Date: Fri, 17 Apr 1998 20:01:32 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADAlert April 17, 1998 GLAADALERT April 17, 1998 The GLAADAlert is the weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation ABC Buries Two of Final Ellen Episodes On April 15, ABC decided to dump two newly taped episodes of the award-winning sitcom Ellen and air only the season's-and likely the show's-finale. The final, hour-long Ellen will air on May 13, with Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place filling the earlier two time slots that Ellen was originally expected to fill. Adding insult to injury, the April 15 Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place presented stereotypical representations of gay men. Ellen's imminent cancellation has been the topic of much speculation in the media, Hollywood and for a devoted nationwide audience. ABC's sudden decision came as a shock to the beleaguered show and for millions of fans. "American viewers deserve and expect to see Ellen's remaining season in its entirety," said Joan M. Garry, GLAAD Executive Director. "I am extremely disappointed in the network's decision to deny the viewing public this quality program. For months ABC has claimed that they stand behind the show. If this is how they support their programming, it is certainly a 'unique' approach." ABC may decide to show the unaired episodes sometime this summer. Urge ABC to make good on their commitment to Ellen and air the final three episodes in their entirety, if not in May, at least during the summer. Also, let them know how you feel about their handling of the entire situation. Contact: 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 and ask to be connected to their audience response line Offensive Gay Stereotypes on Brooklyn South In the unfortunate tradition of action-adventure and police dramas, the April 13 Brooklyn South relied on two offensively gay stereotype characters, Esteban and Lloyd, to bolster the macho attitudes of the police department around which the show revolves. On the episode, Esteban and Lloyd get into an argument and Esteban walks out. Lloyd then tells the police that Esteban has a gun and is threatening to use it. The police bust into his apartment and Esteban shrieks and cowers the entire time that the police are there. One of the officers asks another officer if he found a gun. The officer replies, "No, but he has a bunch of stuffed animals on his bed." Everyone rolls their eyes. The police leave and Esteban tells them not to worry about anything and that he will get his busted door fixed. Another officer rolls his eyes and says sarcastically, "fabulous." Later, Lloyd and Esteban are reunited and find out that someone has kidnapped their dog and is threatening to kill it if they do not give him money. The police do not believe them and the two start whimpering and crying. While the police find out it is true, it is not before the program milks the "flamboyant fag" joke until it is dry. The two get their dog back and start sniping at one another again. It is the last time we see the two. This is surprising, considering Steven Bochco's stamp on the show. Bochco has produced other police dramas, including NYPD Blue, which have been recognized for their excellent representation of lesbian and gay characters. While effeminate men are certainly part of the diversity of our community, such one-dimensional stereotypes are just stock caricatures. Please contact CBS and Steven Bochco Productions and let them know that we expect better from the producer and the network. 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 (rings many times, but will pick up eventually) … Steven Bochco, William M. Finkelstein, David Milch, Executive Producers, Brooklyn South, Steven Bochco Productions, 10201 West Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90035 KQED's Castro To Be Run on PBS Nationally in June The Castro, an outstanding Peabody Award-winning documentary produced for San Francisco public television station KQED, will be airing on public broadcasting stations nationwide as part of the celebration of June as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month. The Peabody committee describes the documentary as "an informative, unusual and provocative look at San Francisco's Castro District that reveals how one neighborhood became the cornerstone for a social and political movement." In a previous GLAADAlert ("The Castro Makes for Great Television," 3.14.97), GLAAD commented that the documentary not only opens up the [Castro] neighborhood to all the program's viewers, but documents a unique, vital gay neighborhood from its beginning." Please thank KQED for producing The Castro, and urge your local affiliate to air it this June. Contact: … Peter Calabrese, General Manager, KQED-TV, 2601 Mariposa St., San Francisco, CA 94110-1461, fax: 415.553.2380, e-mail: tv@kqed.org … To find information about PBS affiliates and their programming, check out the PBS Website at: http://www.pbs.org Two Looks at the State of Gay Hollywood In light of the new gay-themed movie, Object of My Affection, both the Miami Herald and USA Today recently provided reflections on lesbian and gay representations in Hollywood past, present and future. The April 12 Miami Herald story, by staff movie critic Rene Rodriguez, notes that Object "breaks new ground: Here, at last, is a Hollywood movie, aimed at mainstream audiences, in which a gay man is not suffering from AIDS, does not keep a dress in his closet, does not need to be taught how to walk like a 'man.' George, the gay protagonist, doesn't even feel alienated or maladjusted. He's a fully dimensional, self-assured individual who is not defined solely by his sexuality." It also notes that, unlike the gay characters in As Good As It Gets and My Best Friend's Wedding, Object, "shows George expressing physical affection for other men; those moments are presented with casual frankness-not melodramatic music." It also gives examples of an increasing casualness with lesbian, gay and bisexual characters in recent films like Clueless, Primary Colors and Wild Things, noting that, in the last, while the women have sex with each other, the "director removed a scene in which [Matt] Dillon was to jump into the shower with Kevin Bacon; the studio must have thought we weren't quite ready for that." The story explains how the bottom line in the entertainment industry is money. "The Birdcage, My Best Friend's Wedding, In & Out and As Good As It Gets all earned more than $100 million, and in Hollywood, any trend that sells tickets is a good trend," it says. It also discusses GLAAD's role in preventing negative stereotypes that still occur in Hollywood movies. Finally, it points to independent films as pushing the envelope. A sidebar provides a limited lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender filmography since the 1980s. The April 7 USA Today article, "Love's Latest Hurdle: Sexual Orientation," by Janet Weeks, also uses Object as a launching pad for a broader discussion of lesbian and gay representation in the entertainment industry, incorporating movies and television programs, such as the Lifetime movie Labor of Love, premiering May 4, Will and Grace, NBC's show in development for the fall, and the debut episode of UPN's Love Boat: The Next Wave (see GLAADAlert 4.3.98). "The trend can partly be explained by the dynamics of Hollywood. Hit movies spawn imitators and pave the way for other projects once considered risky," Weeks writes. "But there may be another explanation: Some say stories of gay-straight romantic entanglements are emerging because it is a safe way to introduce gay characters to a mainstream audience." She also points to how far the industry has come since Philadelphia five years ago, when the gay protagonist "was denied anything more intimate on screen than a slow dance with his partner. A kiss was taboo." Please thank both the Miami Herald and USA Today for engaging looks at how far we have come in Hollywood-and how much further we have to go. Contact: … Katharine Fong, Entertainment/Arts Editor, Miami Herald, One Herald Plaza, Miami, FL 33132-1693, fax: 305.376.8950, e-mail: HeraldEd@herald.com … Kitty Yancey, Entertainment Editor, USA Today, 1000 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22209-3901, fax: 703.247.3108, e-mail: editor@usatoday.com Hormel's Son Speaks of Family Values In a Pacific News Service item which appeared in the April 11 Des Moines Register, John C. Hormel, Jr., son of openly gay philanthropist and ambassadorial candidate James Hormel, writes of the integrity and courage of his dad. "When I was 11 years old, my father told me that he was gay. I didn't find this an easy bit of information to digest, but I heard my father's great concern for how this disclosure would affect his son," begins Hormel, Jr. "Now President Clinton has nominated my father to be U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg. This has made us, as a family, quite proud." He explains how a handful of senators are blocking the confirmation because, they say, of a "gay agenda" Hormel may "promote." "My father has dedicated a majority of his work throughout his life to philanthropy and diplomacy," Hormel, Jr. writes. "His qualifications as a diplomat have never been disputed. For these reasons, I have concluded that those senators blocking his nomination do so as a simple matter of discrimination." He finishes, adding, "My father's agenda for our family is to encourage closeness and integrity. His agenda as ambassador to Luxembourg is to represent our country. It just so happens that he is gay. The Senate deserves the opportunity to act on the American agenda-to deliberate and vote on my father's nomination." Please commend the Pacific News Service and the Des Moines Register for this heartfelt and clear commentary. Contact: … Pacific News Service, c/o the Des Moines Register, P.O. Box 957, Des Moines, IA 50304 … Diane Graham, Managing Editor, Des Moines Register, P.O. Box 957, Des Moines, IA 50304, fax: 515.286.2511, e-mail: letters@news.dmreg.com Not Everything Is ROSMY in Virginia Calling it "controversial," "objectionable" and "questionable," the Richmond Times Dispatch (RTD) in late March rejected a paid advertisement from the Richmond Organization for Sexual Minority Youth (ROSMY) that would announce a college scholarship for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth. The text of the ad reads: "College Scholarships For Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Youth Age 21 and under. Apply to Richmond Organization for Sexual Minority Youth (ROSMY) 804-353-1699. When ROSMY Executive Director Chris Clarke asked why the ad was rejected, RTD's advertising director said, "We don't have to explain why we reject any ad...but we take our readers into consideration and we don't want to offend them." While several local churches are posting the ad, as well as the alternative local weekly newspaper, Richmond Free Press, Clarke says that, "By not running this ad the RTD is sending a very damaging message to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth. This ad is about college scholarships and youthful hope." GLAAD Executive Director Joan M. Garry added, "While GLAAD supports any media outlets right to accept or reject advertising based on their own standards, we're also appalled by an outlet like the Richmond Times Dispatch which seems unaware that by rejecting such an affirming ad for education, they fail to take into consideration the many readers who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or supporters of an access to higher education for all youth. To what 'community standards' could such a rejection possibly adhere?" Let the Richmond Times Dispatch know that they have offended many readers by rejecting an ad which simply lets young people know of a funding opportunity to further their education. Contact: John Stewart Bryan, III, Publisher, Richmond Times Dispatch, PO Box 85333, fax: 804.649.6898 GLAADAlert Round-up: Reggie White Reactions Several weeks after Green Bay Packers player Reggie White's anti-gay and ethnic stereotyping comments in front of the Wisconsin State Legislature (GLAADAlert 3.27.98, "White Is A Real 'Cheesehead'"), a number of media outlets have responded with a variety of views. Some completely ignored his statements about gay people, which included his saying that the U.S. is "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." But others recognized his backwards views on sexual orientation as connected to his well-intended but nonetheless gross stereotypes of ethnic groups. In addition, companies such as Campbell's Soup have remained silent on their sponsorship relationships, while Nike and S.C. Johnson Wax, the makers of Edge shaving gel, have announced they will tentatively continue to retain White as a spokesperson, claiming White was not speaking for them at the time. These companies have already heard from mobilized campaigns from radical religious groups. Please insist that Nike, Campbell's and S.C. Johnson Wax sever all ties with such a divisive and controversial figure as White. Be sure to let them know that their products are now overshadowed in your mind by White's words. Following are some media items from around the nation: … On April 11, commentator Daryle Lamont Jenkins in the St. Paul Pioneer Press notes that White's comments put him in the same camp with Angie and Debbie Winans, who have followed up their anti-gay song, "Not Natural," by joining up with the radical religious lobbying group, Traditional Values Coalition (TVC). "It was foolish for the Winans," Jenkins says, noting that TVC "rallied against affirmative action and social programs geared to help inner-city youth and has campaigned to unseat African-American congressmen." Of White and the Winans, he adds, "African-Americans cannot set themselves up to be oppressors. It is just plain wrong, and it's dangerous." … Walter Williams in an April 1 column in the Deseret News (Utah) entitled, "Lay off Reggie White-He's Right," says that "race and sex convey information [from which one can make generalizations] but they are not necessarily true." Of White's comments about Asians being able to "turn a television into a watch," Williams reduces the entire continent to one country, Japan, saying, "from all the evidence I see, Japan has lead the world in miniaturization." He adds, "Because we must respect the human rights of homosexuals doesn't mean we must accept their lifestyle as morally equivalent to heterosexuality." Of course, White seemed to be speaking of rights when he claimed sexual orientation is a "decision, not a race." Why else would he have said that? … Boston Globe writer Ron Borges on March 29 comments, "As for the issue of homosexuality, White later said anyone who disagreed with him should read the Bible. As anyone who is more than an occasional readers of the Good Book knows, it is tough to argue with White on that. The God of this book considers homosexuality a sin. The point here is not to bash gays." Yet White equates gay people to "liars and cheaters and malicious and back-stabbing?" … Finally, columnist J.A. Adande writes in the March 27 Los Angeles Times that, "Any time a person's attempts to praise the diversity of a society sound as bad as his railing against homosexuality, then you know he isn't making sense. White said homosexuals should not compare their civil rights situation to the plight of African Americans....I wonder if White has read any of the medical studies that indicate there are genetic predispositions toward homosexuality....In a way I'm glad White shared his thoughts on race with us, because it showed just how narrow a frame of mind he was operating within when he denounced homosexuals." Contact: … Ronald Clark, Editorial Page Editor, St. Paul Pioneer Press, 345 Cedar St., St. Paul, MN 55101-1057, fax: 612.228.5500 … Jay Evensen, Editorial/Op Ed Editor, Deseret News, 30 East 100 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84111-1902, fax: 801.237.2530 … Marjorie Pritchard, Editor, Op Ed Page, Boston Globe, 135 Morrissey Blvd., Dorchester, MA 02125-3338, fax: 617.929.2098, e-mail: letters@globe.com … Janet Clayton, Editorial Page Editor, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053, fax: 213.237.7679, e-mail: letters@latimes.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 … Nike Corporation Consumer Relations, phone: 800.344.6453, e-mail via WWW: http://www.nike.com/talktous/ … S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. Consumer Relations, phone: 800.558.5566, e-mail via WWW: http://www.scjohnsonwax.com/crc_form.html GLAADAlert Reminder: Object of My Affection Opens Today 20th Century Fox's new film, Object of My Affection (see GLAADAlert 4.10.98), opens today near you! The film stars Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd as George Hansen, a gay schoolteacher living in New York. 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! 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