Date: Fri, 28 Feb 1997 09:09:42 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAAD BEGINS SEARCH FOR PERMANENT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TRANSITION INTO NATIONAL ORGANIZATION IS COMPLETE MEDIA RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: GLAAD Search Committee: Dean Hansell, (213) 955-7331 C. Howard Buford, (212) 696-5000 x21 Meg Moritz, (303) 492-1610 GLAAD BEGINS SEARCH FOR PERMANENT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR TRANSITION INTO NATIONAL ORGANIZATION IS COMPLETE LOS ANGELES, FEB. 25, 1997-The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) announced today that the organization will begin a search to locate and hire a permanent Executive Director. The multimedia watchdog group says its two-year transition to a unified national presence has been completed ahead of schedule and is eager to install a chief executive by July, 1997. "This is the next logical step in our phased growth plan to unify GLAAD," said New York board co-chair Peggy Brady. "Now, GLAAD is an effective, high-profile national organization with the need to attract a permanent Executive Director," she said. GLAAD was composed of several independent city-based organizations until 1995, when the New York and Los Angeles Boards of Directors voted to merge. "We now have a national focus working through our local offices," Brady said. "GLAAD is honored by the commitment and tenacity the staff brought to this process," said David Huebner, board co-chair from Los Angeles. Other chapters have since merged with the national organization, with both Washington, DC and San Francisco as the first chapters to convert to fully staffed Media Resource Centers. Also under the chapter integration plan, both Kansas City and Atlanta are scheduled to join the national effort in 1997. GLAAD's measured growth has enabled the organization to more effectively focus its programs and energies on influencing the media. "GLAAD has become more proactive, working to affect images before they reach mass audiences and more effective in reacting to inaccurate images of our community," Huebner added. Throughout the past two years, GLAAD has made a decisive move toward more proactive work with the media. More than six months before the controversial television ratings system was unveiled, GLAAD secured a meeting with Motion Picture Association of American (MPAA) president and ratings committee chair Jack Valenti. According to Huebner, the dialogue yielded assurances from Valenti that the ratings system would not be based in any part on gay or lesbian content. GLAAD was instrumental in convincing the Partnership for a Drug Free America to replace questionable television ads that linked gay men to drug abuse, as well as calling attention to talk radio that "went too far," and it made the convincing case that many news outlets ignored the central issue of homophobia in the Jonathan Schmitz trial. Schmitz was found guilty of murdering Scott Amedure after Amedure revealed a crush on Schmitz during a taping of the Jenny Jones Show. In an attempt to facilitate news coverage of lesbian and gay issues, the organization also produces GLAADLines, a weekly alert to the news media about important events across the country. GLAAD is now monitoring ABC-TV's handling of its sitcom, Ellen, in anticipation of her coming out of the closet, and maintains an "Ellen Watch" web page on its award-winning World Wide Web site at www.glaad.org. Other proactive initiatives have been undertaken in the entertainment industry, including a recent day-long seminar for lesbian and gay filmmakers with actor and director Mel Gibson. The objective was to build a more productive and informed relationship between Gibson and the lesbian and gay community. "GLAAD has been able to fulfill the dream of its original founders to become a cultural force on a national scale in the struggle for realistic portrayals of lesbians and gay men in the media," said Arnie Kantrowitz, a founder of GLAAD. GLAAD will conduct an extensive nationwide search for a permanent executive director. Information on the position and requirements are available from the GLAAD Search Committee, P.O. Box M, Boulder, CO, 80306, or by calling (303) 448-1063. -30- (EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: GLAAD has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Washington DC and San Francisco.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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.