From: MediAction@aol.com Date: Thu, 6 Nov 1997 17:37:50 -0500 (EST) Subject: MEDIAlert! ["A"] - 11-6-97 (Ellen/ABC; ACLU/BESS) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- INDEX: "MEDIAlert!" - 11.06.97 [Part "A" ONLY] -ITEM 1: "Kiss and Television" [ABC; Ellen DeGeneres; TV-14/TV-PG; Drew Carey Show; Traditional Values Coalition; Media Research Center; Entertainment Weekly, TV Guide; Eight Bullets]. -ITEM 2: "Blocking the Blockers" [ACLU; BESS; Kern County; N2H2]. -ITEM 3: "Hate Mail" [San Francisco Chronicle; Capitol Resource Institute; American Family Association; R.A.M.P.; Focus on the Family; Probe Ministries]. Part "B" ["Media/Briefs" and "Web Watch"] posted SEPARATELY. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- M E D I A l e r t ! ____________________________ November 6, 1997 Al Kielwasser [1] K I S S A N D T E L E V I S I O N A promotional spot -- aired during "Monday Night Football" -- recently satirized certain tensions building around the ABC's hit sitcom, "Ellen." The ad specifically promoted October 29th's episode and featured the leading lesbian herself, who says: "Hi, I'm Ellen DeGeneres. I can't tell you the plot of this week's show, but it's titled 'Ellen Kisses a Girl and Upsets the Network.'" During the episode in question, "Ellen" did indeed "kiss a girl" -- and, apparently, she "upset" the network as well. At least, ABC felt it necessary to (once again) precede the show with a special warning: "Due to adult content, parental discretion is advised." The same warning label was attached to an October 8th episode of "Ellen," which also featured a same-sex kiss. According to reports by the Associated Press (Oct. 28), ABC has simply "repeated its position that the advisory signaling 'adult content' is intended as help to parents and is not discriminatory." This warning label is NOT tagged onto other ABC sitcoms, however, which feature far more "adult content" -- all of it decidedly HETEROSEXUAL. Moreover, EVERY lesbian-themed episode of "Ellen" continues to carry a "TV-14" rating; other ABC sitcoms are rated with the less-restrictive "TV-PG." On the same night as "Ellen's" most-recent kiss, for instance, an episode of ABC's "Drew Carey Show" featured ample heterosexual hijinks -- from dating and kissing, to leering and groping. The typical plot also included images of straight men drinking themselves into alcoholic oblivion -- which apparently IS a suitable model for young viewers, since this broadcast prompted no special "parental advisory" from the network. Unfortunately, most television critics are either blind or indifferent to ABC's double-standard. For example, "TV Guide's" Mark Schwed believes that the warning labels reserved for "Ellen" are "a good thing." The network is merely fulfilling its duty to "enforce standards," according to Schwed, and opponents of this labeling practice (including DeGeneres herself) are "stomping their feet over the wrong issue." In an op-ed for the "Los Angeles Times" (Oct. 25), Sue Perez of the Traditional Values Coalition agrees that: "The warnings placed before the show area step in the right direction." Ideally, however, "Ellen" should be canceled and -- Perez insists -- "ABC should replace it with a more traditional family-type show." Even media critics who unequivocally LIKE "Ellen" have taken -- at best -- an ambivalent stand in the warning label debate. In a recent issue of "Entertainment Weekly" (Oct. 24), for example, Ken Tucker begins his review on a positive note: "It's often said that you can't be funny if you're also trying to promote a social or political agenda.... But 'Ellen,' now in its fifth season, keeps getting funnier, even as its star conducts the most relentless gay-empowerment campaign prime time has ever seen." With regard to the labeling controversy, Tucker even admits that "casual straight-world bed hoping on TV is so common, DeGeneres must feel as if she's actually been a poster child for comparative restraint." However, he then goes on to argue that ABC's labeling policy is NOT a case of "blatant discrimination" -- as DeGeneres herself has charged. She needs to understand the "discomfort that ABC believes its viewers may be experiencing," Tucker says. In her "righteous passion" about warning labels, he argues, DeGeneres fails to acknowledge "that the last thing an intrinsically conservative entity like a TV network wants is uncomfortable consumers -- or advertisers." "I'm not saying DeGeneres shouldn't do what she is doing," Tucker dismissively concludes. "But her protests seem a little beside the point." In effect, Tucker suggests, homosexuals should accommodate the needs of homophobes. He fails to recognize that the "discomforts" of bigotry are wholly caused by bigots themselves. On this point, mainstream media pundits have joined with right wing bigots in accusing uppity queers of demanding too much -- and going too far. Lesbians and gays who object to warning labels are attempting to "force" homosexuality on unsuspecting audiences. The conservative Media Research Center, for instance, has issued a special "CyberAlert" (Nov. 5) condemning "TV's liberal advocacy" in general, and "Ellen" in particular. The MRC complains that, "since the 'coming out' episode last season, star Ellen DeGeneres has gone beyond pushing tolerance or acceptance of an actively gay main character.... to use her show to push liberal gay rights activism." As evidence of such "pushiness," the MRC cites an episode of "Ellen" in which (gasp!) the "gay yellow pages" are touted. Among prime-time TV shows, of course, "Ellen" alone is singled out for such criticism. "Boy Meets World" and "Home Improvement" are not faulted for "pushing heterosexuality" upon the nation. The "Drew Carey Show" is not accused of forcing audiences to "tolerate" straight white men. It is particularly troubling that -- along with ABC -- even "fair minded" critics target same-sex KISSING as a cause for "discretion." The most modest displays of affection, which heterosexuals take for granted, too often lead to harm and harassment for lesbians and gay men. In her autobiographical book "Eight Bullets," Claudia Brenner recounts a crime that suggests the chilling connection between on-screen hypocrisy and real-life hate. Brenner was SHOT -- and her lover was KILLED -- simply for kissing in public. **** ACTION ALERT! Insist that ABC cease attaching homophobic and hypocritical "parental advisories" to lesbian or gay scenes of affection. Contact: Jamie Tarses, Entertainment President, ABC, 2040 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, CA 90037, tel. 310-557-7777 (Audience Information Line), fax 310-557-7679, e-mail abcaudr@ccabc.com, web-site http://www.abc.com. Copy your correspondence to Ellen DeGeneres, c/o Arthur Imparato, 1122 S. Roxbury, Los Angeles, CA 90035. Also -- send critical feedback to the critics (and their employers). Contact: Mark Schwed, L.A. Bureau Staff, and Jack Curry, Managing Editor, "TV Guide," 1211 Avenue of the Americas, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10036-8701, fax 212-852-7470, web-site http://www.tvguide.com; Ken Tucker, Critic-at-Large, and James W. Seymore, Managing Editor, "Entertainment Weekly," 1675 Broadway, New York, NY 10019, e-mail letters@ew.com, web-site http://www.ew.com. To monitor homophobic activities of the TVC or MRC, contact: Media Research Center, 113 S West Street, 2nd Floor, Alexandria, VA 22314, tel. 703-683-9733, e-mail mrc@mediaresearch.org (or MediaResearchCenter@compuserve.com, web-site http://www.mrc.org/; Traditional Values Coalition, e-mail webmaster@traditionalvalues.org, web-site http://www.traditionalvalues.org. [ RE/SOURCES: Claudia Brenner's book, "Eight Bullets -- One Women's Story of Surviving Anti-Gay Violence," was published in 1995. ]. [2] B L O C K I N G T H E B L O C K E R S The ACLU is preparing to battle another cyber-censorship case, focused in Kern County, California. Last year, the county's Board of Supervisors passed legislation mandating the use of blocking software at all public libraries. According to ACLU attorney Ann Beeson, the law is "preventing adults and minors from accessing a wide variety of valuable information through the Internet." In response to the new legislation, Kern County libraries installed a blocking program known as "BESS" on every Internet access terminal. This program is running on terminals used by adults as well as children, though the law only requires that blocking software remain active whenever "a minor is present." According to Beeson, "the ACLU conducted research on BESS and determined that the program blocks access to a wide variety of sites that contain valuable information for minors as well as adults." "BESS blocks access to AIDS and HIV-related speech, safer sex information, art sites with classic nudes, gay and lesbian issues and literature, graphic human rights reports, information about fighting hate groups online, and information about female genital mutilation," she said. "We believe the mandatory use of BESS in the library violates the First Amendment rights of library patrons and Internet speakers who wish to communicate constitutionally protected information." "BESS" is produced by the N2H2 company. The ACLU is currently seeking potential plaintiffs for the case. **** ACTION ALERT! Encourage the manufacturer of "BESS" to adopt and promote non-heterosexist, anti-homophobic filtering policies and procedures -- WHEREVER the software is used; contact Peter Nickerson, Chief Executive Officer, and Kerri Karvetski, Public Relations Director, N2H2 Inc., 1301 5th Avenue, Suite 1501, Seattle, WA 98101, tel. 206-971-1400 (or 800-971-2622), fax 206-971-1460, e-mail pr@n2h2.com (or info@2h2.com), web-site http://www.n2h2.com/. Also -- let Kern County officials know "the world is watching" (and that it is no longer permissible for local governments to abuse the rights of lesbian and gay youth in a vacuum); send letters-to-the-editors of these regional newspapers: Editor, "Village News," 3706 Elm Street, Bakersfield, CA 93301-1515, tel. 805-323-8892, e-mail sofiea@villagenews.com, web-site http://www.villagenews.com; Letters, "Bakersfield Californian," P.O. Box 440, Bakersfield, CA 93302-0440, fax 805-395-7380, e-mail opinion@bakersfield.com web-site http://www.bakersfield.com (letters should be under 250 words, must be signed by one person, and include a home address and phone number). You might also remind the county's corporate leaders that homophobia is bad (for) business; contact the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce, 1033 Truxtun Ave., P.O. Box 1947, Bakersfield, CA 93303, tel. 805-327-4421, fax 805-327-8751, e-mail owilde@kern.com, web-site http://www.bbol.org. [ RE/SOURCES: For more information on the ACLU's case, contact Ann Beeson, Staff Attorney, ACLU National Legal Department, 125 Broad Street, New York, NY 10004, tel. 212-549-2601, fax 212-549-2651, e-mail beeson@aclu.org. ]. [3] H A T E M A I L An article in the "San Francisco Chronicle" (Oct. 5) provides a (literally) exceptional report on the propaganda that sustains organized homophobia -- a subject few mainstream news outlets cover well, or at all. In his investigation of the Captiol Resource Institute (a California based anti-gay lobby), reporter Robert Gunnison exposes the demented rhetoric that all such hate groups share -- and circulate -- through their "news" releases, action alerts, and (especially) fundraising letters. "In the world of the Capitol Resource Institute, there is no Ellen DeGeneres or [lesbian politicians like] Carole Migden," Gunnison notes. "It is a world of absolutes, where human faces are not allowed." He further reports that, in a recent press release, the CRI "trumpeted" the defeat of "gay agenda bills" in this year's legislative session. As evidence, he cites a recent CRI press release, which "trumpets" the defeat of various "gay agenda bills" in this year's legislative session. According to Gunnison, this particular press release: "used the words 'gay agenda' 11 times on one page. It was a 'tidal wave' of 18 'gay agenda' bills that lawmakers debated. The bills were 'outrageous' and 'dangerous' and, of course, 'radical.' 'The gay agenda is not the people's agenda,' said the group's executive director, Randy Thomasson." In order to gain support (and donor dollars), CRI's homophobic message ultimately plays to paranoia -- insisting that the "gay agenda'' is all-threatening and pervasive. For example, Gunnison reports, a CRI handout titled "Responses to the Gay Rights Agenda" argues that: "Homosexuals are among the most advantaged people in our country. There are members of Congress, judges, CEOs, entertainers and persons of high influence.... Research by marketing firms shows that, as a group, homosexuals have higher-than-average per capita annual incomes.... and are more likely to be overseas and frequent fliers.'' "Oh no," Gunnison quips, "not frequent fliers too!" Significantly, he also points out: "CRI never says what the other percentage represents. But that is of little import. The argument is the important thing, even if has curious parallels with anti-Semitism." "And it is essential that no face appear," Gunnison concludes. "To see a Migden in the Assembly, presiding over the Appropriations Committee, or a DeGeneres on television, might make it all too human. It is easier to hate an abstraction." Though Gunnison focuses on the CRI, there is certainly no shortage of homophobic groups whose rhetoric warrants (and yet escapes) a comparable scrutiny. Recently, for example, one organization alone -- the American Family Association -- boasted of distributing over 750,000 reports entitled "Why American Families Should Boycott Disney." The AFA also sent a special "Boycott Disney Packet" to 170,000 church groups on its mailing list, shipped 10 anti-Disney/anti-gay public service announcements to 1,100 "Christian radio stations," and even produced a video -- "The Disney Boycott: A Just Cause" -- intended for distribution to "over 100 Christian TV stations" and "approximately 30,000 local Southern Baptist churches." While coverage the Disney boycott has been fairly extensive, almost none of this reporting includes a look at the AFA's revenue-generating "internal" propaganda. The voluminous hate media produced by other homophobic groups, in response to just this one issue, has been similarly ignored by the mainstream press. As noted, such oversight is all too common. Journalists seem disinterested in closely examining the flood of fundraising letters, action alerts and other "hate mail" that pours daily from organized homophobes. This is inexcusable, but not simply because there is SO MUCH of the stuff. These "hidden" media reveal an agenda that professional homophobes otherwise DENY (with impunity) in their more-mainstream appearances -- a promotion of hate and ignorance, in the service of greed. For too long, homosexuals have been required to "defend" themselves. Isn't it time that homophobes were seriously asked to do the same? **** ACTION ALERT! Encourage the press to accurately monitor the media distributed by homophobic groups; add your name (or your dog's) to various Right Wing mailing lists, and forward anything worthy of attention to local or national news outlets. These prolific hate groups are a good place to start: - American Family Association, P. O. Drawer 2440, Tupelo, MS 38803, tel. 601-844-5036, web-site http://www.afa.net (AFA is a large, well-financed media watchdog group, dedicated to "promoting the Biblical ethic of decency in American society with primary emphasis on TV and other media"). - Focus on the Family, 8605 Explorer Dr., Colorado Springs, CO 80920-1051, tel. 719-531-5181 or 800-A-FAMILY, web-site http://www.fotf.org (headed by the arch-homophobe "Dr." James Dobson, FOTF was founded in 1977 as "a ministry based on mass communication"). - Probe Ministries, 1900 Firman Drive, Suite 100, Richardson, TX 75081, tel. 972-480-0240 or 800-899-PROB, fax 972-644-9664, e-mail probe@compuserve.com, web-site http://www.probe.org (Probe is a self-described "non-profit corporation whose mission is to reclaim the primacy of Christian thought and values in Western culture through media, education, and literature"). - Restore America's Moral Pride, 1304 SW 160th Avenue, Suite 122, Weston, FL 33326, tel. 954-349-0366, fax 954-349-0361, web-site http://www.probe.org (for easy "printing and distribution," the R.A.M.P. web-site includes a flyer headlined "Remove the Homosexual Agenda and Save America's Children!!!"). [ RE/SOURCES: Robert B. Gunnison is a Sacramento Bureau reporter for the "San Francisco Chronicle," 901 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103-2988, fax 415-512-8196, e-mail chronletters@sfgate.com, web-site http://www.sfgate.com. ]. [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 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 popular 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." ________________________________________ ============================================== From: MediAction@aol.com Date: Thu, 6 Nov 1997 21:24:57 -0500 (EST) Subject: URL correction for "MEDIAlert!" 11.06.97 Oops... Please note the following CORRECTION to "MEDIAlert! [A] 11.06.97." In Item 3: The URL for R.A.M.P. is incorrectly listed as http://www.probe.org. The correct URL is http://www.gocin.com/ramp/index.html.