Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 18:07:40 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADAlert June 18, 1998 GLAADALERT-June 18, 1998 The GLAADAlert is the weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation 1) GLAAD Media Round-Up: A Lott of Nonsense 2) Heston, We Have A Problem 3) Rockport Is Comfortable With Ru 4) The Free Press Tackles Media's Obsession With Heche's Sexual Orientation 5) Globe Tells Tale of Discrimination 6) Spokane Paper Profiles PFLAG 1) GLAAD Media Round-Up: A Lott of Nonsense Ever since Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss) compared homosexuality with "alcohol or sex addiction or kleptomaniacs" on June 15, the media has attempted, with varying degrees of success, to present an objective description of both the Senate Majority Leader's comments and the many responses which various organizations have issued. Most problematic was the Associated Press (AP), which used the term "gay lifestyle" throughout its June 15 story penned by Alan Fram, stating: "The remarks shoved Lott into a controversy that has engulfed the scientific, gay and conservative communities: Whether homosexuals have chosen their lifestyle or whether it is biologically predetermined." It also noted that Lott opposes the Hormel nomination, "viewing [Hormel] as an aggressive advocate of the gay lifestyle." The story does not indicate which "lifestyle" it is referring to. Is it the jet-setting lesbians and gay men? Those who belong to bowling leagues? Suburban lesbian and gay parents? Homeless lesbian and gay youth? Just what is the "homosexual lifestyle," and is there a corresponding "heterosexual lifestyle?" The June 16 Dallas Morning News reprint of the initial AP article actually amended the AP's grossly inaccurate language, and changed it to "...viewing [Hormel] as an aggressive advocate of homosexuality." Yet, this, too, is an unclear choice of language. How exactly does one advocate for homosexuality? Perhaps the AP meant to say that Hormel has advocated for equal rights for lesbians and gay men. What is particularly clear is that The Associated Press needs to update the style guide in their Washington bureau. Professional journalists using the buzzwords of religious political extremists in mainstream reporting is not just biased-it is inaccurate and confusing. Below are some other good and bad examples of reporting on the Lott comments: … A separate AP article on June 16 about the Hormel nomination from the same day indicated that the opposition was based on his "active support of gay causes." … The June 16 AP update of the original June 15 story, also penned by Alan Fram, changed the first usage of "lifestyle" to read: "...Whether homosexuals have chosen their sexual orientation or whether it is biologically determined." Yet it preserved the sentence about Hormel aggressively advocating the "gay lifestyle." … In two of its pieces, Reuters avoided using the term "lifestyle," referring instead to "gay rights," or "sexual orientation." … A June 17 USA Today story said that Lott "contends that Hormel is an aggressive advocate of 'the gay lifestyle,'" making sure to place the term "gay lifestyle" in quotes, clarifying that it is not an acceptable term for sexual orientation in straight news reportage. … The June 17 Los Angeles Times follow-up story, which discussed the tensions around issues of sexual orientation and equal rights within the GOP, simply said, "Homosexuality is also an issue that Republicans are wrestling with in deciding whether to confirm...Hormel.... Hormel is gay." … NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw on June 17 constantly referred to lesbians and gay men repeatedly as "homosexuals," and used clips of half naked men in leather and drag queens to illustrate the lesbian and gay community. … The June 17 CBS Evening News with Dan Rather used the term "gay" to describe lesbians and gay men, and used multiple clips illustrative of a diversity within the lesbian and gay community. … DC's own Washington Post , widely-regarded as the nation's premier paper for political coverage, has yet to cover the Lott controversy in an independently-written piece. While there have been reprints of wire reports, Post writers and editors have written neither any editorials nor even a single piece about the comments on their own. GLAAD has compiled statements from nearly thirty leading lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and progressive organizations regarding Lott's comments. To view these remarks, visit GLAAD Online at: http://www.glaad.org . Contact: … Jonathan P. Wolman, Bureau Chief, Associated Press, 2021 K St. NW #606, Washington, DC 20006-1082, fax: 202.776.9861 … Greg McCune, Bureau Chief, Reuter's America, Inc., 1333 H St. NW #410, Washington, DC 20005-4707 … David Mazzarella, Editor, USA Today, 1000 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA. 22209-3901, fax: 703.247.3108, e-mail: editor@usatoday.com (include name, address and phone) … Michael Parks, Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, LA, CA 90053, fax: 213.237.7679, e-mail: letters@latimes.com … Andrew Lack, News President, NBC Television Network, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, NY, NY, 10112-0002 … Andrew Heyward, News President, CBS Television Network, 524 West 57th St., NY, NY 10019-2902, fax: 212.975.9387 2) Heston, We Have A Problem Following actor-turned- National Rifle Association (NRA) President Charlton Heston's divisive comments about gay people and others at both the NRA national convention June 6 and the Free Congress Foundation last December, several media commentators have wondered just what the former Moses is up to. In the first speech, Heston spoke of a "cultural war waging across our land." Miami Herald Political Editor Tom Fiedler, in a June 7 commentary, noted, "On the other side of Heston's 'war,' it seems, are people who happen to be of races other than Caucasian, of religions other than Christian, and of sexual orientations other than 'straight.'" He quotes Heston as saying: "Heaven help the God-fearing, law-abiding, Caucasian, middle-class Protestant or-even worse-Evangelical Christian, Midwest or Southern or-even worse-rural, apparently straight or-even worse-admittedly heterosexual, gun-owning or-even worse-NRA-card-carrying, average working still or-even worse-male-working stiff. Because not only do you not count, you're a downright obstacle to social progress." Fiedler adds, "There's more in his speech, but suffice it to say he also manages to belittle the Holocaust and bait gays and lesbians, while insisting he 'welcomes cultural diversity' and counts homosexuals as 'dear friends.' For vocalizing similar insults... Reggie White made Page One everywhere and lost his chance to become a TV network football announcer... Heston, on the other hand, became president of the NRA." Meanwhile, author Earl Ofari Hutchinson, in the June 16 Chicago Defender, states, "In his self-proclaimed battle against liberals, gays, women's groups and Hollywood, Heston has lifted virtually intact the language of the far right-wing...As despicable as his racial and homophobic utterances are, what's worse is the virtual silence of the nation's press about them. I found no mention of his speech in any of the major dailies, the so-called liberal media that Heston routinely rants about, nor any denunciations by public officials. This was in stark contrast to the reaction to the equally silly, anti-Semitic and racist remarks that former Nation of Islam national spokesperson Khalid Mohammed made a few years ago...The journey [Heston has] made to ideological zealot should be condemned." Former KKK Grand Wizard David Duke placed Heston's Free Congress Foundation speech on his Web site, lauding it and urging all Americans to read it. Both the Miami Herald and the Chicago Defender should be applauded for having broken the vast silence from the media on Heston's divisive comments [To read Mr. Heston's speech in its entirety, visit http://www.vpc.org/nrainfo/speech.html ]. In the June 1 GLAADLines, GLAAD Executive Director Joan M. Garry said, "GLAAD finds portions of Mr. Heston's very carefully-worded remarks to be both offensive and misleading. Mr. Heston's sentiments concerning lesbians and gay men-no matter how carefully veiled are nonetheless transparent. Such disparaging remarks serve as fuel for those who fear difference and promote intolerance. GLAAD will continue to work in concert with our colleagues-men, women, black, white, straight and gay-to ensure civil rights for us all." Please commend the Miami Herald and the Chicago Defender for beginning a media dialogue around Heston and the NRA's use of basic rights for lesbians and gay men as a wedge issue, which paints a false "gays vs. guns" dichotomy. Contact: … Tom Fiedler, Political Editor, Miami Herald, One Herald Plaza, Miami, FL. 33132-1693, Phone: 305/376-3477, fax: 305.376.8950, e-mail: HeraldEd@herald.com … Walter Lowe, Editorial Page Editor, Chicago Defender, 2400 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL. 60616-2329, fax: 312/225-9659, e-mail: defendpaper@ameritech.net 3) Rockport Is Comfortable With Ru A Rockport ad which appeared in the June 14 Los Angeles Times, and possibly in other outlets as well, features drag superstar RuPaul dressed in a sharp suit, holding a cane (in boy drag) and wearing Rockport men's dress shoes. RuPaul states, "I'm comfortable being a man." At the bottom of the ad, the text reads: "be comfortable. uncompromise. start with your feet." Please commend Rockport for using new spokesperson RuPaul as a fierce model of masculinity. Contact: The Rockport Company, Inc., 220 Donald J. Lynch Boulevard, Marlboro, MA 01752, phone: 1.800.rockport (1.800.762.5767), e-mail: contactus@rockportco.com 4) The Free Press Tackles Media's Obsession With Heche's Sexual Orientation Two stories in the June 14 Detroit Free Press address the issue of media speculation over Anne Heche's ability to convincingly portray a heterosexual romantic lead in Six Days, Seven Nights. The first, by Free Press Movie Writer Terry Lawson, asserts that even though it is ethically wrong, "Heche will take the fall if Six Days can't post a big number for its first three days, because in Hollywood, Ford is considered more infallible than the pope. And the ramifications will be swift and unspoken: If you want to work the big ring, you'd better pick the right trapeze." [Ed. note: Six Days opened to mixed reviews but strong box office in its first weekend.] He adds, "Long before gay liberation, there were actors whose same-sex preferences were common knowledge even outside Hollywood, but audiences adopted their own don't-ask, don't-tell policy." Lawson also notes that when straight actors play gay, they are celebrated for it, while when gay actors play gay, they are just considered to be "doing what comes naturally." In summary, he says, "If an audience is/audiences are ready to accept Warren Beatty as a homeboy wanna-be, it does not seem inconceivable that it could accept the idea of Heche being attracted to Harrison Ford. After all, there are quite a few men who might own up to being attracted to Heche -- and Ford as well." Free Press Columnist Susan Ager looks at it from a different angle. "Can Anne Heche play a convincing heterosexual? Sure she can. Gay men and women who aren't even actors, who are carpenters or CEOs or Kmart clerks, pass as straight all the time." Ager also notes that Heche told CNN's Larry King that it was not hard to fake attraction to Ford because "a look of love is a look of love." Ager adds, "The looks, the sighs, the words, the touch -- they're all the same, no matter who's loving whom. Only the details differ, as they do among all couples." She writes, "I know [a] man, 59 years old, whose family had an inkling he might be gay, but happily pretended he wasn't -- until he told them. They said: 'Now that you've used the word, we can't accept it.' Still he feels better.... If you've never had to play-act in your life, I guess you can't imagine the relief. Anne Heche is lucky. She must act only for pay, on camera. Otherwise, she is authentic, free and true." Please commend the Detroit Free Press for two thoughtful and varying perspectives of the media's obsession with Heche's sexual orientation as it relates to her career. Contact: Carole Leigh Hutton, Managing Editor, Detroit Free Press, 321 West Lafayette Blvd., Detroit, MI 48226-2707, fax: 313.222.6774, e-mail: editpg@det-freepress.com 5) Globe Tells Tale of Discrimination In the May 17 Boston Globe, staff writer Royal Ford articulates the discrimination that lesbian and gay couples face under current laws which exclude them from basic rights. Ford writes of Mary Lou Bryant and her recently-deceased partner in business and love of fifteen years, Susan Grover, and how after Grover died early this year, "because [Bryant] is also a woman, she now has the State of New Hampshire and an onerous tax bearing down on her in a moment that should be sacred for grieving and healing. When our leaders [and] your neighbors tell you that gay and lesbian folks don't need laws to protect them because they are protected just like everyone else, keep this story in mind.... Had they been a married heterosexual couple... [or] a man and a woman who had lived together for as short a time as three years, we would not be hearing this story. In New Hampshire, husbands and wives [or common-law marriages] can pass [property] to the surviving partner without paying an inheritance tax. That was not possible for Mary Lou and [Susan]. And that is discrimination.... [Mary Lou] was also left, horribly, with proving that even her own share of the business were truly hers. As she grieves, she must also search out old checks, old pay stubs, to prove that she was even a contributing partner to the house they built with sweat.... This is cruel, and the tax is unfair.... What are these taxes based on? Sexuality.... Simply and completely because of their sexuality, Mary Lou is now being whacked with a tax and an emotional burden that she should not have to endure. So next time someone tells you that gays and lesbians are not discriminated against, think about our own laws....Think about how Mary Lou, even as she grieves, must not only pay for what [Susan] left her, but must also prove to the state that those are even her footprints in the sands of their labor and love." Please thank the Boston Globe for publishing this powerful example of the arbitrary discrimination that same-gender couples face under current marriage law. Contact: Gregory L. Moore, Managing Editor, Boston Globe, 135 Morrissey Blvd., Dorchester, MA 02125-3338, fax: 617.929.2098, e-mail: letters@globe.com 6) Spokane Paper Profiles PFLAG The June 13 edition of the Spokane [Washington] Spokesman-Review ran an excellent profile of the local chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). The piece illustrated how instrumental the group has been to fostering appreciation for lesbians and gay men locally. "Once a month, they come together for support -- to teach each other about acceptance, to let them know they're not alone, " it begins. The piece states that the local PFLAG chapter has been around for 14 years and organized Spokane's first Pride March in 1991. Founder Mary Ellen Myrene "was devastated when she first learned her son was gay... but she knew she loved her son," it says. "Since then, she and her husband have started teaching other parents how to understand their children's homosexuality. They're also lobbying to pass laws that would make it illegal to discriminate based on sexual orientation." The story also notes various local projects on which the group is working and profiles several PFLAG members. At the end of the article, as posted on the Spokesman-Review's Web site, the piece asks what readers think of the story [ http://www.spokane.net/news-story-body.asp?Date=061398&ID=s406059 ]. Please let the Spokane Spokesman-Review know how much their feature on PFLAG is appreciated and encourage them to do more stories on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender subjects Contact Peggy Kuhr, Managing Editor, The Spokesman Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA. 99210-2160, fax: 509/459-5482, editor@spokesman.com 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), 404.876.1398 (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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