From: JimFour@aol.com
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 14:12:00 EST
Subject: 2 Practical tools to use in fighting the bigotry of Dr. Laura .

Dear Friend:

The battle to fight the bigotry of Dr. Laura picks up steam as Paramount 
Televison continues to sell the syndicated TV talk show despite an 18 month 
campaign by GLAAD to protest Dr. Laura's special form of covert hate 
language. 

Enclosed are two practical tools that you can use to make yourself heard in 
this fight against bigotry and bias. You will find the contact information 
for  Paramount Executives and an informative media column from the Detroit 
Free Press. This is a particularly useful tool to educate friends and family 
in a public discourse that has FOX Cable NEWS defending Dr Laura against what 
they call GLAAD's attempt to censor Dr. Laura's free speech. Hope you find it 
as useful as I do.

1: The names and addresses of Paramount Executives who are in positions of 
power and therefore responsible for greenlighting the production of and the 
syndication of a TV chat show featuring radio personality Ms. Laura 
Schlessinger aka Dr. Laura (her Ph.D. is NOT in psychology or medicine) 

Michelle Hunt
Media Relations
Paramount Television Group
5555 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90038-3197
michelle_hunt@paramount.com

Frank Kelly 
President 
Paramount Televison Group 
5555 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90038-3197
Frank_Kelly@paramount.com

2: Here is a copy of a column written by  therapist Joe Kort  and published 
in the Detroit Free Press 9/24/99. I find it usefull when talking to my 
family and non-gay/lesbian people.  You may also find it useful. May I 
suggest if you do use it you expand his use of the word gay to include 
lesbian. FYI: Joe Kort is Adjunct Professor at Wayne State University for 
Sexual Orientation Class in the School of Social Work. Joe Kort is certified 
with the State of Michigan as a Social Worker. He has both a master's degree 
in Social Work (MSW) and in Psychology (MA). He has been in clinical practice 
since 1985. 

DR. LAURA AND GAYS 
SHE RELIES ON FALSEHOODS, MYTHS 
AN OPINIONATED TALK SHOW HOST TOUCHES OFF A 
HEATED CONTROVERSY 
Published the Detroit Free Press 
09/24/1999 
MEMO: OTHER VOICES 
BY JOE KORT 

IF MY MOTHER were to call into Dr. Laura Schlessinger's radio show, my mother 
would say: "Hello, Dr. Laura, I am my gay kid's mom." 

Dr. Laura first would tell my mother that her son's sexuality is a result of 
a "biological mistake" This is her belief and opinion. There is no scientific 
evidence to support it. 

Then Dr. Laura would correct my mother by telling her that I am "homosexual, 
not gay." Dr. Laura has said that changing the term "changes how we perceive 
it, and how we can behave toward it." 

She is right about that. As a community, we do want to be called gay, not 
homosexual. We want to remove "sex" from the discussion so people can see who 
we really are - no more sexual than our heterosexual counter parts. (I prefer 
to speak of "romantic orientation," whether gay or straight.) 

Dr. Laura also would tell my mother that "homosexuality is no more than a 
deviant sexual behavior and not normal, and thus should be called what it is 
. . . sexual deviancy." 

She would make it clear to my mother that her son and other gays are not 
entitled to equal rights such as marriage or adopting newborns "because of 
their sexually deviant behavior, just like bestiality, pedophilia and 
sadomasochism." 

If my mother were to talk about my relationship with my partner of six years, 
Dr. Laura would correct my mother and call him my "sex partner." As she has 
said before on her show and in her writings, Dr. Laura would tell my mother 
that it is a "sadness for men to have to have sex with men." She would tell 
my mother about "therapies that help a reasonable number of people 
successfully become heterosexual." 

The American Psychological Association has stated that to suppress one's 
sexual orientation contributes to depression. In 1973, the association 
removed homosexuality as a disorder from its diagnostic lists. 

Dr. Laura would tell my mother that decision was "about politics, not 
science." 

I do not think that physical love between two consenting adults is a 
"sadness." Media-driven ministries such as Dr. Laura's radio show and others 
are stuck in old-school themes, which have been devalued and disproved by 
more recent research. 

People such as Dr. Laura and others with media-driven ministries are using 
shock value and exaggeration. She does not do her homework and feeds 
one-sided and erroneous information for her own agenda and, of course, 
ratings. Protests are essential. 

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation has sent an alert to members 
about Dr. Laura's on-air remarks out of concern that she is promoting 
intolerance and non-acceptance of gay Americans. When people view another 
person's sexuality as the result of "biological mistakes" and "developmental 
errors," they will be less likely to treat that person with  respect. 

That is why it is great to see positive gay role models on television. After 
years of being invisible, or the source of jokes, we are now seen as everyday 
people. 
(c) Joe Kort,1999

====

Thanks for being a part of our struggle for equality and equal protection 
under the law.

Please feel free to FORWARD  this information to any one you like

jim fouratt