given years of practice, lesbians and gays are more likely to tolerate an "objectionable" (i.e., homophobic) program, or so the industry assumes. Spoiled by heterosexism, however, intolerant homophobes are used to getting their way -- and would never settle for anything MORE. * * * * ACTION ALERT! Supportive feedback and other comments can be sent to: Jamie Tarses, President, ABC Entertainment, 2040 Avenue of the Stars, Century City, CA 90067, e-mail abcaudr@ccabc.com, web-site http://www.abc.com; Jerry Heilman, General Manager, WBMA-TV, P.O. Box 360039, Birmingham, AL 35236, tel. 205-403-3340 (ext. 7 - 1); Jack Curry, Managing Editor, "TV Guide," Radnor, PA 19088, web-site http://www.tvguide.com. Also, encourage major advertisers to recant their homophobic ways -- and do the right thing THIS season. Contact: Robert J. Eaton, Chair, Chrysler Corporation, 1000 Chrysler Dr., Auburn Hills, MI 48326, tel. 810-576-5741 or 800-992-1997; John F. Smith, Chair, General Motors Corporation, 3044 W. Grand Blvd., Detroit, MI 48202, tel. 313-556-5000, fax 313-556-1988; Ralph S. Larsen, Chair, Johnson & Johnson, One Johnson & Johnson Plaza, New Brunswick, NJ 09833, tel. 908-524-0400 or 800-635-6789, fax 908-214-0332, web site http://www.jnj.com/feedback.htm. [ Re/Sources: In an unconfirmed Internet newsgroup posting (Sept. 8, e-mail jr616@hotmail.com), a fan who attended the episode's taping claims: "Ellen will get a girlfriend in mid-October and it will be Laurie, the realtor who sold Ellen her new house... watch for an interesting scene at the end of the show." ]. [2] S P O O F P O S I T I V E Mainstream movie critics seem to like (if not love) Hollywood's latest take on homosexuality -- "In & Out." The film has been embraced by several community groups, as well, including the National Lesbian & Gay Task Force -- beneficiary of an opening night fundraiser hosted by Paramount Pictures. Essentially a "coming-out comedy," the film boasts a well-known cast of actors, lead by Kevin Kline. "In & Out" was scripted by Paul Rudnick, who also produced the popular gay-themed play "Jeffrey." According to critic Duane Byrge of the "Hollywood Reporter" (Sept. 11), "In & Out" is "a warm farce about being 'different,' in this case gay." "Those provincial L.A./N.Y. 'geniuses' who predicted 'Birdcage' wouldn't fly in the heartland will once again be flummoxed when they witness the strong middle-of-the-country outpouring for this Capra-esque comedy," says Byrge. "Overall, the satire is tipped with affection and respect, indicative of this broad comedy's basic goodness," Byrge concludes. "While elitist correctniks may grouse about the film's sweeping nature and broad strokes, it is through these very wide, comic tones that one can best perceive the true essence of the film's pointed message -- tolerance." In his review, Todd McCarthy -- "Variety's" chief film critic -- describes the new movie as an "'Is he or isn't?' situation comedy," "a one-joke farce that plays around with a once-delicate subject that by now is a mainstay even on TV" ("Daily Variety," Sept. 9). According to McCarthy: "Rudnick and director Frank Oz graft old-school stereotypes of gayness -- a taste for musical comedy, fussy neatness, 'un-masculine' mannerisms and interests -- onto a more politically up-to-date stance and a non-judgmental mindset, in a manner that all but the most conservative audiences should have no trouble swallowing." The film "should ride a number of good laughs, a feel-good demeanor, and a fine lead performance... to solid box office in wide early fall release," McCarthy concludes. Perhaps "In & Out's" most "controversial" content has been identified by Robert Hofler, managing editor of "Buzz" magazine (Reuters, Sept. 3). A kissing scene between Kevin Kline and Tom Selleck comes as "such a surprise," says Hofler. "No doubt about it. This is the longest gay kiss in a major-studio release, ever" Because of that scene, Hofler suggests, Paramount felt compelled to include some unusual "spousal publicity" in the press material it distributed for the film. "Kline and Selleck's profiles are a little different; they each have a coda, which informs us that they are married to, respectively, Phoebe Cates and Jillie Mack." "None of the other actors' profiles -- including those of Joan Cusack, Matt Dillon, Bob Newhart, Wilford Brimley, Debbie Reynolds or Shalom Harlow -- mention one word about their personal lives or respective mates," Hofler reports. "But then, they're all playing confirmed heterosexuals in the film." As Hofler notes, Selleck's gay role "brings to mind a major lawsuit the actor won a few years ago when 'The Globe' tabloid falsely reported that he was homosexual." To compensate the "damages" of being called gay, the actor won a multi-million dollar judgment. He still insists -- "a tad defensively," according to Hofler -- that: "Saying you're not gay is not anti-gay." That depends on how you say it, in fact. Or how often. Even when reporters don't ask, Selleck tells -- not just how heterosexual he is, but how homosexual he isn't (i.e., couldn't and wouldn't be). "Throughout the 'In & Out' press junket in New York City," Hofler says, "Selleck kept reminding every reporter that he was married with children." It is little wonder that the headline of a recent article for "E! Online" (Aug. 29) declares: "Tom Selleck Says He's Not Gay." In another recent interview, for a "Mr. Showbiz" column (Sept. 4), Selleck wondered if "In & Out" audiences -- mindful of his "Globe" suit -- will think: "Maybe he sees this movie as an opportunity to apologize." "But I don't have anything to apologize for with that," said Selleck. "And I didn't do this movie to make up for that." It seems the willingness to take on a gay role might not reflect any serious change of his heterosexist heart. Playing this part has provided Selleck with yet another excuse to insist that he is not now, and never has been, a gay man. He just acts like one. * * * * ACTION ALERT! Congratulate Robert Hofler for getting a critical point; send comments c/o his column's distributor: Reuters/Variety, 199 Water Street, New York, NY 10038, fax 212-859-1717, e-mail webmaster@reuters.com, web-site http://www.reuters.com; "Buzz" magazine can be accessed on the web, http://www.buzzmag.com. Also, share your views of "In & Out" with: Tom Sherek, President, 20th Century Fox (Paramount Studios), 10201 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90035, e-mail 5555@paramount.com; web site http://www.inandout.com; "Daily Variety," 5700 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036, tel. 213-857-6660, fax 213-857-0742; "Hollywood Reporter," 5055 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036, tel. 213-525-2000, fax 213-525-2377, web site http://www.hollywoodreporter.com; "Mr. Showbiz," e-mail editors.showbiz@starwave.com. [3] C R O S S E D W I R E S As the world's leading, Reuters and the Associated Press (AP) routinely report on the same stories -- though not always with the same results. While both services could do better on the lesbian and gay beat, Reuters seems to cling most often to the vestiges of homophobic style. Among their regular features, AP and Reuters supply newspapers with popular timelines, or lists of significant "events that happened on this day in history." For Wednesday, September 10, AP's list noted: "On this date... One year ago -- The Senate dealt a double defeat to gay-rights activists, voting to reject same-sex marriage in federal law and killing a separate bill that would have barred job discrimination against gays." Of course, the phrase "gay rights" is not quite accurate. Marriage, after all, is a right enjoyed exclusively by heterosexuals -- though its defenders are not referred to as "straight-rights activists." Likewise, fairness in employment, housing and healthcare is not a "gay right" -- but a civil or human right, which is denied to gays. On the same date, by contrast, Reuters managed to avoid the "gay rights" problem -- but only by avoiding gays altogether. Reuters' list of "some of the major events to have occurred on September 10 in history" did not include ANY lesbian, gay or bisexual references. It DID include a "major" golfer's birthday: "1929 - Arnold Palmer, one of the post-war golfing greats, born; he attracted huge galleries known as 'Arnie's Army.'" In covering current events, as well, the efforts of wire reporters are uneven. Recently, both Reuters (Sept. 4) and AP (Sept. 5) filed stories about a Minnesota lawsuit, in which two straight men are suing a gay bar for discrimination. The heterosexuals claim that they were refused admittance by the bar's bouncer because they were not lesbian, gay or bisexual. According to the Associated Press: "Their suit, filed Wednesday, says the action violates a 1993 amendment to the Minnesota Human Rights Act guaranteeing access to accommodations and businesses regardless of SEXUAL ORIENTATION." Reuters reported: "In a suit filed Wednesday in Hennepin County District Court the two said the club violated a 1993 amendment to the Minnesota Human Rights Act that guarantees access to accommodations and businesses regardless of SEXUAL PREFERENCE." In the same article, Reuters refers to "the gay lifestyle" -- which it tends to do more often than AP, as well. Like "innocent victims" or "homosexual crime," these phrases are nothing more than homophobic canards. Such words are used only by a bigot or, at best, a fool. Certainly there is nothing wrong with PREFERRING to be gay or CHOOSING to be a lesbian. But, as a practical media matter, "sexual preference" is meant to suggest that homosexuality is more of a vice than a virtue. This phrase panders to the rhetoric of homophobes, in which heterosexuality is seen as "the right choice" -- and those who choose otherwise get what they deserve. Inevitably, these notions of "preference" and "style" are used to imply that homosexuals are responsible for their own oppression -- since it is they who "choose" not to be straight. By this twisted logic, there is only one way for lesbians and gays to reject homophobia: accept heterosexuality. * * * * ACTION ALERT! Discourage Reuters' misguided style guidelines; encourage both Reuters and AP to include more lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender events in their daily historical highlights. Contact: Darrell L. Christian, Managing Editor, Associated Press, 50 Rockefeller Plaza, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10020-1666, tel. 212-621-1600, fax 212-621-7520, e-mail rgersh@ap.org; Reuters News Service, 199 Water Street, New York, NY 10038, fax 212-859-1717, e-mail webmaster@reuters.com, web-site http://www.reuters.com. [ Re/Sources: BOTH Reuters and AP could do more to include lesbian and gay history in their daily highlights; "The Alyson Almanac" (Boston: Alyson Publications) lists hundreds of events appropriate for the wire service timelines, such as -- * January 28, 1970 - Australia's organized lesbian movement begins with the founding of a Daughters of Bilitis chapter. * June 15, 1987 - The venerable "New York Times" first uses the word "gay" as an acceptable adjective. * August 29, 1867 - Karl Ulrichs is the first person in modern history to "come out," while speaking to a gathering of jurists in Munich. * September 1, 1969 - Paragraph 175, used by Hitler to send homosexuals to concentration camps, is dropped from the German penal code. * October 14, 1979 - An estimated 100,000 persons attend the first National March on Washington for Gay and Lesbian Rights, the largest civil rights gathering ever in the U.S. at the time. * December 11, 1975 - Football player David Kopay is the first major-league athlete to come out in the United States. The list could go on (and does). For more examples, consult: "People with a History -- An Online Guide to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans History" (e-mail halsall@bway.net, web site http://pwh.evansville.edu); maintained by Paul Halsall, this comprehensive resource "includes hundred of original texts, discussions, images, and addresses covering LGBT history in all periods, and in all regions of the world." ]. [4] J U S T S A Y N O , T O M I C H E L A N G E L O ? If a handful of parents in Indiana had their way, the schoolroom would be no place for Michelangelo. Walt Whitman could only be discussed only in Health class. And children would be saved from Cole Porter. Over the past few months, an educational poster depicting these and other historic figures has been attacked at Chesterton High School, in Duneland. English teacher Bonney Leckie first hung the "controversial" poster in 1991, but complaints filed this May prompted a familiar debate over the "promotion" of homosexuality. The poster was originally printed in 1988, by the Gay & Lesbian Community Action Council of Minneapolis, to commemorate National Coming Out Day (October 11). Simply designed, it features 10 black and white portraits -- of James Baldwin, Willa Cather, Errol Flynn, Michelangelo, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Cole Porter, Eleanor Roosevelt, Bessie Smith, Walt Whitman, and Virginia Woolf. Above the photos, a bold caption observes: "Unfortunately, history has set the record a little too straight." Below, a smaller caption simple reads: "Assume that all important contributions are made by heterosexuals, and you're not only thinking straight, but narrow. Sexual orientation has nothing to do with the ability to make a mark, let alone make history." Typically, the recent "poster panic" was sparked by complaints from one parent. Cathy Podguski petitioned her school district to remove this "homosexual propaganda," insisting that the poster lacked both educational and moral value. Podguski said she feared the poster would encourage "coming out." Eventually joined by other critics, Podguski argued that the poster was not relevant to the English curriculum. According to Jeannine Athens, a local reporter for the Indiana "Post Tribune," several parents insisted that "because of the subject matter, the poster should presented in a health class, under the human sexuality and AIDS guidelines set by the school." The poster contains no references, whatsoever, to health or disease. Five of the 10 historical photos do depict significant literary figures, however. In August, a nine-member committee rejected Podguski's complaint. The Duneland School Corporation's "Materials Reconsideration Committee" voted unanimously to let the poster hang, though Podguski could still appeal the ruling -- first to Duneland School Board and, ultimately, the Indiana Department of Education. In the meantime, Bonney Leckie will continue to display her poster. "It's all about tolerating people who are different," she said. * * * * ACTION ALERT! Support the use of fair and accurate educational media; ask school authorities to reject any appeal to censorship. Contact: All Members, Duneland School Corporation, 700 W Porter Avenue, Chesterton, IN 46304-2205, tel. 219-926-1104; Dr. Suellen Reed, Superintendent of Public Instruction, Department of Education, Room 229, State House, Indianapolis, IN 46204, tel. 317-232-0808, fax 317-233-6326, e-mail sreed@ideanet.doe.state.in.us, web site http://www.doe.state.in.us. [ Re/Sources: The P.E.R.S.O.N. Project web site provides news, alerts and other resources on lesbian/gay/bisexual curriculum reform and educational activism (http://www.youth.org/loco/PERSONProject/); another leading source is the National Education Association Gay and Lesbian Caucus (NEA-GLC, P.O. Box 3559, York, PA 17402-0559, e-mail co-chairs Jim Testerman, jtesterman@cyberia.com, and Bonnie Cullison, bullison@aol.com). Fundamentalist attacks on textbooks and other educational media are regularly monitored in "CultureWatch," a bibliographic publication of the DataCenter (e-mail culturewatch@datacenter.org); religiously "hot" topics like sex education and school prayer are also reported by the Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance (e-mail ocrt_qu@cgo.wave.ca). Local groups working for equity include "LGBT Fairness Indiana" (e-mail LGBTFAIR@aol.com). ]. [End - Part "A"] -------------------------------------------------------------------- ABOUT MEDIALERTS Distributed continuously since 1992 as a community press service, "MEDIAlert!" [TM] is a biweekly action and advocacy-oriented column of media criticism, 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 appreciated. Contact: MEDIAlert!, 163 Park Street, San Francisco, CA 94110-5835, voice-mail/fax 415-826-5203, e-mail MediAction@aol.com. -------------------------------------------------------------------- AUTHOR NOTES The editor of "Gay People, Sex and the Media" (New York: Haworth Press), Al Kielwasser's media criticism and research have appeared widely in both mainstream and academic publications; he was twice elected Chair of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation/San Francisco Bay Area.