Date: Fri, 9 Aug 1996 17:46:39 -0700 From: glaad@glaad.org (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) Subject: GLAADAlert 08.09.96 GLAADALERT August 9, 1996 The GLAADAlert is the weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation ATLANTIC RECORDS DUMPS EXTRA FANCY EXTRA FAST Despite glowing press and a solid following, Atlantic Records gave Extra Fancy (led by openly gay, HIV-positive Brian Grillo) the heave-ho. Atlantic's decision comes just eight weeks after releasing the band's new album Sinnerman and on the heels of the formation of the record company's heavily promoted gay marketing division. Jim Farber, rock critic for the New York Daily News, reported that a source close to the group said, "A lot of gay people feel duped by this. You can't court gay people with marketing, then stab those people in the back. Brian was a role model, the kind of person who could change people's minds." Atlantic Records has refused to comment on the move. Let Atlantic Records know that while the gay marketing division is appreciated, cutting Extra Fancy from their roster without so much as an explanation wins the company no fans and alienates lesbians and gay men. Contact: Atlantic Records, Peter Gavin, Vice President of Product Development, Gay Markets, Atlantic Records, 75 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10019, fax: 212.275.3489. HIV-POSITIVE YOUTH IN THE SPOTLIGHT "Living in the Shadow of AIDS," an article that appeared in the August 6 Houston Chronicle, tells the story of six HIV-positive youth, protraying them as real people facing the daunting realities of living with AIDS. The message is clear: Some are gay men, some are mothers, some are out on the street and some have supportive families. But all of the young people featured in this honest and engaging article are struggling with unncertain future and dealingwith the virus one day at a time. By allowing the young people to tell their own stories, journalist Claudia Feldman illuminates the specific issues of being young and HIV-positive and points out the necessity for young people to have access to imformation about safer sex, sexuality and new drugs to combat HIV. The article also provides a list of resources young people in crisis can consult in the Houston area. Let Claudia Feldman and the Houston Chronicle know that you appreciate such well-developed reportage on a subject too often ignored by the media, and that you appreciate the diversity of young people she chose to interview. Contact: Claudia Feldman, Houston Chronicle, 801 Texas Avenue, Houston, TX 77002, fax: 713.220.6575, e-mail: hci@chron.com. THE SPECTRE WON'T GIVE GAY BASHING A GHOST OF A CHANCE In the September issue of the comic book The Spectre, a Christian soul who is sent back to Earth in human form to cast judgement on evil-doers, decides that it is wrong to believe gay people are morally inferior. The Spectre (also the lead character's name) is a conservative eye-for-an-eye character who is uncomfortable with homosexuality. After a group of drunks attack a gay couple, killing one of them, the Spectre gives the killers a light sentence, blinded by his own homophobia which leads him to feel that the gay men "brought it on themselves." A police detective chastises him, as does his best friend, a priest. He goes to the Gates of Heaven when the archangel Michael tells him "Sexuality is a matter for the body and thus confined to the mortal sphere. Humanity should not presume to judge for God. They invariably get it wrong." Back on Earth, the Spectre confronts a homophobic Catholic priest who encourages others to attack gays, telling him "You have revealed the bleakness of your soul. You have painted your vices as virtues and called them God's will. You have made your pulpit a bastion of hate." In the end, the Spectre decides that any issues he has with homosexuality are his alone. Please write and thank writer John Ostrander and artist John Ridgeway for a thought-provoking and engaging comic book. Let them know that you appreciate intelligent discussions of homophobia and religion, and that you respect their courage in tackling the issue. Contact: Peter Tomasi, Assistant Editor, DC Comics, 1700 Broadway, New York, NY 10019. IS OUTING IN - AGAIN? The day after Congressman Jim Kolbe's August 2 public announcement that he is gay, local newspapers sang his praises with overwhelmingly supportive editorials and articles. The Arizona Republic wrote, "Is a story about Rep. Kolbe's sexual orientation news at all? There can be no debate about his commitment to Arizona and the quality representation he has delievered throughout his tenure in office." On August 2, however, the backlash began to appear. TheArizona Republic upped the ante with a series of editorials that shifted the focus away from Kolbe, and his vote for the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), to a full-scall crusade against "outing." An editorial on August 3 stated, "It's hard to understand how gay activists can justify 'outing' gay or lesbian public figures. It is a strategy that can only be condemned." A new wave of public debate on outing was born. "The News with Brian Williams" took up the debate on MSNBC, the cable television/Internet collaboration between NBC and Microsoft, with guests speaking from two different viewpoints on outing. The Human Rights Campaign's political director Daniel Zingale spoke out encouraging lesbian and gay politicians to come out for themselves and OUT magazine columnist Michelangelo Signorile advocated for reporting a person's sexual orientation if it is relevant to the story. Signorile maintained, "Public figures are often trying to conceal things that sometimes are relevant to the public and we as journalists do report those things. [With Kolbe] we had a Congressman who had voted against the gay community." In Signorile's view, Kolbe's orientation was completely relevant to the news story. Zingale, on the other hand, disagreed with outing someone against their will in favor of working closely with gay and lesbian politicians to pursuade them to come out of the closet. In the past the media has used the outing debate to create a sensationalistic circus. To MSNBC's credit, they chose two articulate and respected members of the gay and lesbian community with differing opinions in order to hash out the fine points of outing in a dignified forum. Not bad for the new kid on the block. Contact: Mark Harrington, Vice President, MSNBC, 2200 Fletcher Avenue, Fort Lee, New Jersey 07024, telephone: 201.583.5000, e-mail: thenews@msnbc.com, WWW: http://www.msnbc.com. TWO TOWNS DECLARE (GAY) MUSICAL THEATER DEAD In both Raleigh, North Carolina, and Des Moines, Iowa, theater groups have created controversy by cancelling planned musicals with gay content. In Raleigh, the North Carolina Theatre, the state's biggest-budget professional theater company, cancelled a scheduled production of La Cage Aux Folles. Based on 1978 French film that inspired the hit movieThe Birdcage, La Cage tells the story of two gay men pretending to be husband and wife to fool a conservative bureaucrat. The city council recently cited Legends, a gay nightspot, for allowing cross-dressers to perform onstage, which is against a city ordinance. The Board of North Carolina Theatre, which receives over $350,000 worth of services from the city council annually, felt that the show might jeopardize funding. Raliegh Mayor Tom Fetzer is not convinced, however, and in a Charlotte Observer story is quoted as saying, "There is a substantial difference between what was going on at Legends and what would be shown onstage at Memorial Auditorium." Meanwhile, in Des Moines, the Drama Workshop recently axed Falsettos, the award-winning musical involving a boy about to be bar mitzvahed and his father, a gay man who has a partner with AIDS. The Board of the Drama Workshop cited budget concerns as the reason for the show's cancellation, but insiders insist that the "in your face" presentation of two men in bed led to the show's demise. When Rehka Basu, a columnist for the Des Moines Register, publically criticized the decision, the Drama Workshop's Board President backpeddled on the show's cancellation and requested it be put back into the program. Explain to the Drama Workshop and the North Carolina Theatre that for the sake of free expression in the arts they should reconsider their cowardly acts. Insist that they take a stand for the arts. The show must go on. Contact: Drama Workshop 510 3rd Street, Des Moines, IA 50309, phone: 515.284.7099. North Carolina Theatre, 1 East South Street, Raleigh, NC 27601, fax: 919.831.6951. UTAH PAPER SAYS ENOUGH IS ENOUGH An editorial in the August 3 Deseret News of Salt Lake City told the Salt Lake City School Board that they are acting completely irrationally in their zealous pursuit of ways to prevent a gay-straight alliance from forming at district high schools. Last March, despite criticism, the school board banned all extracurricular clubs rather than allowing a student group for lesbian, gay and bisexual youth and their friends to form. Now, in order to keep gay youth from meeting on school grounds at all, the school board is considering disallowing banned groups from renting school property even after the school day. The Desert News editorial said, "Restricting the use of school buildings would be a mistake.... If students find a responsible adult supervisor who is willing to pay the rental fee and meet along with the youth, they should be allowed to use school buildings under the same policy that makes the facilities available for a political convention or a church play. To close them, or to eliminate only certain groups that district finds distasteful, would only invite court action and lead to restrictions that would hurt the community." Let the Deseret News know that you appreciate their appeal for reason. Contact: The Deseret News, P.O. Box 1257, Salt Lake City, UT 84110, fax: 801.237.2121, e-mail: letters@desnews.com. The GLAADAlert is the weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. GLAAD is the 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 all forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. Copies of articles referred to in the GLAADAlert are available to our members by contacting GLAAD. Contact GLAAD by e-mail at glaad@glaad.org or by phone at 213.658.6775 (Los Angeles), 212.807.1700 (New York), 413.586.8928 (Northampton), 503.224.5285 (Portland, Oregon), 202.986.1360 (Washington, DC) or 415.861.2244(San Francisco). Report defamation in the media by calling GLAAD's Toll-Free AlertLine! 1-800-GAY-MEDIA (1-800-429-6334) Visit GLAAD's Web Site at http://www.glaad.org "GLAADAlert," "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) glaad@glaad.org VISIT THE GLAAD WEB SITE AT http://www.glaad.org! 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