Subject: ABC/ELLEN CONTACT INFO.
From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 10 Oct 1997 22:35:37 -0400 (EDT)

ABC/"ELLEN" CONTACT INFORMATION:

In the last "MEDIAlert!" (Oct. 6, 1997) the e-mail address for contacting ABC
Television Network was INCORRECTLY listed as "[email-masked]."  The
CORRECT address is:  [email-masked].  

For your reference and use, additional contact information for ABC (Los
Angeles and New York offices) and ABC's parent company, Walt Disney Inc., is
provided below.

The ABC Television Network carries "Ellen."

* * *  C o n t a c t s  * * *

1.  Jamie Tarses, Entertainment President, ABC Television Network, 2040
Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, CA 90067, tel. 310-557-7777, e-mail
[email-masked].  E-mail can also be sent from the ABC web site at
http://www.abc.com.

2.  American Broadcasting Company (ABC), 77 W. 66th. Street, New York, NY
10023, tel. 212-456-7777 or 456-1000, e-mail [email-masked] (Audience
Information Section -- New York).  E-mail can also be sent from the ABC web
site at http://www.abc.com/vvoice/faqr.html.

3.  Michael Eisner, Chair, and Dean Valentine, President of Network TV and
Television Animation, The Walt Disney Company, 500 South Buena Vista, Street,
Burbank CA 91521, fax 818.560.1930.  E-mail can be sent from the Disney web
site at http://www.disney.com/Mail.

4.  America Online (AOL) users can send e-mail to ABC, and/or post comments
and feedback for "Ellen," directly at Keyword:  ABC.

From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 7 Oct 1997 15:27:10 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: MEDIAlert! ["B"] - 10/6  (Queer MediaBRIEFS/WebWatch)

----------------------------------------------------------------------
INDEX:  "MEDIAlert!" - 10.6.97  [Part "B" ONLY]

"MEDIA/BRIEFS"

-ITEM 1:  "Historic First, And Last?" [Ellen DeGeneres; ABC].
-ITEM 2:  "Fight Fare" [MTV; Fight for the Right].
-ITEM 3:  "Sex Drive" [Hartford; Psychology of Homosexuality; Ellen].
-ITEM 4:  "Poster Mortem" [Weekend Australian; Dept. of Family Services].
-ITEM 5:  "Woman's Day" [National Young Women's Day of Action].
-ITEM 6:  "E-Medialert" [Queerstage-Digest].
-ITEM 7:  "Civil Rights" [ACLU; Writing Your Writes].
-ITEM 8:  "Shelf Help" [The Shared Heart].
-ITEM 9:  "Body of Evidence" [San Francisco State University].

"WEB WATCH"

-ITEM 10: "Reality Bites" [The Real News Page].
-ITEM 11: "Dignified Defense" [Dignity; The Defenders]/
-ITEM 12: "Speaking Out" [Shout!].
-ITEM 13: "Safety Net" [Malaysian Gay & Lesbian Club].

[Part "A" posted SEPARATELY].
----------------------------------------------------------------------

M   E   D   I   A  l   e   r   t   !
_____________________________

M  E  D  I  A  /   B   R   I   E   F   S

October 6, 1997       Al Kielwasser

[1]

***  HISTORIC FIRST, AND LAST? . . . .    This Fall, ABC's "Ellen" marked a
television milestone.  The first full season of this lesbian-led sitcom might
also be it's last, however.  Or so the star is hoping.

The Associated Press (Oct. 1) reports that series lead Ellen DeGeneres
"doesn't regret coming out of the closet, both in person and on her show.
 But she does have mixed feelings about coming back for what she hopes will
be the show's last season."  In the October 11 edition of "TV Guide,"
according to the AP, DeGeneres reveals:  "I never wanted to be the poster
child (for lesbianism).  I just can't be the gay girl all the time.  It's
only part of who I am.''

Nevertheless, DeGeneres also takes exception to her boss -- ABC entertainment
chief Jamie Tarses -- who earlier this year had indicated the show would take
only "baby steps" with regard to "Ellen's" evolving sexuality.  "It's like
they're saying, `OK, you're gay, and we're tolerating this," DeGeneres said,
"but don't show us how you really would be, don't kiss a girl on the lips.''

C o n t a c t :  Jaime Tarses, President, ABC Entertainment, 2040 Avenue of
the Stars, Los Angeles, CA 90067, tel. 310-557-7777, e-mail
[email-masked].

[2]

***  FIGHT FARE . . . .    "Fight for the Right" is MTV's "first ever
documentary miniseries," a three-part exploration of the struggles being
waged over the rights of youth -- "and how young adults around the country
are fighting back against policies that, as they see it, unfairly restrict
their lives."  With a diverse and inclusive range of material, the series
fairly covers such issues as censorship, sex education and anti-gay violence.

In the first episode -- "The Crackdown" (Oct. 12) -- MTV's Kurt Loder takes
"a historical overview of youth rights in America, from the child labor laws
of the '30s to today's town curfews and school drug testing."  Episode two --
"Express Yourself" (Oct. 19) -- examines "a young person's right to free
speech and free expression," from the school newspaper to the Internet.  The
third and last installment -- "Sexual Matters" (Oct. 26) -- covers youth and
sexuality.

For episode three, the MTV News crew goes to Des Moines, Iowa "to talk with
 three students who have fought to improve the sex education program in their
school and to Colorado where citizens argue (and vote) over how much control
parents have over what their children learn in school."  The program also
"tells the landmark story of a young man in Ashland, Wisconsin, a victim of
anti-gay violence who fought back through the courts and won an historic
victory."

"Fight For The Right" was produced by Wilson Van Law and Jessica Vitkus
Weeks.  MTV Networks is a unit of Viacom Inc., which also owns and operates
VH-1, Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite, and TV Land.

C o n t a c t :  MTV Networks, 1515 Broadway, New York, NY 10036, tel.
212-258-8712 or 212-258-8768, e-mail [email-masked], web-site
http://mtv.com; America Online users can also access the network at keyword
"MTV."

[3]

***  SEX DRIVE . . . .    The Hartford Financial Services Group has decided
that lesbian and gay couples "deserve a break" on their car insurance.
 "Married couples generally are responsible drivers, allowing them to enjoy
lower premiums," said Bruce Hale, a Hartford spokesperson.  "We now believe
domestic partners -- as well as widows, widowers or divorcees raising
children -- fall into this category."  According to Hale, his company's
definition of domestic partnerships will include opposite- or same-sex
relationships "between two people who are jointly responsible for their
living expenses and who expect to be long term."

Hartford's decision drives a hole through one of the lesser-known myths
promulgated by organized homophobes.  In his popular pamphlet "The Psychology
of Homosexuality," quack therapist Paul Cameron argues that lesbians and gays
are "about a  third more apt to report a traffic ticket or traffic
accidents."  According to Cameron, bad driving -- like venereal disease or
child molestation -- is yet another defect of the "gay lifestyle."

Hartford is currently under Right Wing attack for "promoting" homosexuality
not only on the highways, but the airwaves as well.  The company was one of
several sponsors for a recent (Oct. 1) episode of ABC's lesbian-themed
sitcom, "Ellen."

C o n t a c t :  Bruce Hale, Director of Diversity Marketing, The Hartford,
Hartford Plaza, Hartford, CT 06115, e-mail [email-masked], web-site
http://www.itthartford.com.

[4]

***  POSTER MORTEM . . . .    Yet another case of "poster paranoia" has
broken out, this time in Australia.  According to the "Weekend Australian"
newspaper, an "anti-suicide poster campaign," urging young gay and lesbian
people to be comfortable with their sexuality, has been banned by government
officials.  Family Services Minister Judi Moylan declared:  "I think (the
poster) has leant a little but too much towards the promoting of a gay and
lesbian lifestyle....  My job as minister is to ensure the funds for this
campaign are used in a way that has wide community acceptance."

Intended for publication in youth magazines, the poster campaign was
originally conceived by the West Australian AIDS Council and the West
Australian Gay and Lesbian Counseling Service, utilizing a $200,000
government grant.  Criticizing Moylan's decision, a spokesperson for the
Council on Lesbian and Gay Rights said:  "She is placing at risk more lives
because of her incompetence and her prejudice.  We can only hope that the
campaign will not be sanitized to the point where it is so bland... that it's
a complete waste of money."

C o n t a c t :  Department of Health and Family Services, GPO Box 9848,
Canberra City ACT 2601, Australia, tel. 1-800-020-103, fax 02-6281-6946,
e-mail [email-masked] (or [email-masked]), web-site
http://www.health.gov.au.

[5]

***  WOMAN'S DAY . . . .    Women Leaders Online (WLO) reports that October
23 is "The National Young Women's Day of Action, " a grassroots campaign
organized by and for young women -- "to raise their voices, build alliances,
and animate a broad reproductive rights agenda that sees reproductive and
sexual freedom in the context of larger goals:  racial justice, economic
justice, an end to punitive immigration and welfare policies, the right to
exist as queers and transgendered people, accessible healthcare, freedom from
violence, and quality education."

"On this day, young women across the country will take action and speak out
on the issues that affect their lives," according to WLO.  "All of the
actions are united by local and national press, visuals, stickers, and
organizational support."  Ultimately, coordinators of the day's events hope
they "will serve as catalysts for long-term activism and movement building."

C o n t a c t :  For a packet with information on how to organize "Day of
Action" events locally, contact NYWDA Coordinator, Civil Liberties and Public
Policy Program, Hampshire College, Amherst, MA 01002, tel. 413-582-5645,
e-mail [email-masked], web-site http://hamp.hampshire.edu/~clpp/.
 Contact Women Leaders Online at P.O. Box 11019, Washington, DC 20008, tel.
202-861-4730, fax 202-364-3018, e-mail [email-masked], web-site http://wlo.org. 

[6]

***  E-MEDIALERT . . . .    "To share/create discourse on their work, and to
create an information exchange concerning performers," an e-mail list service
has been created for "Gay (& friendly), lesbian, bisexual, transgender
performers, writers, film/video makers etc. in Australia & beyond."  To
subscribe to "Queerstage-Digest," send e-mail to:  [email-masked]
(with "subscribe queerstage-digest" in the body of the message).  Direct any
questions to the list owner (e-mail, [email-masked]).

[7]

***  CIVIL WRITES . . . .    The  ACLU's 7th annual student journalism
conference -- "Writing Your Writes" -- takes place on October 21, at the
University of California, Berkeley.  This day-long event will cover a wide
range of issues -- practical, ethical and legal.  According to coordinator
Nancy Otto, the conference encourages youth to know (and defend) their First
Amendment rights when -- for example -- "the principal is pressuring the
journalism advisor for 'nicer' stories" or "a parent is complaining about an
article on lesbian and gay visibility."

"Writing Your Writes" is free and open to all high school students.  Seating
is limited, however, so early reservations are encouraged.

C o n t a c t :  Nancy Otto, American Civil Liberties Union of Northern
California, 1663 Mission St., Suite 460, San Francisco, CA 94103, tel.
415-621-2006 (ext. 37), e-mail [email-masked].

[8]

***  SHELF HELP . . . .    This month, William Morrow & Co. publishes "The
Shared Heart:  Portraits and Stories Celebrating Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual
Young People."  According to promoters:  "The book, and the traveling exhibit
that inspired it, feature compelling photographs of lesbian, gay and bisexual
youths and powerful first-person accounts about the challenges of growing up
gay.  The goal of 'The Shared Heart' is to let gay young people know they are
not alone, and to better educate teachers, parents and fellow students about
the issues present for those growing up lesbian or gay."

C o n t a c t :  For more information about the book and related events,
contact Brian Callaghan, The IDPR Group, 596 Tremont St., Boston, MA 02118,
tel 617-437-8493, e-mail [email-masked]; William Morrow & Co., New York,
NY, web-site http://www.williammorrow.com.

[9]

***  BODY OF EVIDENCE . . . .    Dr. Michelle Wolf -- a researcher at San
Francisco State University -- is seeking lesbian and bisexual women (age 45
or over) to volunteer for a study of "body image and mass media."  "Anecdotal
evidence suggests that everything from low self-esteem to anorexia might be
linked to the film and television images we consume," says Wolf.  "But we
actually know very little about how these or other media effects play out in
the lives of real women, especially women of diverse sexual orientations."

To facilitate a survey of their personal experience and perceptions,
volunteers will attend a two-hour "focus group" meeting -- scheduled at THEIR
convenience.  When published, a copy of the final report will be sent to each
of the participants.

C o n t a c t :  For more information (or to volunteer), contact Michelle A.
Wolf, Department of Broadcasting and Electronic Communication Arts, San
Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave., San Francisco, CA 94132, tel.
415-338-1334, e-mail [email-masked].

W   E   B    W   A   T   C   H
________________________

[10]

**  REALITY BITES . . . .    "The Real News Page" is an online web site that
"critiques the media, promotes media activism, and calls for media reform."
 This multi-service resource is the work of Jane Wardlow Prettyman, a former
editor at "Esquire" magazine.  In addition to useful guides and links, the
site also features Prettyman's own essays -- including her take on "The Ellen
Affect," in which Prettyman writes:  "Although to all my friends and family
I've been out as a gay woman most of my life (now 52), I take this occasion
to come out globally on 'TRNP.'  I come out proudly as a tribute to Ellen
DeGeneres who has generated so much goodwill that here I am, having butted my
head against Big Media for years, ready to cry if ABC doesn't renew 'Ellen'
next fall.  Blame it on the Ellen Affect."
[http://www.rain.org/~openmind/realnews.htm].

[11]

**  DIGNIFIED DEFENSE . . . .    Dignity -- a national association of gay,
lesbian and bisexual Catholics) has launched "The Defenders" -- a special
outreach program for congregations of Leather.  "Our mission is to witness
for the wholeness and sanctity of our own love and sexuality within the
Church and also to explore issues of integrating sexuality and spirituality
within the Leather/Levi community," says a spokesperson for the San Francisco
chapter of the project.  "We are, in effect, a Catholic leather club,
although a number of our members are not Catholic."  The Defenders currently
maintain seven chapters throughout the United States, in addition to a
presence on the World Wide Web [http://www.blackiris.com/~defenders/].

[12]

**  SPEAKING OUT . . . .    "Shout!" is touted as "the newest gay
entertainment and leisure monthly to hit the southeast and mid-Atlantic."
 The new 'zine features "interviews from local and national entertainers,
book and video reviews, club reviews, contest and pageant coverage, current
community events, classifieds and personals."  "Shout!" is distributed at
"gay/gay-friendly businesses" in several Eastern states, and a web page has
been set up for browsers who want "to find out more, or how to get a copy
[http://members.aol.com/shoutzine].

[13]

**  SAFETY NET. . . .    Locally or nationally, the Malaysian Gay and Lesbian
Club (MGLC) is dedicated to "providing a safe and friendly environment for
Malaysian gays, lesbians and transgenders."  Through the Internet, that
mission extends to safe and friendly cyberspace, at the MGLC home page
[http://www.best.com/~aloha/mglc/].

[end]
--------------------------------------------------------------------

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 always appreciated.  Contact:  MEDIAlert!,
163 Park Street, San Francisco, CA 94110-5835, voice-mail/fax 415-826-5203,
e-mail [email-masked].
--------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

________________________________________

Shape the forces that shape our society . . .
Challenge homophobia in and through the media!
________________________________________