Date: Wed, 29 Oct 1997 15:07:21 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: ABC EDITS TONIGHT'S BROADCAST OF ELLEN NATION'S LESBIAN & GAY MEDIA WATCHDOG ORGANIZATION DENOUNCES CONTINUING DOUBLE STANDARD MEDIA RELEASE For Immediate Release Contact: Liz Tracey, (212) 807 1700 x 14 Pgr. # (800) 946 4646 pin# 1423527 ABC EDITS TONIGHT'S BROADCAST OF ELLEN NATION'S LESBIAN & GAY MEDIA WATCHDOG ORGANIZATION DENOUNCES CONTINUING DOUBLE STANDARD NEW YORK, OCTOBER 29, 1997-The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) today expressed its continuing dismay at the latest ABC action against Ellen, in which the network edited a line of dialogue out of tonight's episode after the show had been taped approximately a month ago. The episode, in which Ellen goes on a date with a woman, will also carry the controversial parental advisory, which has been the subject of debate since its appearance three weeks ago. When the parental advisory first appeared, Ellen DeGeneres, GLAAD and others condemned the warning as a double standard, maintaining that similar displays of same-sex affection on other television shows (Laverne & Shirley, Spin City and Relativity), let alone vastly more explicit ones between heterosexual couples, have not warranted a special pre-show advisory. On the most recent episode of Ellen, the parental warning was removed. "This latest move by ABC is more confounding than before," said Chastity Bono, GLAAD Entertainment Media Director. "We thought this issue was settled. While ABC is obviously commited to groundbreaking television by airing Ellen, it then undermines that very same commitment by first applying arbitrary warnings to the show, and then cutting dialogue that is standard sitcom fare, in the tradition of Seinfeld and Friends. This decision sets a dangerous precedent that shouldn't be allowed to pass unnoticed." The episode, which has been comically promoted by Ellen DeGeneres herself as "Ellen Kisses A Girl and Makes the Network Very Nervous," deals with Ellen's first date. During a conversation at a loud disco, Ellen tries to explain that she remembered it as a quiet bar. Her date can't hear her over the music. Ellen says "I want to take you like a wild animal,"thinking that her date can't hear her. The line excised from the episode was in response to this, when the pair reaches a quieter bar. Her date says, "I thought you wanted to take me like a wild animal." "This latest move by ABC sends the wrong message to Americans about lesbians and gay men," said Joan M. Garry, GLAAD Executive Director. "Young people, especially those who are struggling with their sexual identity, are being told that dating and affection between members of the same sex is somehow akin to graphic sex, guns and gore, and so require extreme warning labels and special circumstances. In the past ABC has shown coverage and backbone for supporting Ellen. Now, it's time to follow through on commitment to fairness and drop the double standard. Ellen is a show all of America, including ABC, can be proud of." GLAAD is a national organization that promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation in the media as a means of challenging discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. -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 a national organization that 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.