Date: Fri, 22 May 1998 19:15:32 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADAlert May 22, 1998 00FF,00FF,00FFGLAADALERTTimes--M= ay 22, 1998Times00FF,00FF,00FF The GLAADAlert is the weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against DefamationTimes 1) Breaking GLAADAlert: Printer Drops Gay Paper=20 2) Ricci Discovers The Opposite of Sex 3) KC Star Questions Public Sex Sweeps Sleaze 4) Straightforward Lesbian Coverage From Forbes 5) Texas Paper Blasts Book Ban 6) Opera News Sings Virtue of Patience Breaking GLAADAlert: Printer Drops Gay Paper=20 On May 20, the Gainesville (GA) Times announced that, effective June 1, it would no longer be printing Atlanta's lesbian and gay newspaper Southern Voice. The Times is a Gannett-owned paper whose commercial printing company, Southland Publishing, also prints USA Today and a number of other publications. It had begun printing Southern Voice late in April, and was almost immediately targeted by religious political extremists for its decision to print a lesbian and gay paper. Releases from various ministries urged sponsors to discontinue advertising and readers to cancel their subscriptions actions until The Times refused to publish Southern Voice. According to Southern Voice, Blackshear Place Baptist Church's Pastor Jim Austin told The Times that "he doubted The Times would print information for the Ku Klux Klan, pedophiles or a militia group," and that "this is not a rights issue, this is a moral issue." The Times issued a release announcing their decision to drop Southern Voice, saying, "Recent operational and press scheduling conflicts have made it necessary for us to reevaluate our commercial printing commitments." Southern Voice Publisher, Chris Crain said that the changes referenced in the release were ones that had been discussed during the original negotiations between the two papers. The Times also said that, "Southland Publishing remains committed to be non-discriminatory," claiming, "We will continue to work with any group...regardless of its religious, racial or lifestyle affiliations, provided the organization and its needs are legal and within the bounds of accepted business and printing practices." "The very wording of their two paragraph statement attempting to clarify their decision causes GLAAD great concern," said GLAAD Executive Director Joan M. Garry. "It is a vague and indirect response to a very serious and potentially precedent-setting matter. It is very unfortunate that Mr. Jenson failed to use the controversy surrounding Southern Voice as an opportunity to demonstrate leadership and dismantle homophobia." On May 21, GLAAD Communications Director Jennifer H. Einhorn spoke at length with Chris Jenson, President and Publisher of The Times. Einhorn said, "We wanted Mr. Jenson to clarify that his decision was solely a scheduling and operational conflict. I asked him to confirm that if tomorrow another newspaper -- regardless of its content or readership -- were to approach The Times requesting the same print volume and same time slot as Southern Voice he would, as a matter of course, turn away that business. Mr. Jenson responded by offering to fax The Times' statement on this matter. In no way does the statement respond to that question." Please express your disappointment and insist that The Times clarify their decision to no longer print Southern Voice. Contact: Chris Jensen, President and Publisher, The Times, 345 Green St., NW, Gainesville, GA 30503, fax: 770.532.7085. Ricci Discovers The Opposite of Sex Opening on May 22, Sony Pictures Classics' The Opposite of Sex, is an irreverent film about the chaos a 16-year-old girl named Dedee Truitt (Christina Ricci) inflicts upon her gay half-brother Bill's peaceful life. Dedee, who steals Bill's (Martin Donovan) boyfriend (Ivan Sergei), is a foul-mouthed, pregnant, gun-touting, homophobic, teenager. When she and her new beau skip town, Bill is left to deal with a former student's (Johnny Galecki) false allegations of sexual abuse. Lisa Kudrow and Lyle Lovett also star in this twisted dramody. The Opposite of Sex is a complicated film. The completely unlikable Dedee issues anti-gay slurs throughout. Yet the film does not portray gay men in a disturbing or inaccurate light. While all the characters are flawed, the film does not resort to traditional negative stereotypes of gay and bisexual men. Love is very much a central theme of this film, for both gay and straight characters. While the film does not add to America's understanding and acceptance of bisexuality, it may serve to promote a more prominent discussion among its audiences. Check out The Opposite of Sex and then let Sony Pictures Classics know what you think. Contact: Michael Barker and Tom Bernard, Co-Presidents, Sony Pictures Classics, 550 Madison Ave., 8th Floor, NY, NY 10022, feedback form: http://www.spe.sony.com/classics/feedback.html KC Star Questions Public Sex Sweeps Sleaze =46ollowing a string of sensationalistic local news stories around the country about public sex (see GLAADAlerts 05.15.98, 03.13.98), the Kansas City Star on May 16 examined the issue in terms of journalistic integrity and sweeps ratings grabs. "It was probably inevitable that 'Surfing for Sex,' the lurid tale of a Web site that shows you where to pick up gay men, would come to Kansas City," reporter Aaron Barnhart begins. "After all, we're in the thick of a Nielsen ratings sweep, when it's imperative that each local station gets viewers watching its newscasts instead of the competition's." On May 11, Kansas City's KMBC aired two stories on the topic. "It was similar to the steamy series KSHB did last year on men having sex in Antioch Park bathrooms, but with a cyber-twist." [That story was entitled "Perverts in the Park," (see GLAADAlert 10.10.97)] Barnhart comments that, "Channel 9 (KMBC) blocked out the address of the Web site, but any viewer could easily have taken one of the listings off the TV screen (as I did), typed it into a search engine and found the Web site." Interviewing the site moderator, Barnhart says the story done by all these stations "invariably includes hidden-camera video and interviews with parents who are worried about what effect gay men having sex in public places will have on their children." He also notes that both GLAAD and the NLGJA (National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association) have stated their opposition to the sensationalistic nature of these stories. "There's another problem," he adds. "KMBC did not prove, nor could it prove, that the activity in the trees was related in any way to the Web site. And as [KMBC reporter Ronda] Scholting herself said in a comment buried in her second report, 'Only a few men go to the park for the sole purpose of having sex.' What, then, was the news value of this story?" Summing up, Barhhart states, "At least KMBC knows to draw the line somewhere: The station refused to air next Friday's scheduled Jerry Springer episode, "I Married a Horse," citing 'unacceptable' content." Please commend the Kansas City Star for seeing the bigger issue of journalistic standards being sacrificed for the sake of sweeps month ratings at the cost of the lesbian and gay community, Contact: James Amari, Managing Editor, Kansas City Star, 1729 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64108-1458, fax: 816.234.4940, e-mail: letters@kcstar.com. Straightforward Lesbian Coverage From Forbes The May 18 issue of the conservative financial magazine Forbes features a story on doctors which highlights a lesbian mom, her partner and their son. On the title page of the story, entitled "Doc's just an employee now," is a picture of Dr. Camilla Graham, "son, and mate, Dawn Osborne." The primary focus of the story is how managed care is changing the role and security of doctors. In the profile of Graham, =46orbes looks at how more doctors are trying to work shorter hours for less pay so that they can spend more time with their families. "Graham, whose partner is an internist, can afford long hours with their son," it says. It ends with a quote from Graham: "'There was a sense in the past that if you sacrificed everything, you could make a lot of money, and patients saw you as all-knowing. Today, we don't believe we're all-knowing. Medicine is still a noble profession...but we also want basic things for ourselves." Without focusing on the fact that Graham and her partner are lesbians, =46orbes folds their stories into those of other doctors profiled. In many ways, this type of inclusion is ideal -- rather than being singled out and only featured when lesbian- and gay-specific issues are being discussed, the article views Graham and her partner as multi-faceted individuals capable of relating to many of the same issues facing other doctors and families. Please commend Forbes for prominently and non-discriminately featuring a lesbian and her family in a non-gay-specific story. Contact: Bill Baldwin, Managing Editor, Forbes, 60 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10011-8802, fax: 212.206.5185, e-mail: dchurbuck@forbes.com. Texas Paper Blasts Book Ban Thou shalt not steal? In the midst of a small-town battle over library books, the Wichita Falls, Texas Times Record News featured an editorial on May 16 criticizing those who seek to censor available books to suit their own narrow moral agenda. Robert Jeffress, pastor of the First Baptist Church, and his board have taken Heather Has Two Mommies and Daddy's Roommate from the public library and refuse to return them. Jeffress and the board are also going to the City Council to demand that the books not be replaced. "Who should decide what is available in the public library?" the editorial asks. "Clearly, Jeffress and the deacons believe they should decide.... Can a relatively small group, even acting on what its members believe to be moral principles and in what they believe to be the best interests of the community, be allowed to dictate what the rest of the community will find on library shelves that have been paid for by all within this community? No, that cannot be allowed.... City government represents all of us. It must protect the rights of minority groups [and] act out of the best interests of the majority, preserving and protecting our freedoms and assuring public order." The Times Record explains that a policy for selecting books in light of this balance is already in place, and asks, "Once the banning of books starts, where does it stop? The demand that is apparently going to the City Council is a demand that a certain moral code be institutionalized.... That's not the business of government. In the end, the banning of books deals with symptoms, not causes. Banning books does not right any wrongs or overcome evil and, in the long run, may do more harm than good." Please commend the Times Record News for this thoughtful and articulate defense of liberty and free access to knowledge in America. Contact: Sonny Bohanan, Managing Editor, Times Record News, 1301 Larar St., Wichita Falls, TX 76301-7091, fax: 940.767.1741, e-mail: wilsonc@wtr.com. Opera News Sings Virtue of Patience With the first openly lesbian-themed opera, Patience & Sarah, beginning its New York run next month, the June issue of Opera News features a prominent story on the work and the general invisibility of lesbians in opera. "It is hard to find any explicit lesbian characters in opera," says writer Robert Hilferty. "Enter Patience & Sarah...based on the 1969 novel by Isabel Miller. P&S is the first time in the history of opera that the romantic love between two women takes center stage." Hilferty notes that the opera's composer, Paula Kimper, calls it "'An American folk opera' -- a simple yet radical appellation, considering that homosexuals are routinely omitted from popular folk histories....In spite of its religious and folk trappings, P&S isn't coy about its subject matter. Any now-you-see-it-now-you-don't ambiguity surrounding the two women's 'romantic attachment' -- as historians politely describe their passionate partnership -- is quickly dispelled by an unequivocal kiss in the third scene." Please commend the Opera News for including a context for lesbian representation in opera in its profile of Patience & Sarah. Contact: Brian Kellow, Managing Editor, Opera News, 70 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023-6548, fax: 212.769.7007. The GLAADAlert is the weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against DefamationTimes.=20 GLAAD promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation in the media as a means of=20 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 =46rancisco), 202.986.1360 (Washington, DC), 404.876.1398 (Atlanta) and 816.756.5991 (Kansas City) =46eel 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)=20 Visit GLAAD Online at http://www.glaad.org00FF,00FF,00FF "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are registered trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc. 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