Date: Thu, 11 Jun 1998 17:03:52 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADAlert June 11, 1998 GLAADALERT-June 11, 1998 The GLAADAlert is the weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation 1) Sundance Channel Celebrates Gay Pride 2) Hard Copy Addresses Pat Robertson's Anti-Gay Rhetoric 3) Detour Features Heche In Depth 4) New York Times Explores Second Generation Gay Kids 5) Philly Cartoon Tackles Protests by Religious Political Extremists 6) For Kids' Sake, Legalize Same-Gender Marriage 7) Hawaii Paper's Commentary Urges Protections for Gay Youth 1) Sundance Channel Celebrates Gay Pride Throughout the month of June, the Sundance Channel is hosting a lesbian and gay independent film festival as well as airing several "educational shorts," which are brief spots touching on different issues related to lesbian and gay film representations. Working closely with GLAAD Publications Manager Don Romesburg, executives from the Sundance Channel produced the segments, which address diversity, history and the phenomenon of cutting-edge "New Queer Cinema." In a first for the national media advocacy organization, GLAAD actually wrote the initial drafts for the network. Films featured in the Salute to Lesbian & Gay Pride Month include: Beautiful Thing, Butley, Everything Relative, Grief, It's My Party, Lavender Limelight: Lesbians in Film, Maybe...Maybe Not, Nervous Energy, Parallel Sons, Poison, Resident Alien, Savage Nights and Totally F***ed Up. In addition, the Sundance Channel will feature lesbian and gay shorts Just One Time, My Pretty Little Girlfriend, Phinehas and 27. Please let the Sundance Channel know how much you appreciate this level of inclusion, and encourage your local cable operator to carry the Sundance Channel. Contact: Judith Tolkow, Programming Vice President, Sundance Channel, 1633 Broadway, 16th Floor, NY, NY 10019-6762, e-mail: talkback@sundancechannel.com 2) Hard Copy Addresses Pat Robertson's Anti-Gay Rhetoric On June 10, Hard Copy's lead story focused on comments made by religious political extremist Pat Robertson on the June 8 episode of his evangelical television show, The 700 Club. Responding to Pride-related activities in Orlando, Florida, including the unofficial Gay Days at Disney World, Robertson said: "I would warn Orlando that you're right in the way of some serious hurricanes and I don't think I'd be waving those flags in God's face if I were you." He continued, "This is not a message of hate; this is a message of redemption. But a condition like this will bring about the destruction of your nation. It'll bring about terrorist bombs; it'll bring earthquakes, tornadoes and possibly a meteor." In their daily "Top Copy" segment, Hard Copy criticized the "Almighty, self-proclaimed spokesperson Pat Robertson," beginning the piece by saying that "Pat Robertson is issuing some outrageous warnings about God's wrath against gays tonight. Some say the TV evangelist is taking homophobia to new heights," and ending by noting that: "The Christian Crusader has made a fortune spreading the word of God. Let's see now, how does it go? On the eighth day, Preacher Pat created intolerance." Included in Hard Copy's piece was a snippet of an interview conducted with GLAAD Director of Communications Jennifer Einhorn, in which she urged Robertson to reevaluate the tone and direction of his remarks, which demonstrate precisely how to build a climate of intolerance. In September of last year, GLAAD met with the producers of Hard Copy to voice its concerns with the tone of the show's reporting on lesbian- and gay-themed issues [see GLAADAlerts 07.18.97 and 08.29.97]. Since then, Hard Copy ran two much-improved pieces [see GLAADAlert 09.26.97] in addition to this recent and prominently featured segment which clearly illustrates the nature of Robertson's destructive rhetoric. GLAAD Executive Director Joan M. Garry said, "GLAAD is proud of the work we've done with Hard Copy, and we thank them for their increasing sensitivity to the issues which face our community." Please thank the producers of Hard Copy for their prompt and prominent attention to this matter, and for bringing to light the true nature of Robertson's statements. Contact: Lisa Gregorish, Executive Producer, Hard Copy, 5555 Melrose Ave. MAE W. Bldg., LA, CA 90038, fax: 213.862.1940, e-mail: comments@hardcopytv.com 3) Detour Features Heche In Depth A cover story on actress Anne Heche in the June/July issue of Detour directly addresses the increasing media hype surrounding an openly gay actress playing a heterosexual romantic lead in Six Days, Seven Nights. Dale Brasel's piece, entitled "Heche Crimes," begins with Heche venting her frustration with the responses received from both gay and straight individuals after coming out last year under the glare of the media spotlight. "Everyone feared the movie wasn't going to do well because I'm gay. Everybody-everybody in the industry hated me and wouldn't come near me-except basically for [Six Days co-star] Harrison Ford and [director] Ivan Reitman, who were brilliant," Heche tells writer Dale Brasel. Brasel, who last interviewed Heche nine days before she met DeGeneres, writes of the couple's genuine affection for one another, saying: "If this is a performance, they both deserve Oscars." Brasel also points out that soon after completing Six Days, Heche "fully expected to be benched from acting until the public expressed its approval or disapproval of her life in the form of box-office receipts. Surprisingly, an offer came rather quickly for Force Majeure, opposite Vince Vaughn." While the media has continued to frame Heche's performance as a litmus test for audience acceptance of openly lesbian and gay movie stars in straight roles, GLAAD anticipates that audiences will judge the movie based on its merits. Please thank Detour for doing a good job of cutting through the hype. Contact: Juan Morales, Editor, Detour, 6855 Santa Monica Blvd. #400, LA, CA 90038-1142, fax: 213.469.0771, e-mail: detourmg@aol.com 4) New York Times Explores Second Generation Gay Kids The June 7 New York Times featured an article by David Kirby, entitled "The Second Generation," exploring families which include two generations of lesbians or gay men. While on the surface it may seem that coming out to a lesbian or gay parent would pose no problem, Kirby's interviews provide varied responses from lesbian and gay youth and their gay parents. One lesbian mother tells him that her son's coming out "kind of scared me because ... I don't want my kids to have to go through all the pain," while another says, "Whatever they turned out [to be] would've been fine with us: both gay, both straight or any combination." Kirby adds that while "Sometimes [lesbian and gay parents] are swept into the political and scientific debate over whether homosexuals are born or made, and whether parents influence their children's sexual orientation," all of the lesbian and gay children in the article agree that their parents' sexual orientation did not influence their own. As an example, Kirby points to the case of Maria De la O, who realized she was bisexual even before her mother had come out. Jamie Egan, a second generation gay person notes, "To say gay people make people gay is a ridiculous cliché." Still, Kirby also takes into account the fears of a number of other lesbians and gay men who worry that being outspoken about a lesbian or gay second generation person will "propagate stereotypes [of] gay people recruiting kids." Kirby explores the issues that both first and second generations of lesbians and gay men face in a particularly insightful and thoughtful manner. Please thank the New York Times for this perceptive and engaging story on second generation lesbians and gay men. Contact: Bill Keller, Managing Editor, New York Times, 229 West 43rd St., NY, NY 10036-3959, fax: 212.556.3690, e-mail: letters@nytimes.com (include phone number when sending e-mails) 5) Philly Cartoon Tackles Protests by Religious Political Extremists The June 6 Philadelphia Daily News(PDN) featured a refreshing editorial cartoon illustrating the hypocrisy of religious political extremists who attempt to use Jesus Christ as justification for opposing equal rights. In the cartoon by Pulitzer Prize-winning PDN Editorial Cartoonist Signe Witkinson, four people stand behind a banner reading "Christians Against Domestic Partners." A man stands to one side, holding a sign that is blank. "This?" the man asks. "It's every criticism Jesus ever made about homosexuality." Please thank the Philadelphia Daily News for this clear illustration of the shaky ground upon which religious political extremists stand in their opposition to legal equality for lesbians and gay men. Contact: Ellen Foley, Managing Editor, Philadelphia Daily News, 400 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130-4015, fax: 215.854.5910, e-mail: dailynews.opinion@phillynews.com 6) For Kids' Sake, Legalize Same-Gender Marriage A commentary originally appearing in the Hartford [Connecticut] Courant on May 31, and reprinted by the Salt Lake Tribune on June 4, recommends the legalization of same-gender marriage as a means of protecting the best interests of children. "The argument for gay marriage can seem awfully abstract at times...but then along comes a case like that of Baby Z," writes Barbara T. Roessner. "Without the legal license so many gay couples now seek, and are routinely denied, who ultimately suffers? The kids," she says. Roessner describes the situation of Baby Z, born to a lesbian couple through artificial insemination. The biological mother is legally the parent, yet Connecticut does not allow second-parent adoption unless a couple is married. "Baby Z is relegated to a familial limbo, simply because the state-and society-won't recognize his parents as a legitimate couple," she says. "Is it in Baby Z's best interest to have the community at large refuse to recognize his family unit as 'exemplary'-the term used by a Yale professor who conducted a home study for the courts? If his biological mom were to die, is it right for this child to be left a legal orphan, his status to be decided by a probate court?...Perhaps the Baby Z case-heard last week by the Connecticut State Supreme Court-provides those on various sides of the gay marriage debate with some small patch of common ground. The best interest of the child? If that's what we really do care most about, the answer to Baby Z's dilemma is as simple as the case is currently complex: Recognize his two mothers' union as committed, loving, stable-and legal." Please thank the Hartford Courant and the Salt Lake Tribune for running this articulate and in-depth piece. Contact: … Clifford L. Teutsch, Managing Editor, Hartford Courant, 285 Broad St., Hartford, CT 06115-2510, fax: 860.520.6941, e-mail: letters@courant.com … James E. Shelledy, Editor, Salt Lake Tribune, 143 S. Main St., Salt Lake City, UT 84111-1945, fax: 801.521.9418, e-mail: reader.advocate@sltrib.com (include phone number with all correspondence) 7) Hawaii Paper's Commentary Urges Protections for Gay Youth In the "Island Voices" section of the June 4 Honolulu Advertiser, gay youth advocate Kauanoe Bombard articulately and passionately argues for schools to better address issues faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people. Bombard begins by mentioning the recent study published in Pediatrics, which shows that, due to a homophobic climate, gay youth are at high risk for suffering from depression, engaging in high-risk sex and in abusing drugs. Bombard also cites the 1992 government-issued Hawaii Gay and Lesbian Teen Task Force study which concluded that, "Hawai`i's schools, both public and private, are dangerous places for youths perceived to be lesbian, gay or transgendered. There students face a daily threat of ridicule, physical violence and sexual assault on school campuses. At times, teachers have quietly condoned or actively participated in the harassment." Bombard writes that, "[This was] borne out by my own experience as a gay youth in a Honolulu high school. I felt so isolated and depressed that I tried to commit suicide. Eventually, I ended up on the streets. I finally got my act together through a residential program on Maui. Changes in the school system have been frustratingly slow." Bombard adds that the claim made by those arguing that this is not a prevalent issue for youth is specious: "Because schools do not document anti-gay incidents, the problem is invisible....Furthermore, Hawai`i has the distinction of being the only state out of compliance with federal laws requiring monitoring and documentation of hate crimes. Is the state afraid of what it might find?" Bombard presents a six-point plan for change, including safe zones, forming gay/straight alliances, training school officials and adopting/enforcing anti-gay harassment policies. "Youth represent our future," Bombard writes. "Let's ensure that all youth can grow up safe, healthy and feeling good about who we are, and not poisoned by the intolerance of some." Please thank the Honolulu Advertiser for running this critical call to action. Contact: James L. Gatti, Editor, Honolulu Advertiser, 605 Kapiolani Blvd., Honolulu, HI 96813 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 (LA), 212.807.1700 (NY), 415.861.2244 (San Francisco), 202.986.1360 (DC), 404.876.1398 (Atlanta) and 816.756.5991 (Kansas City) Report defamation in the media by calling GLAAD's Toll-Free AlertLine! 1-800-GAY-MEDIA (1-800-429-6334) or 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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