Date: Fri, 20 Dec 1996 16:25:12 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADAlert 12.20.96 GLAADALERT December 20, 1996 The GLAADAlert is the weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Contents: 1. Angels in America (CBS (Television Network), "Touched By An Angel" (TV Drama)) 2. Virginia Paper Attacks Gay Soldier (Richmond (VA) Times-Dispatch (Newspaper)) 3. Bigoted Darling Du Jour (CBS (Television Network), MSNBC (TV/ Online News)) 4. He Stands With His Friends (Miami Herald (Newspaper)) 5. Washington Post Warns of Pitfalls for AIDS Optimism (Washington Post (Newspaper)) 6. Ricki Lake Definitely Not A Drag! (The Ricki Lake Show (TV Talk Show)) 7. Bad Advice from Shrink-Link (Shrink-Link (Online Resource)) 8. The Washington Post Highlights Gay Struggles for Assylum in U.S. (Washington Post (Newspaper)) 9. Louisville Op-Ed Comes To Bat For Same-Sex Marriage (Louisville (KY) Courier-Journal (Newspaper)) 10. Mr. Media Meets Girlfriends (Mr. Media (Syndicated Column), Girlfriends (Magazine)) 1. Angels in America According to an advance copy of the script, GLAAD has learned that CBS's Touched By An Angel, a highly-rated dramatic series which has received the blessing of so-called "pro-family" groups, will address homosexuality and AIDS in its Christmas episode to air Sunday, December 22. In each episode of the show, angels take human form and weave themselves into earthly storylines, ultimately touching the people they encounter with a message from God. In the Christmas episode, entitled, "The Violin Lesson," a son returns home to his family and reveals that he is both gay and dying of AIDS. While the rest of the family is accepting, the father initially rejects his son for being gay. Additionally, the son feels that in being gay and having AIDS, God no longer loves him. One of the principal angels tells him, however, that "What you've heard have been someone else's words. Words of hate and confusion. God is not the source of confusion. God's love is perfect." Later, the dad asks an angel what she's doing on "the side of a queer." She replies, "Nothing made by God is queer. God loves all his creations, even the ones that some people see as flawed." With the help of this angel, the father realizes the need to accept and express love for his son in his last moments. The show, which has been heralded by many Christians for its pro-Christian content, makes a strong statement in saying that gay people and people with AIDS have God's unconditional love, and that those who say otherwise are either hateful or confused. While the statement "Nothing made by God is queer," could be highly offensive if taken out of context, it is clear in the script that what is really being said is that nothing made by God is odd, out of place, or wrong. Tune into Touched By An Angel and judge how the script has evolved into an episode. Then write to CBS and let them know that a discussion of gay and AIDS issues on this show is appreciated, and encourage them to include other lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and AIDS issues in the future. Contact: Leslie Moonves, President of CBS Entertainment, CBS, 7800 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036, e-mail: marketing@cbs.com. 2. Virginia Paper Attacks Gay Soldiers Ross MacKenzie penned a December 12 op-ed in the Richmond Times-Dispatch in which he brought all the homophobic garbage out of his war chest and accused lesbian and gay servicemembers of widespread harassment and "sex crimes" against their heterosexual counterparts. The editorial, which noted challenges that will face the new Secretary of Defense, identified one problem as morale. Instead of discussing the witch-hunts against lesbian and gay servicemembers or the massive sexual harassment and abuse of women by heterosexual men in the Armed Services, the editorial quotes the Defense Readiness Council, which says that "the sex-crime rate among homosexual soldiers is higher than the Army's crime rate overall." He adds that, according to a "source" in the military, "Scores of gays and lesbians have been and are now committing sexual harassment and sex crimes against fellow servicemembers and subordinates. Imagine, if you can, the devastation to morale." The source MacKenzie quotes, the "Defense Readiness Council," is a now-defunct extremist group and their "study," concocted during the "don't ask, don't tell" debates of 1993, was contradicted by the Pentagon's own reports. To argue that the military, which has been incredibly hostile to gay servicemembers, would engage in this kind of "cover-up" to protect marauding lesbian and gay soldiers is beyond absurd. MacKenzie is clearly trying to gay-bait the public in a attempt to smoke screen the fundamental problems of basic human rights which have plagued the Armed Forces for years and have recently been brought to light by public scrutiny of the abuses of the "don't ask, don't tell, don't pursue" policy and the recent sex scandals. Let the Richmond Times-Dispatch know that this is hateful fiction not worthy of print in a respectable newspaper. Contact: Richmond Times-Dispatch, PO Box 85333, Richmond, Virginia 23293, fax: 804.775.8059. 3. Bigoted Darling Du Jour In their campaign for "fresh voices", CBS and MSNBC have spotlighted ultra-conservative "It girl" Laura Ingraham who is overtly anti-gay and known as much for her blondness as her fast mouth. With limited experience, 33-year old Ingraham has managed to land CBS's highly sought political analyst position on the CBS Weekend News and is a regular contributor to MSNBC, as well as appearing on the Charlie Rose show and substituting for the McLaughlin Group regulars. Ingraham sharpened her lawyer teeth in her early twenties working as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and making allies with such arch-homophobes as Family Research Council president Gary Bauer and Justice Antonin Scalia. Serving as Dartmouth's first female editor of the notoriously conservative Dartmouth Review, Ingraham sent a reporter with a concealed tape recorder to a Gay Student Association support group meeting, then published the transcript with an editor's letter calling the GSA "cheerleaders for latent campus sodomites." Her anti-gay rhetoric is not limited to college antics-in 1989 she dismissed a respected Washington Post reporter covering the AIDS crisis as "the guy who defends homosexuals for a living." Diverse points of view make American journalism unique, but a push to expand ratings has created a say anything, do anything atmosphere where commentators are chosen for image and outrageousness over substance. Hiring a homophobe of Ingraham's ilk is akin to hiring a openly racist or anti-Semetic analyst, which would, of course, be unthinkable. Please let CBS and MSNBC know that their choice of anti-gay Laura Ingraham as political pundit is a mistake that discredits them both. Contact: James Warner, President of CBS Television Network, 524 West 57th Street, New York, New York 10019-2902, fax: 212.975.9387, e-mail: marketing@cbs.com: Mark Harrington, Vice President, MSNBC, 2200 Flethcher Ave., Fort Lee, New Jersey 07024, e-mail: opinion@msnbc.com. 4. He Stands With His Friends In the December 14 Miami Herald, columnist Leonard Pitts, Jr. wrote an essay entitled, "I Stand With My Friends," about how white liberals often told African-Americans to slow down in their push for civil rights during the 1960s and parallels the fight for lesbian and gay civil rights today. "They pleaded for delay. Change was coming, they said, the Negro would get his justice, but he was pushing too fast. These 'friends,' valued order more than justice and paternalistically presumed to set the timetable for the freedom of others. It occurs to me that perhaps I have been a 'friend of the homosexual,' less than the true friend I ought to be than a go-slow, be-cautious, I'm-on-your-side-but voice of prudence," he says. "We fail to understand that change always comes too fast, which is why it scares us. So I'm pleased by what happened in Hawaii. I admire the crusaders of gay America for the fact that it happened not just in the face of opposition from enemies, but also of ambivalence from friends. It's simple, really. I stand with my friends." Please thank Pitts for a valuable article, and commend the Miami Herald for publishing such an important message about the connections between different groups in our struggle for civil rights. Contact: Leonard Pitts, Jr., c/o Miami Herald, One Herald Plaza, Miami, Florida 33132-1693, fax: 305.376.5287, e-mail: heraldedit@aol.com. 5. Washington Post Warns of Pitfalls for AIDS Optimism In a December 15 Washington Post op-ed, under the headline "Hyped Promises Threaten the Search for a Cure," Village Voice reporter Mark Schoofs advises other journalists that in their rush to proclaim the "end of AIDS" they may have been doing the public a disservice. World AIDS Day sparked a blaze of AIDS-related articles in the mainstream media-including Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal-which, while full of well-wishes for HIV and AIDS patients responding positively to new drug treatment regimens, almost lost touch with the reality that because many patients have difficulty maintaining these complicated and expensive medical treatments, they are in peril of developing an HIV strain resistant to the drugs. These recent findings are likely only the "beginning of the beginning of the end," according to Schoofs. "The only hope for ridding the world of HIV is a vaccine," which appears possible though vaccine research receives substantially less funding than treatment studies. "Without cannibalizing treatment research, we must rededicate ourselves to developing a treatment, " Schoofs says. Congratulate Schoofs on his attempt to educates the public and fellow journalists that there is still work to be done. Thank the Washington Post for giving him a widely read and respected publication to express his thoughts. Contact: Mark Schoofs, c/o the Washington Post , 1150 15th St., N.W., Washington, DC 20071-0002, fax: 202.334.4475, e-mail: webnews@washpost.com. 6. Ricki Lake Definitely Not A Drag! The December 13, 1996 Ricki Lake show, with special guest RuPaul, was anything but a drag. A combination of RuPaul performing and talking about his life, audience make-overs and a drag contest judged by the audience, Ricki made the show entertaining and enlightening. Interviewing RuPaul while selected audience members had their "make-over," Ricki was asked by the world renown drag queen what she would do if her soon to arrive baby "turns out to be just like RuPaul." Ricki's answer--"love and support my child-it would be fabulous!" Besides entertaining the audience with their amazing transformations-one African-American drag queen sang (not lip-synched) "Ave Maria" to an astounded audience-Ricki made the point that we can all be "fabulous and fierce-as long as we are allowed to be who we really are." Please let Ricki Lake know that while talk television can certainly have its ups and downs, this episode highlighted how the shows can be at their best when they are light-hearted, fun and progressive. Contact: Ricki Lake, Host, and Garth Ancier and Gale Steinberg, Executive Producers, The Ricki Lake Show, 401 5th Avenue, New York, New York 10016, feedback forum through Columbia Tristar TV Distribution: http://www.spe.sony.com/Pictures/feedback.html. 7. Bad Advice From Shrink-Link Shrink-Link, a Web site that supposedly provides "direct E-Mail access to a staff of top clinical psychologists ready to review and comment on almost any important question or conflict in your life" for the price of $20 a response, has proven you don't always get what you pay for. In order to entice people to use the service, Shrink-Link offers a few sample queries and responses. One of the queries is from a fourteen-year-old girl who is attracted to a female classmate, recognizes that she has never been attracted to boys, and is seeking advice about what to do. Shrink-Link replied, "Fourteen is a pretty young age to decide whether you are a lesbian. You have a lot more experimenting and exploration of sex ahead of you. You probably will want to give boys a chance-not to force yourself on them-but to try them out. Boys have a lot to offer in ways other than sex, and you may find that you like their company. It doesn't sound as though you are ready to make such an important decision. There are also important consequences to choosing life as a lesbian. Unfortunately, your parent's viewpoints are typical of our society with regard to homosexuality. Although attitudes are somewhat more enlightened now, and many have 'come out of the closet,' homosexuals are regarded as outcasts and encounter discrimination and hardships." The Internet has become a lifeline to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth, many of whom are just coming out and looking for a safe place to find out more information about their sexual orientation. This kind of bad advice that can really confuse a person and add to her sense of isolation. It would be unthinkable for a therapist to reply to a boy-crazy girl that she should "give girls a chance" because she is not ready to "choose life" as a heterosexual. The same, of course, is true for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth. What they need is support, not implications that their sexual orientation might be a "phase" or a "choice." Write Shrink-Link and let them know that their commentary is ill-advised, potentially harmful and insensitive to youth who do not fit the heterosexual mold. Contact: Shrink-Link, c/o Cyberlink Consulting, Inc., fax: 914.833.0144, e-mail: Shlink@Westnet.com 8. The Washington Post Highlights Gay Struggles for Asylum in U.S. In a front-page story of the December 17 Washington Post, the issue of lesbians, gay men and people with HIV and AIDS seeking political asylum in the United States was given comprehensive and balanced treatment. The story notes that over 60 people have been given asylum on the basis of persecution they have faced in their homelands because of their sexual orientation or HIV status. "Their cases have carved out a new area of immigration law, helping to expand the definition of who is eligible to seek refuge in the United States," author William Branigin writes. Sydney Levy, asylum project coordinator of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission is interviewed, saying "This is simply an appropriate and fair application of existing immigration law." Additionally, the stories of several people who have sought asylum are told. Please let the Washington Post know that this kind of balanced, in-depth reporting on a topic not often seen in the media is appreciated and valued. Contact: The Washington Post, 1150 15th St., N.W., Washington, DC 20071-0002, fax: 202.334.4475, e-mail: webnews@washpost.com. 9. Louisville Op-Ed Comes to Bat For Same-Sex Marriage The December 14 Louisville (Kentucky) Courier-Journal ran an op-ed by writer Martha Barnette in which she foils the "sky is falling" mentality of religious radicals in regards to gay marriage. "Despite all the hand-wringing, doomsaying and downright silly scare tactics from the fanatical right," Barnette writes, "the reality is that making the civil institution of marriage accessible to gay and lesbian citizens won't hurt it in the least. You'd think that of all people, a die-hard conservative would be the first to oppose federal intervention in one of the most fundamental and personal decisions that tax-paying, law-abiding adults can make: the choice of whom to marry." She sums up, saying, "If more Americans can take on the legal rights and responsibilities of looking after each other for a lifetime-if more of us have the chance to participate in the full rights of citizenship-then the institution of marriage, and our nation as a whole, surely will be that much stronger for it." Please thank the Louisville Courier-Journal for running such an articulate, well-reasoned and sensible piece about same-sex marriage. Contact: Louisville Courier-Journal, PO Box 740031, Louisville, Kentucky 40201-7431, fax: 502.582.4075, e-mail: cjletters@louisvil.gennett.com. 10. Mr. Media Meets Girlfriends The Universal Press Syndicate's weekly Mr. Media column for December 12 featured an in-depth profile of Girlfriends magazine. In addition to chronicling the growth of one of the top lesbian magazines in the country, Mr. Media (Bob Andelman) interviews Editor-in-Chief Heather Findlay. According to Mr. Media, "Important to readers are the magazine's vibrant graphics and its bright and smarmy editorial spirit. It's an enlightening, invigorating magazine whether you're a lesbian or not." He also discusses how different Girlfriends is from the lesbian erotica magazine On Our Backs, of which Findlay also was editor, noting that "Findlay is somewhat embarrassed by her own magazine's conservatism." Please commend Mr. Media for this profile, and encourage him to profile more lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender media outlets in the future. Contact: Mr. Media, Universal Press Syndicate, 4520 Main Street, Suite 700, Kansas City, MO 941121-7701, e-mail: andelman@mrmedia.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), 202.986.1360 (Washington, DC) or 415.861.2244(San Francisco). 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