Date: Fri, 17 Jul 1998 07:45:58 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADAlert July 16, 1998 GLAADALERT-July 16, 1998 The GLAADAlert is the weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation 1) GLAAD Media Round-Up: Homophobic Ad Campaign Launched 2) Close, But No Cigar 3) Oh, Mary! 4) Redesigning History 5) Lambasting Lott 6) "I Do....Gulp!" 7) The Night We Were All Lesbians 8) GLAADAlert Reminders: Change of Heart & Last New Ellen Episode to Air 1) GLAAD Media Round-Up: Homophobic Ad Campaign Launched For the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, the prime story this week has been the unveiling by religious political extremists of a $200,000 national anti-gay ad campaign. A few bright lights stood out among that coverage; the chief beacon shone from a perhaps unexpected source: The Wall Street Journal. In a week of generally fair but mostly uninspired coverage by other media outlets, the Journal devoted prominent coverage in its well-read "Marketplace" section to the "advertising war" that developed as lgbt, religious and human rights groups quickly responded. Wrote Patrick M. Reilly: "Gay and lesbian groups were outraged and quickly mobilized their own counteroffensive ad." Each side's campaign, he said, "carries with it headlines that suggest a large national debate is brewing, if not an Orwellian era of politically charged slogans." The Journal quoted Jennifer Einhorn, GLAAD Communications Director, as saying that the extremist groups' ads "can be read as a dangerous message, because they brazenly dismiss sound and long-standing medical and psychological fact. The message is ultimately misleading and disingenuous." The Journal article reported that The New York Times, in which the extremist coalition chose to run the first installment of its anti-gay campaign, indicated the ad met its guidelines. "'It's our practice to keep our ad pages as open as our news and op-ed pages, as part of the free flow of information and ideas that supports a democracy,'" a Times spokeswoman was quoted as saying. Please thank the Wall Street Journal for providing fresh and informed perspective and unusually significant placement of its coverage of this important issue. Contact: Paul Steiger, Managing Editor, Wall Street Journal, 200 Liberty St., NY, NY 10281-1003, fax: 212.416.2658 (until 4pm EST), e-mail: letter.editor@edit.wsj.com 2) Close, But No Cigar With a few exceptions -- and they were glaring -- media outlets did a reasonably even-handed job of reporting on the controversial ad campaign. But they did not do a great one. In many reports, sourcing appeared pro forma, and unimaginative. They lacked in-depth research and background knowledge. At least two of the ostensibly fact-dense anti-gay advertisements in fact had extremely shaky underpinnings. More aggressive and informed reporting could have shone a clear light on the fissures running through those foundations. The campaign, led by the Family Research Council, was launched with a full-page ad in Monday's New York Times featuring "wife, mother and former lesbian" Ann Paulk. Tuesday's Washington Post touted the ex-homosexual movement as a whole; Wednesday's offering, in USA TODAY's sports section, featured an in-uniform photo of outspokenly homophobic Reggie White, a Green Bay Packer and minister. Here is a run-down of how selected media outlets, national and local, covered the highly controversial ad campaign: MAJOR WIRE SERVICES: KNIGHT RIDDER: The newspaper chain's news service began its July 14 report by saying the New York Times ad was "signed by 15 national ministries that believe sexual orientation is a choice and gays can overcome their impulses." Knight Ridder quoted Cathy Renna, GLAAD Director of Community Relations, as saying, ``I think this advertisement is in many ways misleading. It also denies some basic facts about the gay and lesbian community, one of which is that lesbian and gay people are people of faith. This ad implies that's not true, and to us that is insulting.'' GANNETT NEWS SERVICE (GNS): The balanced and fair report by the wire service for the media company that owns USA TODAY was among the better efforts. The GNS report notes that the first ad "claims that 'homosexuality can be healed by Christian 'hope and healing' -- a claim gay activists and many in the medical community say is belied by 25 years of research into human sexuality." The report ends with this quote from Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Political Director Winnie Stachelberg: "These are ads meant to divide. ... They completely miss the point about sexual orientation being a part of who people are." ASSOCIATED PRESS: AP did a snappy bit of reporting -- they called the phone number listed in The New York Times ad -- and so were able to put this lead on their initial July 13 report: "Oops. Wrong number. A full-page ad in The New York Times by a group that advocates overcoming homosexuality through prayer had the phones ringing off the hook Monday at the offices of an Alabama electrical contractor." In a story picked up by, among others, ESPN, AP also thought to ask how many people had phoned -- and so reported that only "40 or 50 callers" had responded to the ad. But the AP report had only one counter statement -- from HRC Executive Director Elizabeth Birch. REUTERS: This unbalanced report led with the first ad's claim that "homosexuals could 'overcome' their sexual identity by accepting God;" it noted the campaign had "sparked outrage among gay rights supporters." The Reuters report quoted extensively from the first ad, about "wife, mother and former lesbian" Ann Paulk. Reuters included only a one-sentence response from National Gay and Lesbian Task Force spokesperson Tracy Conaughty, then concluded by reprising, at length, other anti-gay initiatives now being waged in Washington. UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL: UPI was among the few to pick up a key concern voiced by some lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender activists: that "the ads may promote anti-gay violence." NATIONALLY CIRCULATED NEWSPAPERS: WASHINGTON POST: "Religious Right Targets Homosexuality" read the headline on a July 15 page one report. It was among the most politically acute coverage but lacked adequate representation from members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. The Post said, "By speaking about homosexuals in more nurturing terms, as sick patients who can be healed, the religious right groups hope to take the edge off a divisive issue and lend it a broader national appeal." INTERNET NEWS SOURCES: SLATE: The online news-opinion magazine asked July 15: "Where are the groups' ads campaigning against alcoholism, kleptomania and sex addiction?" Please thank Knight Ridder, Gannett News Service, Associated Press, United Press International, the Washington Post and Slate for their balanced coverage and discuss with them how they can improve it even further by seeking additional sources from among the many groups within the larger lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Please discuss with Reuters how it can improve the sensitivity of its coverage of lgbt issues. 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 … Tobin Beck, Managing Editor, United Press International, 1510 H St. NW #600, Washington, DC 20005-1008, fax: 202.898.8057, e-mail: feedback@upi.com … Ronald E. Cohen, National News Editor, Gannett News Service, 1000 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22209-3901, fax: 703.558.3813 … Kathleen Carroll, News Editor, Knight-Ridder Newspapers, 529 14th St. NW, #700, Washington, DC 20045-1707, fax: 202.383.6116 … Robert G. Kaiser, Managing Editor, Washington Post, 1150 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20071-0002, e-mail via WWW: http://www.washingtonpost.com … Michael Kinsley, Editor, Slate, 1 Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052-6399, fax: 425.936.7329, e-mail: letters@slate.com 3) Oh, Mary! The new 20th Century Fox feature film There's Something About Mary, brought to you by the writing/directing/producing team of the Farrelly brothers (King Pin and Dumb and Dumber ) includes some blatant stereotypes of gay men. Ted Stroehmann (Ben Stiller) has been obsessed with Mary Jenson (Cameron Diaz) since they attended high-school together some thirteen years ago. Seeking counciling for his preoccupation with her, he tells his therapist that he recently had a panic attack on the highway and needed to pull off at a rest stop. His therapist interrupts him and excitingly tells Ted that "many, many, many" gay men have sex at these rest areas. Before the audience learns why the therapist is so excited by the concept, Ted's session ends. Later in the film, Ted pulls over at a rest area to urinate. He walks a few feet to an open field, trips on someone and ends up getting arrested when cops bust a dozen or so pantless men for having sex. The closing credits are a montage of scenes from the movie with the cast lip-synching a song from the movie's soundtrack. These clips again include the pantless men, now singing and doing chorus line kicks with the police officers who had arrested them earlier. There's Something About Mary includes not one other lesbian or gay character. Instead, audiences are led to believe most gay men have sex at public areas only a few feet from the street. The Farrelly brothers were traveling and could not be reached for comment. Twentieth Century Fox did not return a phone call from GLAAD on the matter. Please tell 20th Century Fox and the Farrelly brothers how disappointing this stereotype of gay men is, and ask them to include a more accurate portrayal of the community in their next film. Contact: … Tom Rothman, President of Film Production, 20th Century Fox, 10201 W. Pico Blvd., LA, CA 90035 … Peter Farrelly and Michael Farrelly, c/o Chris Day, Bumble Ward & Associates, 8383 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 340, Beverly Hills, CA 90211, fax: 213.655.8844 4) Redesigning History Two reports marking the one-year anniversary of gay designer Gianni Versace's shooting death on the steps of his South Beach home both contain troubling aspects. The July 20 Newsweek inaccurately brands suspected murderer Andrew Cunanan "a gay serial killer" -- biased terminology in that news accounts seldom, if ever, refer to "heterosexual serial killers." The story fails to make any mention that Versace was gay but focuses on how his murder failed to slow tourism. Nor did the Newsweek article mention that police believe other less famous persons, including a New Jersey cemetery worker, also were Cunanan's victims. Similarly, an extensive Reuters report makes only one mention that the internationally renown designer was gay -- and that reference is buried deep in the story. Reuters names and interviews Versace family members but does not mention the designer's long-term partner. The report states that Versace's murder initially plunged the city's gay community into fear, "But the gay club scene bounced back after news of Cunanan's death." Please suggest to Newsweek that they adopt and enforce stricter standards to ensure that "gay" is applied with fairness when used as an identifying modifier. Please point out to Reuters the ways in which its insensitive retrospective minimized Versace's sexual orientation, ignored his long-time partner and portrayed gay men as first fearful, then callous. Contact: … Mark Whitaker, Managing Editor, Newsweek, 251 W. 57th St., NY, NY 10019, fax: 212.445.4120, e-mail: letters@newsweek.com (be sure to include name, address, and phone number with all letters) … Greg McCune, Bureau Chief, Reuter's America, Inc., 1333 H St. NW #410, Washington, DC 20005-4707 5) Lambasting Lott A national and a regional newspaper both sharply criticized Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott for encouraging hatred and divisiveness. The New York Times said in a compelling July 10 editorial, "American history is replete with examples of the connection between the politics of bias and violence. Republican leaders ought to take stock of what is happening. ... The party of Lincoln, which freed the slaves so long ago, should not be sowing the seeds of a new hatred on Southern ground." In an outstanding July 16 column, Katherine Lanpher of the St. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press, states, "Presumably, the backers of this campaign were emboldened after the recent public statements by Sen. Trent Lott ... who let fall from his lips his own theory, that being gay is akin to alcoholism and kleptomania. It's a disease, that's all, folks, and we should be there to help. Ah, it's so cute when they care. Funny thing is, I've often found myself thinking along the same line as Lott and company. It's not sexual orientation that worries me, however. No, I figure that homophobia and intolerance are the orientations worthy of our compassion. If ever there was a sin that called for healing, it would have to be hate." Please thank The New York Times and St. Paul Pioneer Press for forceful and on-target editorial and opinion pieces that branded the current spate of anti-gay attacks as the corrosive, irresponsible vehicle they really are. Contact: … Howell Raines, Editorial/Opinion Page 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) … Kate Parry, Senior Editor, and Katherine Lanpher, General Columnist, St. Paul Pioneer Press, 345 Cedar St., St. Paul, MN 55101-1057, fax: 612.228.5500 6) "I Do....Gulp!" Virgin Cola CEO Richard Branson, hopes to stake out a position for his new Virgin Cola in the giant cobra pit otherwise known as the American soft drink market. In so doing, he has created an advertising campaign that could give the U.S. its first TV commercial featuring a marriage between two men. In a series of television ads that began airing this past week, average Americans and music, media, and sports personalities are given the opportunity to stand atop the bright red Virgin Cola soapbox and say what is on their minds. The unscripted commentaries include some decidedly unusual TV moments, including the first-ever same-sex wedding. Please thank Virgin Cola for uncapping this refreshing -- and inclusive -- approach to peddling soda pop. Contact: Jonathan Cutler, Public Relations Manager, Virgin Cola, 6100 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1450, LA, CA 90048 7) The Night We Were All Lesbians In an excellent July 10 review, Anthony Tommasini, a music critic with The New York Times, does an informed, balanced job of assessing the world premiere of Patience and Sarah. The new chamber opera is based on Isabel Miller's classic novel of the same name, which in turn was based on an actual early 19th Century relationship between two women from Puritan families. Composer Paula M. Kimper and librettist Wende Persons "believe that the opera is the first to portray an openly romantic relationship between two self-affirming women. They may be right," Tommasini says. Yet he is perceptive enough to realize that "the female voice is the glory of opera," so that even though other plots ostensibly are about women's relationships to men, "the soaring duets for the women reveal the subtext of the story -- that theirs is the real loving relationship." Tommasini does not shy from detailed yet even-toned technical criticism of the work -- but does not let that stop him from appreciating, even celebrating, the deep impact it had on the mostly female audience. "The final scene, though apparently based on fact, was an unabashed exercise in affirmation," he wrote. "The audience stood, cheered and screamed its approval. Some cried. The creators, hand in hand, were greeted by a frenzied ovation. A gay male friend I had brought grabbed my arm and shouted, 'I want to be a lesbian!' How could one not on this night?" Please thank The New York Times and critic Anthony Tommasini for an unusually informative and intelligent assessment of a vibrant new opera. Contact: Bernard Holland, Classical Music Editor, and Anthony Tommasini, Critic, New York Times, 229 W. 43rd St., NY, NY 10036-3959, fax: 212.556.1516, e-mail: letters@nytimes.com (include phone number when sending e-mails) 8) GLAADAlert Reminders: Change of Heart & Last New Ellen Episode to Air 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. The movie stars Jean Smart (Designing Women) and John Terry. Change of Heart touchingly and compassionately deals with many different aspects of an often painful family situation. On Wednesday, July 22, ABC will air the second of two Ellen episodes the network had previously buried. On April 15 of this year, ABC decided not to air the newly taped episodes of the award-winning sitcom and air only what became the show's finale. On the episode Ellen and Laurie re-examine their relationship when Ellen's parents renew their vows. 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) 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. GLAADAlert may be freely distributed and reprinted in all forms of media under the condition that any text used carry the full attribution of "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) glaad@glaad.org TO REPORT DEFAMATION IN THE MEDIA - Call GLAAD's Alertline at 1.800.GAY.MEDIA or go to the GLAAD Web Site at www.glaad.org and report through our Alertline Online. 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