Date: Wed, 12 Mar 1997 16:04:12 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: SPECIAL ONLINE GLAADALERT - RELIGIOUS RADICALS ATTACK AMERICAN AIRLINES SPECIAL ONLINE GLAADALERT RELIGIOUS RADICALS ATTACK AMERICAN AIRLINES A new anti-gay campaign by radical religious hate groups threatens to ground American Airlines for their support of lesbian and gay consumers. The radical religious hate groups recently sent a manifesto the airline's president, Robert L. Crandall, that categorized gay men and lesbians as "immoral, unhealthy and destructive to individuals, families and societies." The anti-gay groups, American Family Association, Family Research Council, Concerned Women of America and Coral Ridge Ministries, demanded that American Airlines drop its support for its lesbian and gay customers and employees. The radical religious groups also targeted American for its sponsorship of programs and events associated with GLAAD and the Human Rights Campaign. The hate groups have announced they will attempt to flood the airline with letters of protest. The groups are also speaking out against American, spreading lies and misinformation about the lesbian and gay community. In recent years, American Airlines as well as hundreds of other American corporations have recognized the diversity of their consumes and employees. American Airlines sponsors a number of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender organizations, has given financial support to a number of community events and has specific marketing programs directed at lesbian and gay travelers. Additionally, American was the first airline to adopt a written non-discrimination policy which includes sexual orientation. "For these anti-gay groups to single out American Airlines is both offensive and misguided," said GLAAD Managing Director William Waybourn. "Corporate America continues to appreciate not only their lesbian and gay employees, but our community at large. GLAAD is proud to recognize a record number of companies who are sponsoring the 1997 GLAAD Media Awards." Please write American Airlines and let them know that you support their work with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Contact: Robert L. Crandall, President, American Airlines, P.O. Box 619612, MD 2400 DFW Airport, TX 75261-9612, phone: 817.967.2000, fax: 817.967.2000, e-mail: webmaster@amrcorp.com. Joining American Airlines in supporting the 1997 GLAAD Media Awards are these other corporate sponsors: A&E Network ABC Television Absolut Air France Alfred Dunhill American Express AT&T Capitol Records Castle Rock Entertainment CBS Entertainment Chase Manhattan Bank CompuServe - Pride Media Donna Karan Doubleday Books Dreamworks SKG Dutton Books Eastman Kodak Company Geffen Records GTE Gucci Harper Collins Home Box Office House of Seagram Hyatt Regency IBM Ikea Joe Boxer Kenneth Cole Landmark Theatre Corp. Latham & Watkins Mediapolis, Inc. Mellon Private Asset Management Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Miller Brewing Company Miramax Films Mistic Beverages MTV Networks NBC, Inc. Neiman-Marcus Neutrogena Pacific Bell Paramount Pictures Penguin, USA People Weekly Magazine Philip Morris Companies, Inc. See's Candies Showtime Networks, Inc. Simon & Schuster Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP Sony Pictures Entertainment The Gap The Walt Disney Company Ticketmaster Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. Twentieth Century Fox Television United Artists Universal Studios Vintage Books Virgin Atlantic Airways Virgin Records Warner Brothers Wells Fargo Bank ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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. TO JOIN GLAAD AND RECEIVE GLAAD's DISPATCH AND QUARTERLY IMAGES MAGAZINE, call 1.800.GAY.MEDIA or join on the Web today at www.glaad.org/glaad/join/join-about.html TO SUBSCRIBE TO GLAAD-Net, GLAAD's electronic mailing list, send e-mail to majordomo@vector.casti.com with the message "Subscribe GLAAD-Net" TO UNSUBSCRIBE, send e-mail to majordomo@vector.casti.com with the message "Unsubscribe GLAAD-Net" GLAAD is the nation's 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 discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are registered trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc.