Date: Fri, 7 Nov 1997 16:20:16 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADAlert 11.07.97 GLAADALERT November 7, 1997 The GLAADAlert is the weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Chicago Hope's Doctor Is Out The November 5 Chicago Hope episode ended with a bang as one of the regular doctors came out to one of the principal characters. During the episode, Dr. Aaron Shutt (Adam Arkin) comes to terms with being a top surgeon who can no longer perform surgery due to a medical condition. In addition, Dr. Dennis Hancock (Vondie Curtis-Hall) grapples with a white mentor who reacts with hostility and to the realization that one of the mentor's ancestors might be black, and wants to keep it a secret. At the end of the program, Shutt and Hancock watch a surgery together from the observation deck. "You know who you are, outside of being a doctor?" Shutt asks Hancock. "I'm a guy who does charity work, restores antique cars, jog ten miles a day, collect first editions, I'm gay," Hancock replies. "Do other people know this?" Shutt asks. "Some do, some speculate, others let it be my business," Hancock says. The career-driven Dr. Shutt, forced to slow down due to his condition, says, "Should I have known this?" Hancock replies, "You weren't paying attention to anything or anybody. I got something else to tell you. I'm black." Shutt laughs, saying, "Yeah, I got that. Wow. I really have not been at the party, have I?" Hancock smiles, and says, "No, but you're here now. Welcome to it." The moment is tender, real and speaks volumes to the themes which run throughout the episode about secrets, shame and self-identity. Folded into the storyline, Dr. Hancock's coming out as gay shows his own courage and honesty and a newfound reason to be out after the disillusioning reaction of his mentor to the concept that an ancestor might have been black. The mentor chooses to hide from an aspect of himself he feels society will ostracize, while Dr. Hancock finds strength in his difference. He uses this strength to help comfort Dr. Shutt as he deals with rebuilding his identity as something more integrated than just "surgeon." Please commend CBS for a sensitive coming out story, and for celebrating diversity through bringing a person of color out of the closet. In light of Fox's recent cancellation of 413 Hope Street, CBS has created one of only two non-white gay characters currently on television. Contact: Leslie Moonves, President, CBS Entertainment, CBS, 7800 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles CA 90036, e-mail marketing@cbs.com. Navy Times Sinks Anti-Gay Military Policy An op-ed from the November 10 Navy Times by a 10-year Marine officer using the pseudonym "Buster Pittman" rails against the costly and aggressive attack on lesbians and gay men in the military. "The ban that prevents gays and lesbians from serving openly in the U.S. military is an unjustifiable violation of the principles of freedom upon which this country was established," he says. "Once upon a time, the Defense Department banned gays and lesbians because they department believed [they] posed a security risk. After the Pentagon's own studies concluded that gays and lesbians were less likely to violate security regulations than heterosexuals, DoD dropped that line of reasoning and resorted to the nebulous assertion that 'homosexual is incompatible with military service.' Under close scrutiny, that is as ludicrous as the old policy," he notes, pointing to the exemplary records of many gay servicemembers who have come out, from Leonard Matlovich to Margarethe Cammermeyer. "Change the rule. The rule is wrong. We have had rules in the past that were wrong and our leaders had the moral courage to change them, he says. "Like it or not, you already shower and live with homosexual men and women. Gays and lesbians have been in the military since Alexander the Great, and will continue to be in the military as long as recruiters keep their doors open." Lastly, he says, "According to the General Accounting Office, the cost of discharging gay servicemembers from 1980-1995 was $606,346,192, not adjusted for inflation. If we had changed the rules in 1980, we could have built new barracks, bought more jets, upgraded our communications equipment and outfitted our Marines with top-quality packs, helmets, sleeping bags and boots." The Navy Times should be commended for allowing this important and articulate indictment of "Don't ask, don't tell" and the other anti-gay military policies which preceded it. The fact that "Buster Pittman" has to use a pseudonym speaks volumes to how difficult it is for military officials to speak out against the policy and the real fear of retribution they face. Let the Navy Times know that they should continue this dialogue now that it has begun, with a full investigation into the supposed merits of discrimination against lesbians and gay men in the military. Contact: Mail Call, Navy Times, Springfield, VA 22159-0170, e-mail: navylet@atpco.com. Smart Magazine, Foolish Advice In the November 1997 issue of Ebony Magazine, the "Ebony Advisor" answers a question from a woman concerned about HIV by trotting out inaccurate information about bisexuals. The woman, who identifies herself as 23 years old, states that a "little voice inside me is telling me I have AIDS.[...] My life would be over and everything I've worked for would be a waste." The Advisor tells the woman to seek counseling, and says there's no reason for her to think she may be HIV-positive if she has not engaged in risk behavior, "including unprotected sex with partners who are high risk, such as...bisexuals." The Advisor then goes on to suggest the woman be tested, and do some research on transmission. The mention of bisexuals as a "high-risk group" was frequently heard in the early years of the AIDS crisis, when risk groups were often vilified and demonized by the press and the public, who knew little about how HIV was transmitted and assumed that bisexual men, more "promiscuous" than the "general population," would infect heterosexual women with the virus. As HIV education has taken the place of ignorance, it is now understood that it is not the sexual orientation of a sexual partner but the unprotected activities you engage in that matter. The continuing stereotypes and lack of information around bisexuality obviously got the best of Ebony Advisor. Instead of taking the opportunity to educate this woman about condom use and safer sex, the Advisor shirks its responsibility and promulgates the misguided and hurtful belief that bisexual men are somehow more "risky" than others. This is even more alarming when viewed in light of Ebony's past record on lesbian and gay issues, which has been quite good. Tell Ebony that subscribing to myths about bisexuals helps no one, and hurts many. Contact: Lerone Bennett, Jr., Executive Editor, Ebony 820 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago IL 30305-2103, fax (312) 322 9375 Spin City Flies Under the Gaydar On the November 7 episode of Spin City, uses humor to challenge stereotypes when openly gay Director of Minority Affairs Carter Heywood (Michael Boatman) is asked to help identify the sexual orientation of the Mayor's (Barry Bostwick) nephew. The Mayor explains that it doesn't matter whether he is gay or straight, they just want him to settle down and can't tell if they need to be looking for a boyfriend or a girlfriend for him. When Carter meets the nephew, he observes a fabulously funny and flamboyant man with a slight lisp cat calling to a woman on the street. Although the nephew has only paid attention to the women in the room, the rest of the Mayor's staff identify him by the stereotypes and think that he is gay as well. So, the Mayor asks Carter to talk to his nephew privately. Carter goes up to the nephew and says matter-of-factly, "You're straight, aren't you?" The nephew, impressed that Carter was able to figure it out, drops his facade and asks, "How did you know?" Carter replies, "You were just a little too Liberace." The nephew explains how his parents have been driving him crazy trying to set him up with both men or women. He thought by being ambiguous, he would get them off his back. Please write ABC and Spin City and let them know you appreciate the humorous approach to challenging stereotypes. Contact: Jamie Tarses, Entertainment President, ABC, 2040 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, CA 90037, phone: 310.557.7777 (ask to be connected to the Audience Information Line), fax: 310.557.7679, e-mail: abcaudr@abc.com Sweeps Month Ellen Promises Provocative Programming Lesbian parenting, internalized homophobia, Emma Thompson and an evolving romantic life are in store for Ellen Morgan during the November sweeps month on ABC. During the November 12 episode, Ellen deals with her own internalized homophobia when she meets her new girlfriend Laurie's daughter. While Ellen feels like she needs to dance around her sexual orientation and her relationship to the girl's mother, the girl sees things very differently. On the November 19 episode, shade of the original star-studded coming out episode return as Oscar-award winner Emma Thompson and Sean Penn guest star to lend their support to the show and its innovative storylines. In the program, Emma Thompson plays herself, but as a lesbian. Sean Penn also does a comedic turn. Meanwhile, the November 26 episode is the one with the controversial scene with Ellen and Laurie shown walking into Ellen's bedroom. Continue to let ABC know that the program's consistent quality, humor and exploration of the main character's sexual orientation is valuable and noteworthy, but let them know that you, GLAAD and America are still watching to see if they continue to keep the on-again, off-again double-standard parental advisory on Ellen--encourage ABC to put the advisory to bed once and for all. Contact: Jamie Tarses, Entertainment President, ABC, 2040 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, CA 90037, phone: 310.557.7777 (ask to be connected to the Audience Information Line), fax: 310.557.7679, e-mail: abcaudr@abc.com Paper Highlights Lone Star Lesbian Sheriff The October 29 Dallas Morning News had an excellent news feature on openly lesbian Travis County (Texas) Sheriff Margo Frasier. "Without ever meaning to, Margo Frasier has assembled a string of firsts for herself--the first female lieutenant in the Travis County Sheriff's Department; the first captain; the first female Travis County sheriff; and oh, yes, coincidentally, the first openly gay Travis County sheriff," the story begins. The profile integrates her sexual orientation into the rest of what makes Frasier the person and cop she is, including mention of "her analytical side, her tough side...[and] a droll wit that comes from being so closely aligned to law enforcement." It discusses how she broke down gender barriers not specifically as a civil rights cause, but mainly because she just wanted the jobs. "'I mean, if the job is there and you're a good match for it, why shouldn't you have it if you're qualified?' Sheriff Frasier says with a shrug. ' I don't think gender, race or anything other than qualifications should be criteria for being whatever it is you want to be.'" In addition to her professional life, it discusses her family, including her partner and their four-year-old daughter. The Dallas Morning News profile of Sheriff Frasier interviews peers, co-workers, family and officials to give a full picture of the work she does, and the courageous person she is. It avoids the tired trap of feeling compelled to interview anti-gay bigots for "balance," and because of it, provides a well-rounded and intelligent feature. Please thank the Dallas Morning News for a great profile of an outstanding individual. Contact: Ralph Langer, Editor, Dallas Morning News, PO Box 655237, Dallas TX 75265-5237, fax 214 977 8319, e-mail national@dallasnews.com Salon Selectives In the November 3 issue of the online magazine Salon writer David Horowitz manipulates the gay community's debate around public sex to bash gay men and sexual freedom. According to Horowitz, "The real source of the problem [of the recent rise in gonorrhea rates among gay men] is the re-emergence of a bathouse-sex club subculture that fosters large cohorts of promiscuous strangers spreading the infection in urban gay centers. Cowed by the politically correct activists who have crippled the battle against AIDS, the media have turned a blind eye to the rash of new sex clubs and refuse to make the connection that AIDS is as much a behavioral as a clinical disease." He also feels those men who defend the desire for anonymous sex or multiple partners are "perverse at best, and accessor[ries] to murder at worst." He also maintains that the academic backgrounds of some of the spokesmen for Sex Panic!, a group advocating for open discussion about and the maintenance of public sex spaces belies the fact that "universities routinely provide a political platform for...sexual extremists." Horowitz refuses to examine and discuss the complex issues around sexual behavior and HIV, instead piggybacking on the recent debate within the gay male community to promote his own anti-gay agenda. He fails to note how no evidence exists that nonmonogamy leads to HIV infection in any greater proportion than serial monogamy; how there are important differences between sex clubs and bathhouses in terms of the capacity to enforce safe sex behavior; and how finally, and most importantly, how what causes HIV transmission is unprotected sexual contact with an HIV-positive individual, regardless of the number of partners or the type of place you choose to have sex in. Instead, Horowitz calls one side of the debate "perverse" and "accessories to murder." Horowitz has attacked gay people before, writing a previous column on same-sex marriage that, among other things, said that gay children would never be equal to straight children within a family, and that being "abnormal" is the American way, and that's a perfectly good reasons to deny lesbian and gay men marriage rights. Please write Salon, and ask them to consider having a gay male columnist respond to David Horowitz's misinformation. His leaps in logic to fulfill his own preconceived anti-gay notions perpetrates defamation, and enlightens no one. Contact: David Talbot, Editor/Chief Executive Officer, Salon, 706 Mission Street, Second Floor, San Francisco CA 94103, fax 415 882 8731, e-mail salon@salonmagazine.com, WWW: http://www.salon1999.com/contact Tribune Tribute Honors Gay Journalist On November 1, longtime Chicago gay columnist Jon-Henri Damski died, and while several local papers honored his passing with obituaries, the Chicago Tribune featured a personal and touching November 5 column from a fellow journalist. "For several years, I've kept Jon-Henri Damski's letters in the middle drawer of my office desk. I was never quite sure why," Tribune columnist Mary Schmich writes. "In his letters, as in his life, words tumbled from him like confetti." She goes on to describe Damski as she knew him, as a friend to a diverse group of people, from hustlers to activists to politicians. She applauded a recent Chicago City Council resolution honoring him as "Chicago's quintessential queer thinker and gay writer." "Damski was more than a writer for gays," she writes. "Dyslexic and schizophrenic, he had a gift for soundbites, and his thoughts, which he composed by the hundreds, were not so much queer as human: Eros is what you do under the blanket. Love is the blanket; What I say is not always true. What is true I don't always think of; My only objection to monarchy is that I might not be king." Finally, she says, "I know now why I saved those letters. As the legions who knew him and read him will testify, Chicago has never seen anyone quite like him." Please thank Mary Schmich and the Chicago Tribune for a touching memorial to a longtime gay columnist. Contact: Mary Schmich, Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611, fax: 312.222.2598, e-mail: tribletter@aol.com. DP Policies Are "Management Smarts" For Entrepreneur The November 1997 issue of Entrepreneur magazine featured a good brass-tacks discussion of domestic partnership policies as good business. "When the Walt Disney Co. began offering benefits to the domestic partners of its homosexual employees, it came under fire from many conservative groups. But few companies get that kind of attention for making an internal policy decision--in fact, most businesses implement domestic partner benefit programs without so much as a public ripple," it begins. It gives a number of tips, such as "Determine who will be eligible," "Decide on the proof required to show that a committed relationship exists," and "Research and explain the costs." It adds that, "Companies have viewed domestic partner benefits as an important tool in employee retention and maintaining a positive corporate image....Utilization of domestic partner insurance coverage has been much lower than anticipations, probably because working domestic partners tend to get health insurance through their own employers." Please commend Entrepreneur for matter-of-factly explaining the ins and outs of domestic partnership and sticking to facts instead of anti-gay fictions. Contact: Rieva Lesonsky, Editor in Chief, Entrepreneur, PO Box 57050, Irvine CA 92619-7050, fax (714) 261 4211, e-mail: entmag@entrepreneurmag.com The GLAADAlert is the weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. GLAAD promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation in the media as a means of challenging homophobia and 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), and 404.607.1204 (Atlanta) Feel free to pass GLAADAlert on to friends, family and associates! 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