Subject: Reply to In Your Face
From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 25 Aug 1995 12:48:51 -0400

Here is my response to the iUnhappy but GLAADi posting by Riki Anne Wilchins

GLAAD's commitment to challenging defamation of transgender individuals
remains strong.  Indeed, while the Sauza ad was being questioned, GLAAD's
national field director (from Portland, Oregon) and our associate news
director (from New York) were in Washington, D.C., conducting media training
for local organizations.  More specifically, GLAAD's national staff and
members of GLAAD's local chapter were actively engaging the Washington area
community to properly express its outrage over an emergency medical
technician's refusal to treat a transgender youth, Tyra Hunter, who had
been critically injured, and who may have subsequently died from this lack
of treatment.   This is defamation in its most virulent and dangerous form.
 We must work together to eradicate ignorance and prejudice and GLAAD's
resources are
committed to that end.

Our mission statement is quite clear:  "The Gay & Lesbian Against
Defamation (GLAAD) is a national organization that promotes fair, acurate,
and inclusive representation of individuals and events in all media as a
means of combating homophobia and all forms of discrimination based on
sexual orientation or identity."

As the new managing director of GLAAD, I was recently hosted to a luncheon
by executives from a Manhattan bank; it was at GLAAD's request that other
organizational leaders, including Lynn Walker of the Greater New York
Gender Alliance, were included and introduced. It was also at that luncheon
that
I publicly stated my goal to make GLAAD's access to media resources
available to all communities. 

There have been numerous references to transgendered issues since I arrived
at GLAAD (July 1), including using transgender individuals as participants on
GLAAD's televised Media Watch.  Contrary to your information, the Media Watch
item about gay and lesbian and trangender youth at Safe Place was
distributed, not 'spiked.'

Finally, I have also just approved a request from Lynn Walker to establish a
drag and trans caucus under the aegis of GLAAD, along the lines of the
recently established Bisexual caucus.

I hope this clearly states GLAAD's commitment.

     William Waybourn