Date: Wed, 9 Jul 1997 14:54:18 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: LESBIAN AND GAY FAMILIES CONDEMN EXCLUSION BY MCDONALD'S PRESS CONFERENCE TO BE HELD BENEATH GOLDEN ARCHES MEDIA ADVISORY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JULY 9, 1997 Media Contacts: Jeannie Dewey, Valuable Families, (413) 367-9432, E-mail: jdewey@crocker.com Liz Tracey, GLAAD, (212)807-1700, Pager: (800) 946-4646 pin #1423527, E-Mail: tracey@glaad.org LESBIAN AND GAY FAMILIES CONDEMN EXCLUSION BY MCDONALD'S PRESS CONFERENCE TO BE HELD BENEATH GOLDEN ARCHES WHAT: Valuable Families, an organization of lesbian, gay, and bisexual parents, their children and friends will hold a news conference expressing outrage at a Northampton,Massachusetts McDonald's franchise for discriminating against their organization by withdrawing an offer to participate in a community fundraising program, "Food,Folks, and Fundraising". The franchise told the group that the decision to withdraw the offer had been made at McDonald's corporate headquarters. WHO: Several national organizations, including Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), and Gay and Lesbian Parents Coalition International (GLPCI) will be joining Valuable Families at the press conference to support their efforts. WHEN: TOMORROW, THURSDAY, JULY 10 AT 4:00 P.M. WHERE: In front of the McDonald's on 221 King Street in Northampton, MA. WHY: Valuable Families Board Member Jeannie Dewey stated, "We are valuable families. My children deserve the same support from McDonald's as any other child in this country. By rejecting our children's participation in an event of this kind, McDonald's has made it clear that our families are not equally welcome in their restaurants. There are many valuable families in this country and a lot for children for whom a Happy Meal is now a very sad thing indeed." -30- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) glaad@glaad.org TO REPORT DEFAMATION IN THE MEDIA - Call GLAAD's Alertline at 1.800.GAY.MEDIA or go to the GLAAD Web Site at www.glaad.org and report through our Alertline Online. TO JOIN GLAAD AND RECEIVE GLAAD's DISPATCH AND QUARTERLY IMAGES MAGAZINE, call 1.800.GAY.MEDIA or join on the Web today at www.glaad.org/glaad/join/join-about.html TO SUBSCRIBE TO GLAAD-Net, GLAAD's electronic mailing list, send e-mail to majordomo@vector.casti.com with the message "Subscribe GLAAD-Net" TO UNSUBSCRIBE, send e-mail to majordomo@vector.casti.com with the message "Unsubscribe GLAAD-Net" GLAAD is the nation's lesbian and gay news bureau and the only national lesbian and gay multimedia watchdog organization. GLAAD promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation as a means of challenging discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are registered trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc.