Date: Thu, 9 Jul 1998 17:34:45 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADAlert July 9, 1998 GLAADALERT--July 9, 1998 The GLAADAlert is the weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation 1) Lifetime Premieres Compelling Change of Heart 2) New York Times Quizzes the Monkey 3) NYC D.P. Used As Vehicle for Anti-Gay Ire in Beantown 4) GLAADAlert Special Analysis: Media Mixed For Pride '98 Lifetime Premieres Compelling Change of Heart On July 20 Lifetime Television will premiere its powerful made-for-television movie Change of Heart, which tells the story of a woman and her family coming to terms with the recent revelation that her husband of 20 years is gay. Elaine Marshall (Jean Smart) and Jim (John Terry) seem to be the ideal married couple. With two teenage children, a beautiful home and successful careers, all seems to be going according to plan until Elaine discovers Jim is having an affair with a man. The movie chronicles Elaine's emotions as she and their children attempt to deal with Jim's sexual orientation and try to redefine their world. The movie includes one violent and a hate-filled reaction that further threatens the family's bond. Change of Heart touchingly and compassionately deals with many different aspects of an often painful family situation. Jim is portrayed as a caring, nurturing and loving family man. His wife, Elaine, must not only face her own uncertain future, but reevaluate existing bonds that tie her family together. Few movies or television shows have examined this real-life situation in such a moving, poignant way. Lifetime's pioneering Change of Heart also touches upon the issues of job discrimination and anti-gay hate crimes. Watch the movie on July 20, and thank Lifetime for its compelling and original programming. Contact: Rosemary Sykes, Program Director, Lifetime Television, 309 W. 49th St., NY, NY 10019-7316, fax: 212.424.7369, e-mail: comments@www.lifetimetv.com New York Times Quizzes the Monkey The July 9 issue of the New York Times featured a review of a new "kid-friendly" Web browser called Surf Monkey, which offers continual updates of its list of filtered sites. Reviewer Michelle Slatalla spoke with David Smith, chief executive of Media Live, which manufactures Surf Monkey. She writes, "'The filter works with e-mail, too,' Smith said. 'Type an e-mail message with an obvious profanity and then ask the monkey to read it aloud.' Sure enough, the monkey refused to speak the four-letter word I had typed. In fact, the program changed the letters of the word on-screen as well, substituting '####,' which the monkey pronounced soberly as 'number-number-number-number.'" She then tested for the software's blocked words. Slatalla writes, "As a test, I typed, 'My name is Michelle, and I am gay.' The monkey said, 'My name is Michelle and I am number-number-number.'" When she questioned Smith about this, Smith replied, "'Ouch. 'Gay' is not supposed to be blocked. 'Gay' is not a bad word.'" Slatalla continues, "In fact, just the previous week I had addressed this same topic with [daughters] Zoe and Ella, who had been troubled by a third grader on the school bus who shrieked 'gay' as an insult. The last thing we needed was a painful follow-up discussion about how some adults can be as bigoted as third-grade bullies. Or monkeys." Slatalla also performed a similar test using the word "breast" in the phrase "chicken breast." It was blocked. Through her review, Slatalla exposes the dangers of Internet filtering and how it can adversely affect children. She also illustrates how all parents have the right and the responsibility to test software before using it. In addition, the article documents the sometimes arbitrary bias inherent in Internet filtering software. Please thank Slatalla and the Times for such a clear example of how filtering software deny access to a significant amount of age-appropriate Web content. Also, ask Surf Monkey to make sure their "glitch" is fixed. Contact: … Bill Keller, Managing Editor, and Michelle Slatalla, Writer, New York Times, 229 W. 43rd St., NY, NY 10036-3959, fax: 212.556.3690, e-mail: letters@nytimes.com (include phone number when sending e-mails) … David Smith, President, MediaLive, Inc., 990 Linden Dr., Santa Clara, CA 95050, fax: 408.556.2061, e-mail: surfmonkey@surfmonkey.com NYC D.P. Used As Vehicle for Anti-Gay Ire in Beantown In the July 1 Boston Herald, columnist Don Feder uses New York City's new domestic partnership ordinance as a means of unloading his anti-gay vitriol. Feder claims the ordinance "elevate[s] fornication and sodomy to the status of marriage," adding, "Calling a mule a horse doesn't alter its nature. Man and woman, bound by faith and commitment, make a partnership for domesticity. Nothing else does. Life does not spring from homosexual unions." He then switches gears inexplicably, stating that "Britain recently lowered the legal age for homosexual relations to 16 [making age of consent equal for all people, regardless of sexual orientation, which Feder fails to mention]." He adds, "Does changing the law so a 30-year-old man can legally approach your 16-year-old son for sex threaten your family? How about your children being instructed about the validity of homosexuality and invited to give it a try?" Finally, he writes, "While most Americans take the Trent Lott view, most politicians pander shamelessly. The gay lobby is well-organized and well-heeled." On his last point, Feder seems blind to the "shameless pandering" of Lott, Armey, and other politicians to religious political extremists. Moreover, he seems to pretend that the rich, powerful anti-gay religious groups in Washington do not wield a vastly disproportionate amount of power to the fringe constituency they represent. Feder is seemingly unable to dispute domestic partnership on any justifiable grounds, instead feeding readers a classic anti-gay bait-and-switch, attempting to shock them with absurd claims of youth recruitment. Please let the Boston Herald know that while all columnists are entitled to their opinion, this piece is particularly egregious and contributes to a climate of fear and intolerance. Contact: Andrew Gully, Managing Editor, Boston Herald, 300 Harrison Ave., Boston, MA 02118-2237, fax: 617.542.1315, e-mail: letterstoeditors@bostonherald.com GLAADAlert Special Analysis: Media Mixed For Pride '98 In 1998, mainstream media coverage of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Pride was reasonably even-handed, but lacked depth and missed a significant trend about the inclusion of families and workplace issues. In general, media outlets attempted to present the diversity represented in Pride events, and to let participants tell in their own words what the day meant to them. For the most part, however, the media failed to include features which focused on the rich and engaging nature of the event. There were a few newspapers which offered sophisticated and perceptive articles on issues facing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Most of the nation's media missed a significant national story in failing to report how Pride has evolved into a celebration inclusive of biological and chosen families as well as large-scale corporate support. In doing so, it retained its rich diversity while also going mainstream. For the first time, festivals in Washington, D.C., and Atlanta included "family tents" where lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender parents could bring their children. Lissa Dulany, Atlanta festival media coordinator, told the Atlanta Journal Constitution, "We have had a lot of interest in [Pride] because we are getting a lot more children in our community." One woman, identified in the June 29 St. Louis Post-Dispatch as a young lesbian named Blue, said "It's a family thing." In addition, many Pride participants are bringing along co-workers. In Chicago, Russell White told the Sun-Times he was marching with co-workers because "we want to let everyone know that Sears is gay-friendly." The Portland Oregonian reported June 22 that parade commentator Susan Leo joked as a contingent from Portland General Electric marched by, "Yes, it is shocking, folks: Even PGE is here." Still, many newspaper and television outlets chose to focus on stereotypes that have come to signify Pride to many mainstream media: black leather, drag queens, motorcycle-riding lesbians, and exotically dressed and/or minimally-clad young men. Certainly, these are accurate images so long as they are placed within the broader context of the rich diversity of our community. But when the media's representations of Pride are solely or almost entirely the more flamboyant aspects of our community, it paints an inaccurate picture. This narrowly defined portrait, shown year after year during the month of June, comes to be understood by some as universally representative of the community as a whole. Ultimately, this denies our diversity and fosters stereotypes. Following are some examples of Pride coverage along with contact information. Atlanta: Although WSB-TV's coverage was broad and inclusive, WXIA-TV's report included a long, panning shot of a scantily-clad youth mugging for the camera. WGNX-TV reportedly had no coverage; WAGA-TV included several shots of drag acts. … Ray Carter, News Director, WSB-TV, Ch. 2, 1601 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta, GA 30309-2641, fax: 404.897.2202, e-mail: aatl038@accessatlanta.com; David Roberts, News Director, WXIA-TV, Ch. 11, 1611 W. Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta, GA 30309-2664, fax: 404.881.0675; Michael Dreaden, News Director, WGNX-TV, Ch. 46, 1810 Briarcliff Rd. NE, Atlanta, GA 30329-4097, fax: 404.327.3004, e-mail: news@wgnx.com; Budd McEntee, News Director, WAGA-TV, Ch. 5, 1551 Briarcliff Rd. NE, Atlanta, GA 30306-2217, fax: 404.898.0169 New York City: Coverage at most newspapers was at best mixed: The New York Times headline read: "Gay Marchers Take to the Streets With High Heels and Harleys." A large "B" section photo from the Church of St. Luke in the Fields float showed the phrases, "Made in God's name" and "God loves us all." The accompanying upbeat article mentioned a small anti-mayoral protest during the parade. The Times also ran a front-page photo referring readers to the longer article: A muscular lesbian biker, pumping her fist. Its headline read, "Leader of the Pack." In the Daily News, a front-page article headlined "Marchers Happy To Be Gay" included photos of a gay majorette, a gay clown standing by a frowning cop and a lesbian motorcyclist smoking a cigar. Finally, Newsday illustrated the celebration with the photo of the view from behind a male couple, arms around each other, before a cheering crowd. Some readers felt it was an unfortunate echo of a time when being gay meant "Don't ask, don't tell -- and above all, don't show your face." … Bill Keller, Managing Editor, New York Times, 229 W. 43rd St., NY, NY 10036-3959, fax: 212.556.3690, e-mail: letters@nytimes.com (include phone number when sending e-mails); Arthur Browne, Managing Editor, Daily News, 450 W. 33rd St., NY, NY 10001-2681, fax: 212.643.7832, e-mail: editors@nydailynews.com; Robert Brandt, Managing Editor, Newsday, 235 Pinelawn Road, Melville, NY 11747-4250, fax: 516.843.3464, e-mail: letters@newsday.com San Francisco: Coverage in both dailies, the Chronicle and Examiner, went beyond event reportage to discuss concerns about parade organization and controversy about whether the professionally-produced event was becoming too commercial. The June 28 Examiner also included a color photo and extended caption on the June 27 Dyke March. The front-page photo in the June 29 Chronicle showed a rainbow-haired woman and her tiara-bedecked friend who, the caption said, "rode with the Dykes on Bikes." … Jerry Roberts, Managing Editor, San Francisco Chronicle, 901 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 94103-2988, fax: 415.543.7708, e-mail: chronletters@sfgate.com; Sharon Rosenhause, Managing Editor, San Francisco Examiner, PO Box 7260, San Francisco, CA 94120-7260, e-mail: rosenhause@examiner.com Kansas City: In the Kansas City Star, the third paragraph of a June 7 article talked about "Sequined, shiny mermaids" and drag queens in sports cars -- but the fourth paragraph read, "Other groups such as the Heartland Men's Chorus... and the American Civil Liberties Union held posters high." On WDAF-TV, coverage leaned heavily on stereotypical images: It too could not resist the mermaid and drag queens, plus a shot of leather-clad folks in front of a Jeep -- but it also briefly showed the choir at a gay religious ceremony. … Jeanne Meyer, Managing Editor, Kansas City Star, 1729 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64108-1458, fax: 816.234.4940, e-mail: letters@kcstar.com; Mike McDonald, News Director, WDAF-TV, Ch. 4, 3030 Summit, Kansas City, MO 64108-3300, fax: 816.561.4181, e-mail: wdaftv4@wdaftv4.com Chicago: "Gay Pride Goes Mainstream," headlined the June 29 Chicago Sun-Times report on the increased number of large corporations participating in that city's parade. The Chicago Tribune featured before and after parade coverage. MSNBC announced that Chicago Neighborhood Tours would sponsor the first tour highlighting contributions lesbians and gays have made to Chicago history. … Jocelyn Winnecke, Metro Editor, Chicago Sun-Times, 401 N. Wabash Ave., Chicago, IL 60611-5642, fax: 312.321.3084; Ann Marie Lipinski, Managing Editor, Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611-4003, fax: 312.222.2598, e-mail: tribletter@aol.com; Kip Whitlock, News Senior Editor, MSNBC, 1 MSNBC Plaza, Seacaucus, NJ 07094-2479, fax: 201.583.5453, e-mail: kip.whitlock@msnbc.com Denver: By the Rocky Mountain News' own estimate, from 60,000 to 65,000 attended Denver's Pride, but apparently that merited only a nine-paragraph report on June 29, which included just one direct quote. … Jack McElroy, Managing Editor, Rocky Mountain News, 400 West Colfax Ave., Denver, CO 80204-2694, fax: 303.892.2568, e-mail: metro@denver-rmn.com St. Louis: A brief-but-fair June 29 report in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch focused on Pride program events concerned with that city's new domestic partner registry. … Richard K. Weil, Managing Editor, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 900 N. Tucker Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63101-1099, fax: 314.340.3050, e-mail: rweil@pd.stlnet.com Ft. Lauderdale: The South Florida Sun-Sentinel began its June 21 report on Pride with, "The sign on the pickup truck in the parade read: 'Love thy neighbor. We are your gay neighbors.'" … Ellen Soeteber, Sun-Sentinel, 200 East Las Olas Blvd., Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301-2293, fax: 954.356.4559, e-mail via WWW: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/services/yrthots.htm Rhode Island: In a well-written June 21 feature, the Providence Journal-Bulletin lead its Pride coverage with an effective anecdote about what just being able to hold her partner's hand in public meant to marcher Rita Pantea, a 53-year-old mother of two. … Tom Heslin, Managing Editor, The Providence Journal Bulletin, 75 Fountain St., Providence, RI 02902-0050, e-mail: letters@projo.com Oklahoma: Twenty shouting anti-gay demonstrators failed to disrupt Tulsa's Pride parade and the minister leading the charge expressed disappointment that no other Tulsa pastors had joined him. That did not stop the Tulsa World from devoting a substantial portion of its June 21 Pride coverage to the tiny, radical protest. … Susan Ellerbach, Managing Editor, Tulsa World, 318 South Main Mall, Tulsa, OK 74103-3674, fax: 918.581.8353 (all letters must be signed, and include address and phone) Connecticut : The June 21 article in the Hartford Courant opened with this stereotype-debunking phrase: "William Silsby of Manchester, his partner of 16 years at his side...." … Clifford L. Teutsch, Managing Editor, The Hartford Courant, 285 Broad St., Hartford, CT 06115-2510, fax: 860.520.6941, e-mail: letters@courant.com Vermont: By opening its June 21 report with an anecdote about a once-troubled, now-proud-and-out gay youth, the Burlington Free Press sent an important message to its readers that Pride is a critical means of support and affirmation for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth. … Candace Page, Assistant Managing Editor, Burlington Free Press, 191 College St., Burlington, VT 05401, fax: 802.660.1802, e-mail: edgenet@aol.com West Virginia: The June 22 Charleston Gazette report opened with a vignette of a flamboyant entertainer "dressed to the nines in evening gown and makeup," riding in a convertible. Not until the tenth paragraph did the report mention that Gov. Cecil Underwood had snubbed the event. … Rosalie Earle, Managing Editor, Charleston Gazette, 1001 Virginia St. East, Charleston, WV 25301-2895, fax: 304.348.1233, e-mail: gazette@wvgazette.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! 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