Date: Fri, 8 May 1998 20:44:03 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADAlert May 8, 1998 GLAADALERT--May 8, 1998 The GLAADAlert is the weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Ellen Finale To Air This Week This coming Wednesday, May 13, Ellen's final episode will air on ABC. After a year in which the show forever changed the face of television, viewers will be treated to an hour long, star-studded finale. Titled "Ellen: A Hollywood Tribute," the episode will parody a documentary featuring 50 years of Ellen making television history. Special guests include Linda Ellerbee, Helen Hunt, Glenn Close, Cindy Crawford, Julianna Margulies, Jennifer Aniston, Christine Lahti, Phil Donahue, Tim Conway, Ted Danson, Jada Pinkett Smith, Mary Steenburgen, Bea Arthur, Kathy Najimy, Woody Harrelson and Diahann Carroll. "Ellen DeGeneres has made a profound and remarkable impact on our society," said GLAAD Director of Communications Jennifer Einhorn. "Her groundbreaking portrayal of a smart, funny and consistently positive leading lesbian character has been a gift to all viewers--regardless of their sexual orientation. The show's legacy is an indelible one that Ellen and all of us will be proud of forever." Please write DeGeneres and let her know how much her personal bravery and her sitcom means to the community, and let ABC know how disappointed you are with the cancellation. Urge ABC to develop and promote programming with lead characters who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. Contact: … Ellen DeGeneres, c/o Huvane Baum Halls, 8383 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 444, Beverly Hills, CA 90211 … 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 U.S. News Ignores Dobson's Dark Side The cover story of the May 4 U.S. News and World Report (USN&WR) is an uncritical look at radical religious leader James Dobson which completely avoids his connection to hate groups and active, aggressive fight against equal rights for lesbians and gay men. Solely looking at his call for the G.O.P. to kow-tow to a far-right Christian party line, USN&WR paints Dobson as "not a preacher or political activist. He is a psychologist, and his authority comes from an ability to connect with people right at the level of their problems....The effect is completed by the slight drawl on a country doctor." It hails his view as "a traditionalism humanized by common sense and flexibility....He urges discipline for the big issues and tolerance on the smaller stuff." It discusses disagreements Dobson has had with other radical religious groups opposing equal rights on the basis of sexual orientation. But it side-steps views of Dobson by major mainstream organizations, including those seeking to ensure basic rights for lesbians and gay men. Coming away from the article, a reader could see Dobson, his non-profit group, Focus on the Family (FOF), and his $100 million media operation as homespun Christians looking out for what they see as the moral and political needs of the country. A closer look at Dobson, however, reveals a much darker side totally hidden by USN&WR. During the battle over Colorado's infamously anti-gay Amendment 2, which was later ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court, the anti-gay group leading the charge was Colorado for Family Values (CFV). FOF is one of five national radical religious groups represented on their board. According to anti-gay Christian group watcher Jean Hardisty, "it is widely agreed that the 1991 arrival in Colorado Springs of James Dobson and Focus on the Family was an important catalyst for...CFV." In 1992, FOF gave an $8,000 donation to CFV. From 1988-1992, FOF was merged with the virulantly anti-gay Family Research Council. Together they published and distributed a false, gay-baiting tract entitled The Homosexual Agenda: Changing Your Community and Nation." FOF separated from the Family Research Council only after the IRS questioned FOF's ties to the Council's anti-gay lobbying efforts. In a 1990 FOF newsletter, Dobson claimed "I am familiar with the widespread effort to redefine the family. It is motivated by homosexual activists...who see the traditional family as a barrier to [their] social engineering." In a 1991 article, he equated sexual orientation to bestiality, saying, "There are people in our society who find sexual satisfaction from engaging in intercourse with animals...Would anyone suggest that these groups deserve special protection?" As Hardisty said, "The skillful manipulation of homophobia by the right wing creates anti-gay sentiment and actions that bolster and promote intolerance." Would this be the "common sense" or the "flexibility" to which U.S. News & World Report refers? Tell U.S. News & World Report that an uncritical, glowing profile of such a dangerous man as James Dobson is as misleading as his own propaganda. It does a disservice to the magazine's readers and is an embarrassment for such a respectable, normally thorough news outlet. Contact: Harrison Rainie, Managing Editor, U.S. News & World Report, 2400 N Street NW, Washington, DC 20037-1177, fax: 202.955.2685, e-mail: letters@usnews.com Minneapolis Star-Trib Checks Out A Transgender Librarian The May 5 Minneapolis Star-Tribune featured an in-depth profile of Debra Davis, a local transgender librarian. Davis, who was born David Nielsen, is the head librarian in a Minneapolis high school and recently underwent gender reassignment surgery. The article follows Davis through her first week back at school. "Quietly, over the past six weeks, Davis and officials of the Minneapolis public schools and other advisers have been putting together a plan to help make the transition from Nielsen to Davis in the workplace. It has not been easy. Their hope is that the change will be minimally disruptive to students, faculty and parents," writes reporter Rosalind Bentley. "The topic is not an easy one for many people to understand. Davis is not a cross-dresser, which usually is defined as a person who merely enjoys dressing as the opposite sex. Nor does Davis identify as transsexual--people who decide to have their body surgically altered to correspond with the gender they identify with. Davis falls under the broader term 'transgender,' applied to people who live as the opposite gender in appearance and behavior but may or may not have their bodies surgically altered." She continues to say that "[a]lthough Davis is not the first educator nationally or locally to come out as transgender, it appears that she is the first secondary school educator in the state--and possibly the nation--to have direct, daily contact with students." Please thank the Minneapolis Star-Tribune for their lucid discussion of sexual identity, and for their very human portrait of a courageous, transgender educator. Contact: Pamela Fine, Managing Editor, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, 425 Portland Avenue S., Minneapolis, MN 55488, fax: 612.673.4359. KCET Moves In the Life After requests from In the Life and GLAAD, Los Angeles' public television station KCET-TV recently decided to move the time slot for In the Life. The program, seen on over 100 public television stations nationwide, is an award-winning gay and lesbian series. Previously, the program had no secure time slot on the station, and was aired at midnight or 12:30 AM. In a letter sent to KCET this week, GLAAD wrote, "As the only television series devoted exclusively to the issues that face the lesbian and gay community, In the Life is a resource of unquestionable quality. GLAAD strongly encourages KCET to move the program to 11:00 PM so that more individuals have the opportunity to watch this excellent show." On May 7, the station decided to begin airing the program this July at 11:00 PM. Besides the inconsistent air times, In the Life's late time slots made building an audience of loyal viewers almost impossible. "We are very pleased that KCET has committed to a better time slot," John Catania, In the Life's Director of Communications, told GLAAD. "An airtime of 11:00 PM or earlier is consistent with stations in other major television markets and gives In the Life a better chance to build an audience in Los Angeles, an important media and television center home to a large and vibrant gay and lesbian community." Please write KCET and acknowledge their action. Also, encourage the station to keep this important program on in a consistent time slot and at a reasonable hour so that viewers, gay and straight, will be entertained and educated by the program for years to come. Contact: Al Jerome, President and CEO, KCET-TV, 4401 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90027-6017, fax: 213.665.6067 People's Beautiful Is Gay, Sort Of This year's list of People Magazine's annual "50 Most Beautiful People," included the first gay person identified by People as gay in the history of the magazine's special edition. This ninth annual issue cited Anne Heche for her "luminous skin, close-cropped blonde hair and mile-high cheekbones," adding, "Heche's rapture factor doesn't surprise her significant other, Ellen DeGeneres, with whom she shares a home in L.A. 'I love every single thing about her look,' the comedian says. 'Anne's a shining star. She's just full of light. I don't know why there are 49 other people in this issue.'" While Gucci fashion guru Tom Ford was among the beautiful last year, there was no reference made to his sexual orientation or long-time partner. Please write People and thank them for recognizing Heche's inner and outer beauty. Also, encourage them to include and identify more beautiful members of the diverse lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in next year's issue. Contact: Carol Wallace, Managing Editor, People Magazine, Time & Life Building, Rockefeller Center, New York, NY 10020, fax: 212.522.0794, e-mail: editor@people.com Lifetime and Light Get Intimate On May 4, Lifetime Television premiered the latest installment of its series Intimate Portrait, this time focusing on actress and activist Judith Light. Following her career from the soaps to Who's the Boss? to her string of hit made-for-television movies, the program also focuses on the amazing work Light does for lesbian and gay equal rights and AIDS/HIV issues. In 1989 Light starred in The Ryan White Story as young HIV advocate Ryan's mother, Jeannie White. "Behind the scenes...Judith is a woman fighting tirelessly for the causes she believes in," Portrait states. This special also includes numerous clips of Light at lesbian and gay awards dinners, speaking at the 1993 March on Washington, and footage from the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center, where she has served on the board since 1995. "I get out (there) because I believe that everyone should have the same rights I have," Light tells Intimate Portrait. The show also includes interviews with Tony Danza, Fran Drescher, GLAAD's own Chastity Bono, Light's husband Robert Desiderio and Herb Hamsher, Light's openly gay longtime manager and close friend. Please check out this very special Intimate Portrait, being rebroadcast on May 10, June 2 and July 1. Write Lifetime and the production company and thank them for such an interesting program and please acknowledge the incredible contributions that Judith Light has made to the community. Contact: … Dawn Tarnofsky, Programming Senior Vice President, Lifetime, 309 West 49th St., New York, NY 10019, fax: 212.957.4264, e-mail: comments@www.lifetimetv.com, feedback form on WWW: http://www.lifetimetv.com/home/mail/index.html … LMNO Productions, 15301 Ventura Blvd., #240, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403 … Judith Light, c/o ICM, 8942 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90211 Juneau Empire Jabs Anti-Gay Judgment On May 1, the Juneau [Alaska] Empire featured an op-ed by Janice Gregg Levy urging state legislators to dump a proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. "I enjoy the privileges and responsibilities of marriage," Levy writes. "My husband and I are secure in knowing that we can and will take care of each other - physically, emotionally, financially and legally." She points out a number of financial protections she and her husband share, including joint insurance and estate planning as well as legal protections such as power of attorney and next-of-kin authority in medical emergencies. "These effects of a government-recognized relationship have nothing to do with sex....The state neither requires sex within a marriage, nor prohibits sex outside of it," she says. "It makes good administrative and economic sense for individuals [regardless of gender] to be legally obligated to support each other. And from a moral viewpoint, who am I, and who are you, to pass judgement on the validity of a lifelong commitment between two caring individuals?" She adds, "Reexamination of societal beliefs and traditions eventually broke down 'core family values' such as segregated schools, prohibition of marriage between [races], prohibition on women voting and many other forms of discrimination....Please abandon all efforts to amend our constitution to prohibit same-sex marriage." Please thank the Juneau Empire for publishing such a thoughtful, articulate essay on same-gender marriage. Contact: Suzanne Downing, Managing Editor, Juneau Empire, 3100 Channel Dr., Juneau, AK, 99801-7814, fax: 907.586.9097 Going Out in Business Two separate media outlets recently featured extensive business stories on lesbians and gay men. In the May 4 Denver Business Journal, staff reporter Erin Johanson writes about the Colorado Business Council, "Colorado's gay and lesbian chamber of commerce." In addition to describing the six year history of the organization, Johanson interviews a number of members about the importance of having a chamber based on issues of sexual orientation. Also, she notes that the group uses its economic clout to promote equal rights for gay people, saying, "Last month, the council co-sponsored a dinner with Equality Colorado, a legal and political organization. The event's keynote speaker was Dottie Lamm, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for State Senate in November's election. Lamm solicited support from the gay community and spoke about her track record of supporting gay issues." The May 4 Newsday features two articles about businesses striving to become more sensitive to lesbian and gay issues to attract gay workers and customers. The first article explains that businesses are increasingly supporting non-profit groups working with lesbian and gay youth and other causes, because, as Juanita Petty of Fleet Bank says, "It's good for business. It makes for more productive employees, plus the gay and lesbian market is an attractive one." It also adds that "the additional cost of providing [domestic partner] benefits is less than managers might think. The companies that offer health benefits to nontraditional partners show so minor a cost increase that...researchers...say that it is statistically insignificant." Finally, it points out how useful workplace diversity sensitivity trainings which include issues of sexual orientation are to creating a healthy environment for everyone. The second article features three lesbian and gay employees at different major companies (and in the government) discussing the rewards and challenges of being openly gay in the workplace. The traditionally conservative business media has increasingly featured balanced stories on issues of importance to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, but such extensive articles in both of these media outlets is noteworthy. Please commend the Denver Business Journal and Newsday for their engaging gay-themed business articles and encourage them to do similar coverage in the future. Contact: … L. Wayne Hicks, Managing Editor, Denver Business Journal, 1700 Broadway #515, Denver, CO 80290-0515, fax: 303.837.3535 … Robert Brandt, Managing Editor, Newsday, 235 Pinelawn Road, Melville, NY 11747-4250, fax: 516.843.3464, e-mail: letters@newsday.com Sun News Shows Its Pride Ever since organizers announced that South Carolina's Pride98 would be held in Myrtle Beach and subsequent controversy erupted, the Myrtle Beach Sun News has provided accurate, in-depth reports of all points of view. The week leading up to and the week of Pride98 saw a flurry of interviews, columns and features about Pride98, and about the local lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in general. Also, during each day of the festival, the Sun News ran a schedule of that day's and week's events. In its weekend section, it featured a dance party with RuPaul along with the city's other weekend events, avoiding the temptation to partition the Pride98 events into an exclusively gay section, or worse, not even mention them at all. The Sun News ran so many stories over the past few months there is not space to credit them all. Noteworthy ones included: "Lesbian couple proud of life they lead," (April 24) by Yolanda Jones, which is a sensitive profile of a local lesbian-headed family; "Struggle for gay rights not new," (April 30) by Katie Merx, chronicling the history of the struggle for civil rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people; "It's part of our jobs to cover Gay Pride '98 Festival," (May 3) by Sun News Managing Editor John X. Miller, who responded to criticisms that the Sun News was covering Pride98 "too much," explaining, "As journalists, our jobs are to tell about life in our community and our world, not matter that some people might find some of what we report objectionable. There is always something that someone will find objectionable." Since November 1997, the Sun News has published about 40 stories on Pride98, including stories on the opponents of the event and equal rights for gay people. Please share your appreciation with the Myrtle Beach Sun News for its their fair, inclusive and accurate portrayals of its lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender neighbors. Contact: John X. Miller, Managing Editor, The Sun News, 914 Frontage Road East, Myrtle Beach, SC, 29577-6700, fax: 803.626.0356 NY Post Ignores Power of Words After New York City Police Department (NYPD) Chaplain William Kalaidjian used the word "fag" to describe openly gay NYC Assistant District Attorney Thomas Hickey in an awards presentation on April 30, and then resigned, the usually anti-gay New York Post, true to form, came to his defense. Hickey had prosecuted Sgt. Thomas Kennedy in a police brutality case in which Kennedy was found innocent. When presenting an award to Kennedy, Kalaidjian said: "Tom got a real bad rap from...Hickey...fag." Initially, Kalaidjian claimed: "If you call anybody a fag, that's just a term guys use. It doesn't mean anything." And later insisted that "[i]t's an expression guys use, haven't you ever said it?" New York Post Columnist Steve Dunleavy devoted two columns to Kalaidjian. In the May 6 column, Dunleavy talks about "the generation gap which Rev. Bill suffers from (along with me)..." claiming Kalaidjian doesn't know the word "homophobia." In his May 7 piece, Dunleavy says: "We have seen a silly exercise in political correctness...[Safir and Mayor Giuliani] have fired...Kalaidjian because he used the word 'fag' at a cops dinner. If they think they will get a 'gay' vote for doing it, then they are up the creek in a wire canoe." He finishes by saying, "All these special-interest groups, whether they are racial or gender-oriented, don't do anything but divide us all. Stop it, you arrogant fools, and give the Rev. Kalaidjian back his job. Duleavy answers Kalaidjian's question--"haven't you ever said it?"--when he writes: "Truth is, yes, I have said it both to my cousin Nick and my late uncle Hughey...both gay." The fact that Dunleavy admits to his own ignorance and hatred is one thing, but he substantiates Kalaidjian's supposition that hatred is acceptable if it is widely-held. "Clergy and people of faith have a special responsibility to break down the walls of prejudice," said GLAAD Executive Director Joan M. Garry. "We at GLAAD can assure Reverend Kalaidjian that his chosen slur is far from innocuous but rather serves to promote a climate of fear, ignorance and intolerance." Safir's actions were laudable. He spoke out against defamation in the name of equality. Dunleavy's assertion that Mayor Giuliani and Commissioner Safir were just looking for "a 'gay' vote" is insulting. Please let the New York Post know that this kind of writing is wholly deplorable. Contact: Ken Chandler, Editor, New York Post, 1211 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036-8790, fax: 212.930.8540, e-mail: letters@nypost.com Ellen and Anne-O-Rama: Media Round-Up With the May 13 series finale of Ellen, the May 6 Ellen/ABC Primetime Live interview and the upcoming premiere of the Anne Heche/Harrison Ford movie Six Days, Seven Nights, media outlets continue to comment on the high-profile couple and their respective careers. Here are some recent highs and lows: … An April 28 Charleston [South Carolina] Post Courier editorial claims "Ellen joins the victim class," stating, "Ms. DeGeneres unwittingly delivered her most incriminating social commentary by saying, 'I'm gay, the character's gay and that's the problem with the show.' With that deflection of responsibility, Ms. DeGeneres joined the growing chorus of misguided Americans who blame real, individual setbacks on imagined, victim-class bias." … E! Online speculated on May 1 about the preview for Six Days, Seven Nights, when Harrison "Ford reaches up Heche's garment to remove a 'creature'" and the voice-over says, "This summer, find adventure in the most remote place known to man." E! asks, "Was this a contrived poke at Heche's lesbianism--and perhaps Disney's way of jabbing DeGeneres, or are we reading too much into the preview?" … Susan Brady Honig, in the New York Post on May 7, says, "Ellen complains that her show was canceled because her network didn't hype it enough. Puhleeze....Her final inexplicable claim to victimhood--canceled because she's gay--is the silliest....Viewers can accept the fact that you're gay, but gay and boring is where you lost us, girlfriend." … A lengthy May 3 New York Times article intelligently and sensitively profiles Anne Heche as she waits to see how Six Days, Seven Nights will do, quoting Heche saying, "If I didn't act, I'd be crushed. The idea that someone [could] take away what gives me the most pleasure because of my sexual orientation--that's the most unfair part. I don't want to think that's the way the world works. I hope it's not the way the world works." … On Tuesday, May 12, Ellen DeGeneres will appear on CNN's Larry King Live. Tune in! Contact: … Barbara S. Williams, Editorial/Opinion Page Editor, The Post and Courier, 134 Columbus St., Charleston, SC 29403-4800, fax: 803.937.5545, e-mail: editor@postandcourier.com … Jeff Copeland, News Director, E! Online, 5670 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036-5679 … Ken Chandler, Editor, New York Post, 1211 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036-8790, fax: 212.930.8540, e-mail: letters@nypost.com … Bill Keller, Managing Editor, New York Times, 229 West 43rd St., New York, NY 10036-3959, fax: 212.556.3690, e-mail: letters@nytimes.com (include phone number when sending e-mails) 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) 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. GLAADAlert may be freely distributed and reprinted in all forms of media under the condition that any text used carry the full attribution of "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 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.