Date: Fri, 25 Jul 1997 17:35:21 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADAlert 06.25.97 GLAADALERT July 25, 1997 The GLAADAlert is the weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Table of Contents 1. Baltimore Paper Blames Cunanan on Gay Liberation (Baltimore Sun (newspaper)) 2. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (US News & World Report (magazine), Time (magazine), Newsweek (magazine)) 3. Walsh Crosses the "Line" (John Walsh (television host), America's Most Wanted (television program), Entertainment Tonight (television entertainment news)) 4. Cindy Takes the Low Road, While Liz Takes the High Road (Cindy Adams (newspaper journalist), New York Post (newspaper), Liz Smith (gossip columnist)) 5. Ignorant Indy Op-ed Blathers About Busted Baptist Boycott (Indianapolis Star (newspaper)) 6. Sun-News Exposes Anti-Art Agenda (Las Cruces Sun-News (newspaper)) 7. Student Safety in California Schools (California Schools (trade paper)) 1. Baltimore Paper Blames Cunanan on Gay Liberation An opinion piece from regular contributor Peter A. Jay in the July 20 Baltimore Sun warps the words of several prominent AIDS activists to claim that Cunanan's spree killing is based in a gay male "culture of death." "Gay 'rage' has been bubbling away for years...The only surprise is that it took such a long time for a human weapon of this sort to detonate. For half a century at least, male homosexual life in the United States has been a culture of death," Jay writes. Pointing to the toll of the AIDS pandemic within the gay male population, he adds, "Sooner or later, a product of that culture was going to take violence on the road....There will be other young men who have come face to face with the knowledge that their own lives are blighted and doomed...and now want to experience the rush of killing in more traditional ways." In an attempt to mask this completely anti-gay attack behind a guise a respectability, he cites gay AIDS activist Gabriel Rotello's controversial new book, Sexual Ecology: AIDS and the Destiny of Gay Men: "Rotello shows how [the AIDS epidemic's] successful treatment was aborted by gay political pressure with the complicity of mainstream liberal institutions. The former resulted in useful public-health initiatives such as mandatory HIV testing being labeled 'homophobic.' The latter's role [pushed] ultimately groundless propaganda messages--that the use of condoms could achieve 'safe sex' and so on." Jay also tries to become Larry Kramer's bedfellow by quoting the AIDS activist about how making sex "'the cornerstone of gay liberation and gay culture'" was "'playing with fire.'" Tying it to Cunanan, Jay sums up, "The fire has left tragedy and ashes, and a few hot coals, of which Cunanan is one of the currently prominent." When GLAAD contacted Rotello, he called the article "a total disgrace for the Baltimore Sun," noting that his book never said that he supports mandatory HIV testing, questions the usefulness of condoms, or believes successful AIDS treatments were "aborted by gay political pressure." Most absurd in Jay's assertions, though, is his attempt to blame Cunanan's spree killing on his sexual orientation, the AIDS epidemic and "gay culture." Clearly, Jay would not blame the crimes of a serial killer who happened to be heterosexual on "straight culture." The anti-gay ax Jay is grinding has nothing to do with Cunanan and everything to do with his seizing an opportunity to attack gay people and spread lies about our community. Cunanan was just the latest hook on which Jay hangs his hate. Let the Baltimore Sun know that serving as a megaphone for Jay's mean-spirited ignorance is more than just irresponsible--it fuels an atmosphere of anti-gay hostility that could lead to violence against lesbians and gay men. Contact: William Marimow, Managing Editor and Hal Piper, Op Ed Page Editor, Baltimore Sun, 501 N. Calvert Street, Baltimore, MD 21278, fax: 410.752-6049, e-mail: baltsun@clark.net. 2. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly The three best-known newsweeklies all covered the murder of Gianni Versace with varying success-U.S. News & World Report and Time told the story straightforwardly, while Newsweek unabashedly went ahead with a sensationalist angle and flashy photo captions, despite asking two gay men to provide the perspective on the lesbian and gay community. U.S. News & World Report kept coverage to one page, discussing the known facts in the case and analyzing the phenomena of serial and spree killers. With a minimum of speculation about Cunanan and his motives, the magazine stuck more closely to general discussion of what motivates killers. Time gave the coverage 16 pages, with a large cover photo of Versace. The articles peered into Cunanan's past, and veered occasionally off course by discussing his possible HIV-positive status, and lurid revelations of S/M paraphernalia found in his San Diego apartment. The magazine goes on to honor Versace's life and work, including a personal tribute by friend Madonna. Finally, Newsweek both inflamed and assuaged. While including pieces by two prominent gay writers, their coverage as a whole pandered to the more sensational aspects of the tragedy caused by Andrew Cunanan. Opening with the teaser "He was a party boy with kinky tastes...," the story liberally speculates about Cunanan's motives, sex life and HIV status despite a lack of evidence. Additionally, words like "flaming" and "flamboyant" sprinkled throughout the article served only to reinforce the perception that Cunanan's sexual orientation was one of the causes of his murder spree. Sadly, in what seemed to be an attempt to balance their coverage, Newsweek asked two gay writers, Richard Alleman and Frank DeCaro, to write about the gay community. Alleman's piece about moving to South Beach seemed to be unable to make up its mind: while it made the important point that lesbians and gay men have "more pressing...concerns: keeping their jobs, raising their kids and fighting for dignity...," it also promulgated the notion of the mysterious "gay underworld" of circuit parties that so many media have obsessed over in relation to this case. While circuit parties exist, they are no more emblematic of the lesbian and community than Mardi Gras is for the straight population. DeCaro's piece celebrates Versace as a fashion icon, and mentions his life as an openly gay man. Please write to these magazines, and let them know that while our community is relieved that Andrew Cunanan's siege has ended, we still have a great deal to say about the sometimes sloppy media siege on lesbian and gay men because of it. Contact: … Robert O. Grover, News Editor, U.S. News & World Report, 2400 N. Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037-1196, fax: 202.955.2049; … Walter Isaacson, Managing Editor, Time, Time-Life Building, Rockefeller Center, New York, NY 10020, fax: 212.522.0323, e-mail: letters@time.com; … Mark Whitacker, Managing Editor, Newsweek, 251 W. 57th Street, New York, NY 10019-6999, fax: 212.445.5068. 3. Walsh Crosses the "Line" On the July 24 Entertainment Tonight, John Walsh, host of America's Most Wanted, implied that the lives of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community were not as important as those of other people. Referring to the now deceased accused spree killer Andrew Cunanan, Walsh claimed that "he crossed the line from killing gay people for revenge and started killing innocent bystanders." Encouragingly, the very next night Walsh told Entertainment Tonight that "this was not about gays or straights...It didn't matter what your sexual preference was, he'd kill anybody." John Walsh's contributions to the capture of violent criminals over the years are exceptional. However, his July 24 blanket statement devalues Cunanan's gay victims as somehow not "innocent." Does he mean to imply that Jeffrey trail and David Madson, the two gay men Cunanan first murdered, somehow "asked for it." Everyone who met their deaths at the hand of Cunanan were "innocent bystanders" who happened to cross paths with a psychopathic killer. Walsh's statement fuels a perception that in some manner, the lives of gay men are of less importance then those of heterosexual "innocent bystanders." Please write John Walsh and educate him on why his statement was inappropriate and downright dangerous. Contact: John Walsh, c/o America's Most Wanted, PO Box Crime TV, Washington, DC 20016, e-mail: feedback@amw.com. 4. Cindy Takes the Low Road, While Liz Takes the High Road This past week, columnists Cindy Adams and Liz Smith wrote about accused killer Andrew Cunanan, with very different results. Adams, who last week demonized victim Gianni Versace (see GLAADAlert 7.18.97), wrote yet another sensationalist New York Post column about a closeted "friend of a friend" who supposedly came face to face with Cunanan at a cruising spot in Manhattan. The column includes gratuitous dialogue about the sexual activities that take place there. She quotes her friend as saying, "(Some) like to turn a fast trick...I mean, you can run over on a lunch break and get it right there in the grass." In her July 22 column, nationally syndicated Liz Smith offered this opinion about the use of "gay serial killer" by the media, "(It) seems wrong to me...he may have been gay and he may be a serial killer, but one doesn't find epithets describing other murderers in religious, sexual or ethnic terms." Nowhere in Adams' column does she explore the harmful effects of the closet, or the effects Cunanan's reign of terror had on the community itself. Instead, her columns of the past two weeks have served one purpose; to sensationalize and demonize a community already under attack. On the other hand, Liz Smith looked beyond the hype and saw how the coverage unfairly affected the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Please let Adams know that her vulturistic voyeurism denies gay people dignity and respect. Also, tell Liz Smith you appreciate her level headedness and continued support for the community. Contact: … Cindy Adams, c/o New York Post, 1211 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036-8790, fax: 212.930.8540, e-mail: newyorkpost@delphia.com; … Liz Smith, c/o Los Angeles Times Syndicate, 218 S. Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012, fax: 213.237.4992. 5. Ignorant Indy Op-ed Blathers About Busted Baptist Boycott Even as Disney's last quarter profits have grown by 18 percent, a July 20 Indianapolis Star op-ed defended the Southern Baptist Convention boycott of Disney in part for extending domestic partnership benefits for employee's same-sex partners. Written by Micah Clark, an anti-gay religious radical, the op-ed says, "A major corporation's stand concerning homosexuality, just as public polices and our society's of sexuality in general, should always be a major concern of churches." He then cites a completely discredited study by Paul Camerona radical religious leader which makes the absurd claim that the average life span is 41 for gay men and 45 for lesbians. "Only 1 percent die of old age," Clark claims. "When Southern Baptists express public concern about Disney's endorsement of homosexuality, they are criticized for not practicing love. Yet everyone would question the 'love' of a parent who allows his child to play in the freeway, drink whiskey or smoke cigarettes, because of the dangers associated with these actions. Isn't saying these things are wrong a large part of what real love and compassion are about? If the shortening of one's life span by 30 years is not the concern of a church, then that church must deny that Christ came so we 'might have life and might have it more abundantly.' Of course, in order to have that abundant life, one must be alive long enough to accept the gift of salvation." Clark's entire argument is based on a widely dismissed and biased study based on poor methodology. Many, many lesbians and gay men lead long lives-and one reason those lives could be cut short would be poor access to health care. In a bizarre Alice in Wonderland logic, Clark seems to be saying the Southern Baptist Convention's push to prevent health care access to gay people will somehow save lives. If, as Clark asserts, a church acting to harm people is denying an important Christian tenant, the Southern Baptist Convention is on shaky moral ground. Please let the Indianapolis Star know that it does people of faith everywhere a disservice to allow themselves to become a megaphone for the groundless lies of a mean-spirited bigot. Contact: Ted Daniels, Managing Editor, Indianapolis Star, P.O. Box 145, Indianapolis, IN 46202-0145, fax: 317.633.9423, e-mail: stareditor@starnews.com. 6. Sun-News Exposes Anti-Art Agenda A July 20 editorial in the Las Cruces (New Mexico) Sun-News blasted the anti-gay radical religious group Christian Action Network (CAN) for its art exhibit intended to offend people so much that they would seek to abolish the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). CAN's exhibit of 50 NEA funded photographs and two videos featured lesbian- and gay-themed and other works by such acclaimed artists as Robert Mapplethorpe and Joel-Peter Witkin. "CAN and its top brass went to great lengths to assure that their traveling display would elicit outrage," the editorial stated. "After all, CAN and its founder/president Martin Mawyer--like rock stars Alice Cooper and Marilyn Manson--understands the values of shocking the masses....Whether any of the pieces selected by Mawyer's group qualify as art is endlessly debatable. But Mawyer is easier to pin down.....What Mawyer and his alleged followers truly care about is imposing their narrow brand of morality on everyone, regardless of how it affects more conventional artistic expression. Mawyer's goals are exclusionary, bigoted, divisive and intolerant--unlike the person he claims his beliefs are based upon." Please commend the Sun-News for an outstanding and articulate expose of the real agenda behind the anti-gay, anti-free expression push to defund the NEA. Contact: Harold Cousland, Editor, Las Cruces Sun-News, P.O. Box 1749, Las Cruces, NM 88004-1749, fax: 505.541.5498. 7. Student Safety in California Schools The Summer 1997 issue of California Schools, a trade journal for members of California school boards and other school administrators, published an in-depth look at the harassment of students based on the sexual orientation, providing tips on what school boards and administrators can do about it. The article quotes a principal who, after meeting with a concerned parent, said, " 'I was ashamed of my past behaviors and attitudes... I can't imagine sending my child off to school every morning knowing his books might be thrown about, his gym clothes torn, that he would be shoved, pushed and insulted day after day. I can't imagine going to school and facing that sort of thing on a daily basis.' " It also presents results to the 1995 Seattle Teen Health Risk Survey: "Gay teens were twice as likely to have seriously considered suicide, three times more likely to attempt suicide and four times more likely to have made an attempt serious enough to require treatment from a doctor or nurse." Various presented solutions include the Massachusetts Board of Education resolution "that encourages all districts in the state to develop policies protecting gay and lesbian students from harassment and violence, to offer training to school staff in violence and suicide prevention, to convene school-based support groups for gay, lesbian and heterosexual students and to provide school-based counseling for family members of gay and lesbian students." The embracing of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender student rights usually depends on sympathetic administrators and school board members. Largely uneducated about gay and lesbian issues, school board members and administrators can only take stabs in the dark at doing the right thing, usually not an effective strategy. This article arms them with balanced information, of which they are in dire need. Perhaps this article will inspire a school board member somewhere to stand up for the often ignored safety of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students. Please thank California Schools for providing vitally important information to their readers who are in need of accurate and inclusive information about lesbian, gay and bisexual students. Contact: Kevin Swartzendruber, Editor, California Schools, California School Boards Association, 3100 Beacon Boulevard, West Sacramento, CA 95691. 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. Contact GLAAD by e-mail at glaad@glaad.org or by phone at 213.658.6775 (Los Angeles), 212.807.1700 (New York), 415.861.2244 (San Francisco), 202.986.1360 (Washington, DC), 404.607.1204 (Atlanta) and 319.472.4520 (Kansas City) 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 "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are registered trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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. 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