From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 11:59:32 -0400

________________________________________________________ 
NEWS from the
Human Rights Campaign
1101 14th Street NW
Washington, DC 20005
email:  [email-masked]
<A HREF="http://www.hrc.org">
WWW:  http://www.hrc.org
</A>
________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Friday, Oct. 17, 1997 
       LARGEST NATIONAL GAY POLITICAL ORGANIZATION PRAISES VICE PRESIDENT   
                      GORE'S REMARKS ABOUT `ELLEN' SHOW
        Gore Demonstrated Insight About Power of Popular Culture to         
                      Influence Public Opinion, HRC Says
WASHINGTON -- The Human Rights Campaign, the largest national lesbian and 
gay political organization, praised Vice President Al Gore's remark about 
how the openly lesbian TV character Ellen Morgan has forced Americans "to 
look at sexual orientation in a more open light."       
        "Vice President Gore demonstrated sensitivity and insight about 
lesbian and gay Americans and how we are viewed within our culture," said 
Elizabeth Birch, HRC's executive director. "It is so important to our 
community to see ourselves reflected accurately in the popular media, and 
the `Ellen' show does this with wit and good humor. The vice president 
clearly understands the power of the popular media to influence public 
opinion for the good."
        In a speech Thursday to the Hollywood Radio and Television Society, 
Gore singled out  "Ellen"  for its valuable contribution to society, along 
with other such influential TV characters as Archie Bunker and Oscar the 
Grouch. Speaking about the character played by actress Ellen DeGeneres, 
Gore said, "when the character Ellen came out, millions of Americans were 
forced to look at sexual orientation in a more open light."
        "Television is a mirror of society and, unfortunately, for a very 
long time, gay people were either invisible or highly distorted," Birch 
added. "By singling out a positive gay character on a groundbreaking show, 
the vice president has himself helped to lead Americans to view our 
community with greater openness."
        The Human Rights Campaign plans to give a special civil rights 
award to DeGeneres at its first National Dinner on Nov. 8 in Washington. 
President Clinton will also speak at the dinner.
        The Human Rights Campaign is the largest national lesbian and gay 
political organization, with members throughout the country. It effectively 
lobbies Congress, provides campaign support and educates the public to 
ensure that lesbian and gay Americans can be open, honest and safe at home, 
at work and in the community.
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