Date: Thu, 25 Jun 1998 18:07:59 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADAlert June 25, 1998 GLAADALERT-June 25, 1998 The GLAADAlert is the weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation 1) GLAAD Media Round-Up: Not A Lott of Support 2) ABC To Air "Missing" Ellen Episodes 3) Sex and Sports on HBO 4) I Want My K-CI and JoJo 5) New Jersey Press Does Justice to Gay Marriage 6) "Page Six" Still Isn't Funny 1) GLAAD Media Round-Up: Not A Lott of Support The week after Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss) compared homosexuality with "alcohol... or...sex addiction...or kleptomaniacs," and after House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas) seconded the notion, a number of media outlets and commentators weighed in on their comments and responses to them. The media generally recognized the distinction between the appropriateness of Lott's expression of personal religious beliefs and his inaccurate scientific assertions about homosexuality as an illness or "problem." Furthermore, most outlets were critical of Lott for using religious convictions and medical ignorance as the foundation for his discrimination towards openly gay ambassadorial nominee James Hormel. Below are some representative examples of journalists' commentaries on Lott's remarks: … The English translation of the lead editorial in the June 19 El Tiempo Latino reads: "[Lott's] views fall into the most retrograde beliefs of homosexuality's origins...Precisely what is the problem the Senator speaks of?... Opinions [like Lott's] create a misunderstanding of what it means to be homosexual and what this group [lesbians and gay men] contributes to the life of the nation." … A June 19 Dallas Morning News editorial states: "It's hard to see how the two majority leaders qualify as the nation's moral ministers. They are elected to pass legislation and to oversee government operations, not issue moral pronouncements about very private matters they cannot affect." … King Features syndicated columnist Carl T. Rowan whose column was recently featured in the Houston Chronicle, the Chicago Sun-Times and the New York Post, said, "Armey and Lott talk as though they are making the Bible the bedrock of public policy in America... If they really intend to take the Bible literally, not only will they have to make fornication a capital offense, they will have to ask every nominee for anything whether he or she has ever committed adultery.... They could clear out a majority of both the House and the Senate." … The usually right-wing Washington Times featured a June 19 column by editor-in-chief Wesley Pruden, which criticized White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry, who denounced Lott not on moral grounds but for likening being gay to a mental disorder akin to kleptomania. Pruden wrote, "Who are you going to believe in matters spiritual, your neighborhood witch doctor [meaning the American Psychiatric Association] or God?... Father McCurry trumped the Bible with his catechism from the American Psychiatric Association. You can't find a higher authority than that." … A June 24 Los Angeles Times editorial says, "Lott and his fellow anti-Hormel crusaders are entitled to their beliefs.... But Hormel is entitled to have his nomination judged by the entire Senate, not vetoed by a few senators on the basis of how they interpret certain biblical passages.... It's time to end this embarrassing display of bigotry." … An editorial in the June 22 Dayton Daily News entitled, "Can Lott Learn?" said of Lott's linking homosexuality to kleptomania, "Some people really are this unknowing about homosexuality, which has not been considered a malady by psychiatrists for decades now. It's hard to believe that a man of the world such as Sen. Lott could be so clueless. [But in] a few weeks, the senator can't claim ignorance.... The measure of the man will be how he responds." … A June 20 Minneapolis Star Tribune editorial stated: "The GOP's majority leader should not use his prejudice as justification for discriminatory action against gays and lesbians.... Lott said, 'You should try not to mistreat them [gay people] or treat them as outcasts.' He has mistreated Hormel, and he has made the man an outcast. Those are sins Lott should rectify right away." … Columnist William Endicott in the June 20 Sacramento Bee wrote: "It's kind of amazing that in the face of scientific and medical evidence to the contrary, Lott and Armey still cling to the fundamentalist belief that people are not born gay or lesbian.... I couldn't help but wonder how hundreds of gay and lesbian young people must have felt, being told by two of the most powerful politicians in America that they are morally objectionable." Contact: … Carlos Caban, Editor, El Tiempo Latino, 1515 N. Courthouse Rd., #200, Arlington, VA 22201-2909, fax: 703.527.0369, e-mail: tiempolati@aol.com … Ralph Langer, Editor, Dallas Morning News, PO Box 655237, Dallas, TX, 75265-5237 … Maria Carmicino, Managing Editor, King Features Syndicate, 235 East 45th St., NY, NY 10017-3305; Tony Pederson, Managing Editor, Houston Chronicle, 801 Texas Ave., Houston, TX 77002-2996, fax: 713.220.3575, e-mail: viewpoints@chron.com; Steve Huntley, Editorial/Op-Ed Page Editor, Chicago Sun-Times, 401 N. Wabash Ave., Chicago, IL 60611-5642; Ken Chandler, Editor, New York Post, 1211 Avenue of the Americas, NY, NY 10036-8790, fax: 212.930.8540, e-mail: letters@nypost.com … Tod Lindberg, Editorial/Op-Ed Page Editor, Washington Times, 3600 New York Ave. NE, Washington, DC 20002-1996, fax: 202.832.2982 … Janet Clayton, Editorial Page Editor, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, LA, CA 90053, fax: 213.237.7679, e-mail: letters@latimes.com … Steve Sidlo, Managing Editor, Dayton Daily News, 45 South Ludlow, Dayton, OH 45402-1858, fax: 937.225.7302, e-mail: Edletter@dni.com … Pamela Fine, Managing Editor, Star Tribune, 425 Portland Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55488-0001, fax: 612.673.4359, e-mail: opinion@startribune.com (must include name, address, and daytime phone) … Rick Rodriguez, Managing Editor, Sacramento Bee, 2100 Q St., Sacramento, CA 95816-6899, fax: 916.321.1996, e-mail: opinion@sacbee.com 2) ABC To Air "Missing" Ellen Episodes On July 15 and 22, ABC will air the two "missing" Ellen episodes which were initially intended to lead up to the finale. On April 15, ABC decided to not air these two already completed episodes from its May sweeps lineup, opting instead to run episodes of Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place (See GLAADAlert 4.17.98). ABC's sudden decision came as a shock to the beleaguered show and for millions of fans. At the time, GLAAD Executive Director Joan M. Garry said, "American viewers deserve and expect to see Ellen's remaining season in its entirety. 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." Throughout the summer, ABC has been airing Ellen, including the episodes featuring the developing relationship between Ellen Morgan and her girlfriend, Laurie. The network has also, unfortunately, continued to place a "parental warning" on the show. Please let ABC know how you feel about the two episodes, and encourage them to have more programs with prominent lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender characters in the future. Contact: Jamie Tarses, Entertainment President, ABC, 2040 Avenue of the Stars, LA, CA 90037, e-mail: netaudr@abc.com, or call ABC at: 310.557.7777 and ask to be connected to their audience response line. 3) Sex and Sports on HBO Recently, two HBO shows, Arli$$ and Sex in The City, have featured positive lesbian and gay inclusion. The June 7 Arli$$ ("My Job Is to Get Jobs") humorously portrayed the difficulty sports agent Arliss Michaels (Robert Wuhl) has getting a star football player signed to a team when everyone assumes the player is gay. Arliss finally decides that it is "no one's business," and sets it up so his client is arrested in a hot tub with two half-naked, underage girls. The player is then besieged by offers. Arli$$'s message is clear-the sports industry thinks that it is better for a professional athlete to have sex with underage girls then be a gay man. On June 21, Sex in the City featured lesbian and gay characters and subplots. When Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) and her gay male friend run into a gay couple on the street, the couple ask Carrie for one of her eggs for their surrogate. Another character, Miranda, is then fixed up with a woman named Syd by a co-worker who mistakenly assuming she is a lesbian. They become good friends anyway, and Miranda, frustrated she can not find Mr. Right, kisses Syd, which only reaffirms for both of them that Miranda is indeed straight. Sex in the City puts the search for love on an equal ground for both gay and straight people alike. Please thank HBO for featuring the two programs. Also, encourage Arli$$ to further explore the issue of homophobia in sports, and ask Sex in the City to continue to explore the diversity of relationship issues for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Contact: Dave Baldwin, Programming Senior Vice President, HBO, 1100 Avenue of the Americas, NY, NY 10036-6712 4) I Want My K-CI and JoJo A music video currently in heavy rotation on MTV features a number of loving couples and happy families, including an affectionate lesbian couple. The video for the R & B song "All My Life" by K-CI and JoJo, already a favorite on the radio stations nationwide, splices shots of the duo singing the chorus "All my life/I prayed for someone like you/and I know you feel the same way too," to loving shots of mothers and sons, a man and woman with a newborn baby, and numerous heterosexual couples. Also featured for a few seconds, is a lesbian couple affectionately holding hands and starring tenderly into one another's eyes. Please thank MCA Records and K-CI and JoJo for recognizing that lesbian couples are part of a vast mosaic of important, loving and noteworthy relationships. Contact: David Renzer, President, MCA Music Publishing, 2440 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Suite 100, LA, CA 90064 5) New Jersey Press Does Justice to Gay Marriage Articles in both the Star-Ledger on June 18 and The [Hackensack] Record on June 21 highlighted the holy union of Jon and Michael Galluccio in New Jersey recently. The Galluccios, who first made headlines for becoming the first couple in the state to jointly adopt a child, recently held a public marriage ceremony. Both newspapers provided balanced, moving coverage of the occasion. The Star-Ledger article begins, "All week, Jon Galluccio has been taking care of all the usual errands befitting a typical groom-to-be. He visited the tailor for a final fitting. He dropped by the jewelry store to check on the ring. He met with his priest. Then he checked in with the local police to find out when the bomb-sniffing dogs would be searching the church on Sunday morning." Reporter Matthew Futterman's piece continues to say that, "The Galluccios' Holy Union, the first to be held at their [Episcopalian] parish, comes at a time when nearly every religious denomination is wrestling with the issue of gay marriage." The article quotes radical religious leader Anthony Falzarano of Transformation Christian Ministries, an "ex-gay" group, claiming God would not bless gay relationships. The Ledger noted, "And yet, said the Rev. Kevin P. Coffey of the Church of the Atonement, God will do just that when the Galluccios exchange their vows.... 'Right now, I'm just hoping everything goes okay,' Jon Galluccio said." Futterman concludes: "Spoken like a true groom." Meanwhile, The Record featured a touching Father's Day article by Ruth Padawer highlighting the relationship between Michael Galluccio and his dad, Adolph Galluccio. "Over the years, Adolph Galluccio, like any proud Italian-American patriarch, has rejoiced at each of his children's weddings, till only his oldest son, Michael, remained. Today will finally be Michael's turn, but the ceremony will not be of the sort Adolph Galluccio once imagined for his boy," it begins. Padawer writes: "This is a story about a son and a father who nearly lost one another, about love and the fight for acceptance. It has not been an easy passage for any of the Galluccios, least of all for Adolph, but it has been an illuminating one." The moving story tells of Adolph's and his wife Dot's feelings of being in the closet themselves to reclaiming and embracing their son by accepting his sexual orientation, partner and children. The end of the article quotes Michael: "It turns out he really is the dad I had when I was a little kid: a conquer-the-world, limitless dad, someone I've come to really love and respect. . . .He's gone that extra mile, for me.." Please thank both the Star-Ledger and The Record for their outstanding and poignant articles on the Galluccios. Contact: … Rick Everett, Managing Editor, The Star-Ledger, 1 Star Ledger Plaza, Newark, NJ 07102-1200, fax: 973.877.5845, e-mail: eletters@starledger.com … Vivian Waixel, Editor, The Record, 150 River St., Hackensack, NJ 07601-7156, fax: 201.646.4135, e-mail: newsroom@bergen.com (put "Letter to the Editor" in subject line when sending e-mail) 6) "Page Six" Still Isn't Funny On June 18, the New York Post ran an editorial cartoon in its "Page Six" section which depicted an effeminate man apparently leading an elementary school class in a discussion about safer sex practices. "Good morning class" he says, posed on one leg and holding his briefcase up with limp wrists. "I'll be filling in for Ms. Rosario, please take out your condoms and turn to page 29 of your alternative sex manuals." After the "s" in "class" and "Ms.," there is small, barely legible text which, upon close inspection, is a "TH," indicating the teacher's lisp. On the blackboard, the verbs "to pack" and "to lisp" are conjugated, and the assignments listed are to study for a "Flower Arranging Quiz" and "Read up to p. 23 of Elton John's Autobiography." On the desk are a hand pump and a dead fish, which appear frequently in the Post's lesbian- and gay-themed cartoons. Also drawn is a piece of paper on one student's desk featuring a partially-drawn sheep--another a recurring theme in the cartoons, signifying the Post's blatantly offensive and false connection of homosexuality to bestiality. Please let the New York Post know that this kind of stereotypical and derogatory cartoon is not clever or humorous. 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. 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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