Date: Fri, 27 Mar 1998 19:24:24 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADAlert March 27, 1998 GLAADALERT March 27, 1998 The GLAADAlert is the weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation White Is A Real "Cheesehead" During a shocking March 25 speech to the Wisconsin Legislature, Green Bay Packers player Reggie White accused the U.S. of going away from God by allowing homosexuality to "run rampant." White said, "homosexuality is a decision, it's not a race. People from all different ethnic backgrounds live in this lifestyle. But people from all different ethnic backgrounds also are liars and cheaters and malicious and back-stabbing." He then said, "I've often had people ask me, 'Would you allow a homosexual to be your friend?' Yes I will. And the reason is because I know that that person has problems. If I can minister to those problems, I will. But the Bible strictly speaks against it." He then explained that God had created different races for different reasons. Blacks, he said, are gifted at worship and celebration, while whites are good at organization. "Hispanics were gifted in family structure, and you can see a Hispanic person, and they can put 20, 30 people in one home," he said, adding that the Japanese and other Asians are inventive and "can turn a television into a watch." Assembly Speaker Scott Jenson had invited White, who is also an ordained minister, to speak about his community work. Jenson said that sexual orientation is biologically based, and not a decision. Ironically, White has received the prestigious Tolerance Award of the Simon Wisenthal Center "for his commitment to fostering tolerance and pursuing his vision for a better America." While he later claimed his comments were about "coming together as a society" and not meant to stereotype the races, he explicitly stereotyped races and equated being gay with lying, cheating, and malicious and back-stabbing behavior. "I'm absolutely appalled that someone of White's stature would be so insensitive to a group that has faced so much discrimination and bigotry," said openly gay ex-Green Bay Packer Dave Kopay. GLAAD Executive Director Joan M. Garry said, "White's stardom gives him influence over millions of youth and adult fans. I am shocked that he would irresponsibly use his voice in such a damaging manner. White's assertion that being lesbian or gay is a malicious 'lifestyle' akin to dishonesty and cruelty is bizarre, wrong-headed and factually inaccurate. GLAAD calls upon him to apologize for his divisive and hurtful comments and asks the National Football League (NFL) and the Green Bay Packers to separate themselves from White's prejudicial views." Insist that the Green Bay Packers and the NFL take a stand for inclusion, understanding and true diversity by denouncing White's divisive and ignorant comments. In addition, ask Campbell's Soup, for whom White is a spokesperson, if this is the kind of message they want to endorse. Also, encourage CBS Sports, who is currently considering hiring White as a sports commentator, to seriously reconsider in light of these disturbing comments. Contact: … Ron Wolf, General Manager, Green Bay Packers, 1265 Lombardi Ave., Green Bay, WI, 54304, e-mail via WWW: http://www.packers.com/fans/ask_the_packers/ … Bob Hartlan, Owner, Green Bay Packers, P.O. Box 10628, Green Bay, WI 54307, phone: 920.496.5700 … Gene Upshaw, President, NFL Players Association, 2021 L Street NW, Washington, DC 20036, phone: 202.463.2200 … National Football League (NFL), e-mail: nfltech@aeromail.com … Consumer Relations, Campbell's Soup Corporation, Campbell's Place, Box 26B, Camden, NJ 08103, phone: 800.257.8443, e-mail via WWW: http://www.campbellkitchen.com/response1.asp … Sean McManus, Sports President, CBS Sports, 524 West 57th St., New York, NY 10019-2902, fax: 212.975.4063, e-mail via WWW: http://www.cbs.com/navbar/feedback.html 60 Minutes' Queer Sense of Queer Studies From the moment Mike Wallace began his March 22 60 Minutes report on queer studies, his bias was explicitly clear: "It may surprise you that before we begin this report on a growing field in academia, that we'd have to give you a parental warning, but you should be on notice that some of what you're about to see-indeed some of what is being taught on college campuses today-is for mature audiences only." Wallace leads off the story with a controversy last fall over a SUNY-New Paltz conference on women's sexual freedom. He interviews arch-conservative anti-feminist activist Candace Derussy, identified only as "a trustee of the college" in the story. She derides the conference as a "travesty," calling it a "platform for lesbian sex, for public sadomasochism, anal sex, bisexuality and masturbation." Interviewing the president of the college, Wallace goes on the aggressive, indignantly reading from a pamphlet called "Safer Sex Handbook for Lesbians," and commenting, "Please give me a break! This is the academy?" During a discussion of gay history with historians, Wallace gives them time to explain the value of their work without editorializing. "But at the other end of the spectrum," Wallace warns, "we found more debatable scholarship." Wallace sits in on a class where sexuality and power are discussed, and after the professor explains "butch/femme" and "top/bottom" dynamics, Wallace quips, "It was difficult for me to understand how this discussion belonged in a college English class." While he interviews celebrated queer theorist Michael Warner, he also gives significant time to Roger Kimball, managing editor of the arch-conservative journal The New Criterion. Wallace allows Kimball to ramble on about how reports about a lack of education among students is somehow related to "the total politicization of the curriculum," as he calls queer studies. Wallace says, "Wait, total politicization?" When Kimball changes it to "extreme politicization," Wallace fails to follow up with any questioning of how the "politicization" of those seeking to include queer studies is any different than the "politicization" of people like Kimball and Derussy, who fight to exclude and silence academic perspectives outside of their own. Far from objective, Wallace and 60 Minutes irresponsibly make the issue of queer studies far more sensationalistic and lurid than it actually is. Instead of seeing the importance of providing a pamphlet to lesbians, for example, on the issue of safer sex, he sees the work as "dirty" and somehow beneath a university setting. His discomfort with the subject matter outweighs his journalistic integrity. In the past few years, Wallace has expressed regret over his involvement in a 1967 CBS documentary called "The Homosexuals" that was the original "homosexuals behind potted plants" story, noting that at the time, he lacked the perspective to see gay people as anything more than stigmatized, marginalized, ashamed people. Hopefully, he will soon recognize that the same ill-informed bias was at play in this story. Let CBS and 60 Minutes know that this kind of sensationalistic journalism is beneath such an esteemed program. Contact: … Andrew Heyward, News President, CBS Television Network, 524 West 57th St., New York, NY 10019-2902, fax: 212.975.9387 … Don Hewitt, Executive Producer, 60 Minutes, 555 West 57th St., New York, NY 10019-2925, fax: 212.975.2019 Chicago Hope Goes to Court For Lesbians The March 25 episode of CBS' Chicago Hope featured a compassionate storyline about a lesbian whose partner is excluded from the decision-making process regarding her hospital care. On the episode Rita McGrath's doctor, Dr. Jack McNeil (Mark Harmon) realizes that her leg has become gangrenous and recommends an amputation. But Rita's partner, Dorothy Carlson (Jenny O'Hara), insists Rita would not have wanted it, and refuses to agree to the surgery. When Rita's brother, Jeff (James McDonnell), comes down to the hospital and approves surgery, Dorothy explains to Dr. McNeil and Chief of Staff Philip Waters (Hector Elizondo), that Jeff has never approved of her relationship with Rita. Waters informs her that hospital policy leaves decisions up to family members. Dorothy takes the issue to court, but loses the case because of Dr. McNeil's testimony, in which he says that medically speaking, the amputation is the best course of action. As he is leaving the courtroom, Jeff approaches Dr. McNeil and says that he's glad the court saw Rita and Dorothy's relationship the same way he did, saying that "you can't just put a ring on your finger and call yourselves a family." Dr. McNeil, visibly upset by Jeff's comments, tells Jeff that Rita is really lucky to have someone who cares for her the way that Dorothy does, and that he wishes he had someone so special. In the end, Jeff stops the amputation from happening, and while he still will not speak to Rita directly, he demonstrates some compassion and humanity. This episode illustrates one of the most upsetting problems that exist for same-sex couples in our society who are denied the basic rights of family granted through civil marriage. Lesbian and gay people are constantly excluded from the process of decision-making in crisis situations, even when they are involved in committed, long-term relationships. Please thank CBS and the producers of Chicago Hope for including this heartfelt look at a serious issue and encourage them to continue their bold tradition of inclusion. Contact: … Leslie Moonves, Entertainment President, CBS Television Network, 7800 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036-2165, e-mail: audsvcs@cbs.com, or call the automated viewer response line: 212.975.3247 or 212.975.3248 (these lines may ring many times, but they will pick up eventually); … John Tinker and Bill D'Elia, Producers, Chicago Hope, c/o 20th Century Fox, 10201 W. Pico Blvd., Trailer 773, Los Angeles, CA 90035, fax: 310.969.1222. Politically Incorrect's Bill Maher Shows His Trans-Ignorance In the March 19 telecast of ABC's Politically Incorrect, host Bill Maher tackled the subject of transgenderism. Maher focused his negative remarks on Alex Myers, a transgendered man at Harvard University, who has courageously and publicly come out on campus and advocated for inclusion of transgender in Harvard's anti-discrimination policy. In a display of his ignorance regarding transgendered people, Maher expressed amazement that Myers could gender-transition without hormonal therapy and surgery. Maher repeatedly questioned the validity of Myers' gender identity, referring to him as "she" or "it." His comments mocked Myers' physical appearance and commitment to his gender. Guest Sally Jesse Raphael repeatedly attempted to correct Maher, who often twisted what accurate information she provided for humorous effect. He expressed a belief that transgendered men are confused lesbians with masculine gender expressions. "This person is saying, 'I'm a man.' And he has a girlfriend. And they say they have heterosexual sex. I think if you dress like a man and have sex with a woman, you're a lesbian," he said. Maher also viewed Myers' transgender identity without hormones or surgery as a unique case, exposing his ignorance of the many other transgendered people who, like Myers, are coming out in increasing numbers everywhere. Let Bill Maher know that there is certainly more than "one" of "these" transgendered persons in the world, and tell ABC that Maher's ill-informed and hurtful comments contribute to the discrimination that transgendered people and their families already face. Contact: … Bill Maher, Host, Politically Incorrect, 7800 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036, fax: 213.852.4517, e-mail via WWW: http://www.abc.com/pi/talkback/talk_index.html … Jamie Tarses, Entertainment President, ABC, 2040 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, CA 90037, e-mail: netaudr@abc.com, or call ABC at: 310.557.7777 (ask to be connected to their audience response line) Exceptional Primary Lesbian Is Nothing Special Kathy Bates plays the dynamic lesbian political player Libby Holden in Primary Colors, the movie based on the Joe Klein novel modeled generally on Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential run. Holden is a no-nonsense lesbian whose idealistic, though not naive, belief in politicians only leads to disaster. In her initial scene she introduces herself and immediately hires a young woman, "the one who looks like Winona Ryder," as her assistant. The next time they are seen it is clear that they are lovers and happy to be together. Throughout the film, Holden's sexual orientation is no more significant than any of the other characters', and her relationship is portrayed as a matter of fact without any attempt to explain or justify its existence. In other words, she is represented just as all of the characters in the film are, and her sexual orientation is as distinct as it is unremarkable. Please let Universal Pictures and the film's executive producers know how much you appreciate this kind of fair and accurate representation. Contact: … Universal Pictures, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, LA 91608 … Neil Machlis and Jonathan D. Krane, Executive Producers, Primary Colors, 650 N. Bronson Avenue, Clinton Building, Los Angeles, CA 90004, fax: 213.871.5684. POLO Looks At Lesbian's Need for Speed The March/April issue of POLO Magazine, an upscale sports magazine, features an excellent article on Joe Carstairs, a lesbian speedboat champion in the 1920s. "In The Queen of Whale Cay (The Eccentric Story of 'Joe' Carstairs, Fastest Woman on Water), author Kate Summerscale provides a fascinating answer for the question: Why would an extremely wealthy, cross-dressing lesbian speedboat champion from Britain come to Detroit to seek her destiny?," it begins. The article discusses this forgotten figure, a Standard Oil heiress who was "one of the most beguiling, strange and yet wonderfully winning characters in the history of speed [boating]." It added, "By the age of 16, Marion [Joe] Carstairs already knew that there were two experiences capable of making her feel more alive and vital than any other-the risk of death and sex with other women," the article says, recounting her later affairs with a fellow Red Cross ambulance driver in wartime France, Dolly Wilde (niece of Oscar), Tallulah Bankhead and Marlene Dietrich. By the end of the Twenties, the article says, "reporters began making pointed references to her tattoos, muscled arms, even the way she smoked. Summerscale suggests there was a drift toward strong anti-homosexual sentiment in popular opinion." The article then recounts Carstairs' retirement to a Bahaman island she bought and used as her own kingdom until the 1960s, when the locals demanded autonomy and she fled to Miami, where she lived until her death. POLO Magazine presents this amazing woman for what she was, without any criticism or sensationalization of her sexual orientation. The magazine tells Carstairs story in a way in which sexual orientation is properly seen as just one of many facets of this amazing historical personality. Please commend POLO for seeing Carstairs for the historical gem she is. Contact: Steve Connatser, Editor-in-Chief, POLO Magazine, 8214 Westchester Drive, Suite 850, Dallas, TX 75225, fax: 214.369.7987. Florida Paper Recounts Radical Religious Folly A March 26 St. Petersburg Times column by associate editor Martin Dyckman revealed how radical religious hysteria over same-sex marriage led to all people of faith losing a crucial vote in the Florida state Legislature. "Hell itself must not terrify the religious right half as much as homosexuality does," Dyckman begins. "For fear of same-sex marriage, the movement has sacrificed an opportunity to write the Religious Freedom Restoration Act into Florida's Constitution. Organizations representing virtually all faiths are disappointed." He then explains that the Constitution Revision Commission planned a straightforward vote on March 23 which would change the phrase "physical handicap" to "physical disability," prohibit discrimination based on "national origin," ensure gender equity by stating "All natural persons, female and male alike, are equal before the law," and protect religious freedom in the Constitution. "But John Dowless, executive director of the Christian Coalition of Florida, vowed to oppose the package [during the November general election] if gender equity were a part of it....The Christian Coalition-but no one else-contends it to be a possible loophole for same-sex unions," he writes. Through one commissioner who serves as a mouthpiece for the radical religious group, a new vote was brought on the items, even though a previous one had approved them. In the process, everything made it through except the religious freedom measure. "The measure would have succeeded had it remained coupled with the gender equity provision," he writes, adding that everyone from fellow commissioners to law professors called the "same-sex marriage issue unfounded, unlikely and irrational...in other words, a red herring." He ends by questioning the radical religious group's true intention, noting that: "Barely two years before the 21st century, there would no longer be any doubt as to the equality of women and men in Florida. That, some people might say, is the real reason why the Christian Coalition opposes it." Please commend the St. Petersburg Times for this thoughtful analysis of the attacks on religious freedom and basic equality presented by the Christian Coalition's narrow view of America. Contact: Phil Gailey, Editorial Page Editor, St. Petersburg Times, 490 First Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33701-4204, fax: 813.893.8675, e-mail: letters@sptimes.com Hickory Daily Record Editorial Sticks to Anti-Gay Myths The March 22 Hickory [North Carolina] Daily Record uses its editorial page as a bully pulpit to espouse stunning ignorance and anti-gay hostility. "In their own lives, the vast majority of Americans avoid the homosexual lifestyle," it states. It then claims the "pro-homosexual movement depends heavily" on the concept that sexual orientation is inborn. "However, the more you understand these arguments, the more you see they are based more on wishful thinking and ideology than on scientific truth," it warns. It then explains that while some "propensities toward homosexuality" may be inborn, for others "a propensity may arise through environmental factors...like childhood rape. For the majority [though], the desire can be overcome." It then claims that the radical religious group Exodus International, "provides abundant evidence that treated homosexuals can and do escape from their so-called 'immutable' condition. The statement that homosexuals cannot change is a lie. And tragically, the repetition of this lie through the media, pro-homosexual groups, and even some churches convinces many unhappy homosexuals that they are stuck in a lifestyle they hate." Feeling it has "proved" this point, it then asks, as a choice, why is homosexuality "any worse than heterosexuality?" It claims as "fact" that "practicing homosexuals life span is significantly shorter than heterosexuals; a vastly disproportionate share of sex crimes, including pedophilia, are homosexual acts; and in part because of their high promiscuity, male homosexuals suffer disproportionately from venereal diseases....Statistics reveal a trend that...heterosexuality is far preferable to homosexuality." It seems GLAAD will forever be restating how nonsense like this gets confused for "fact" by those who wish to believe it based on their own bias against gay people. First, true experts in the field now agree that regardless of whether sexual orientation is purely genetic, environmental or a combination of the two, it is not a "choice," but an orientation as immutable as heterosexuality. Certainly "childhood rape" has nothing to do with it. Second, Exodus is hardly a credible source, considering how many serious psychologists and even people within their own ranks, including the groups founders, have renounced the group. Third, the lifespan claim is based on shoddy, agenda-driven research done by the anti-gay Paul Cameron, who was thrown out of the American Psychological Association for this unethical study; the "child molestation" claim comes from assuming all sex crimes committed by men on boys are therefore about gay predators, though such acts are about power, not desire or sexual orientation, and study upon study has shown nearly all sexual predators of boys and girls are heterosexual men; and the transmission of venereal diseases comes from unsafe sex, not the number of partners nor the genders nor sexual orientations of those involved. Tell the Hickory Daily Record that claiming anti-gay propaganda as "fact" discredits the journalistic reputation of its editors and the newspaper itself. Contact: Craig Brelsford, Editorial Page Editor, Hickory Daily Record, 1100 Park Place, 11th Ave. SE, Hickory, NC 28602, fax: 704.324.8179. 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), 404.607.1204 (Atlanta) and 816.756.5991 (Kansas City) Feel free to pass GLAADAlert on to friends, family and associates! Report defamation in the media by calling GLAAD's Toll-Free AlertLine! 1-800-GAY-MEDIA (1-800-429-6334) Visit GLAAD Online at http://www.glaad.org "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are registered trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc. 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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 a national organization that 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.