Date: Thu, 25 Feb 1999 21:02:42 -0800 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADAlert - February 25, 1999 GLAADALERT - February 25, 1999 The GLAADAlert is the weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation GLAADAlert Index: 1) Ask Me Again If I'm Gay 2) Twice More, the New York Post Illustrates Its Intolerance and Disrespect 3) WB Brings Us a Little More Felicity 4) Ivins Takes on Arizona Politics 5) Walls of Educational Photos Irk Paglia 6) U. Asks, "Can You Be Gay & Greek?" 7) ABCNEWS.com: Setting a Standard EDITOR'S NOTE: In its continuing effort to obtain an apology and response from FOX News for the network's grievous January 21 FOX Files segment entitled "Undercover in the Night," GLAAD will issue a special GLAADAlert on Friday, February 26, 1999, listing the show's sponsors. Please watch for it tomorrow. 1) Ask Me Again If I'm Gay On the February 10 episode of Dawson's Creek, series regular Jack McPhee (Kerr Smith) read a poem in class which led his classmates to believe he was gay, leading to taunting and a confrontation with his girlfriend Joey (Katie Holmes), in which he told her he was not gay [see GLAADAlert 02.11.99]. The youth-oriented program took the storyline to the next level on its February 17 episode. As rumors of Jack's sexual orientation continued to mull throughout Capeside High, one of the school's counselors asked Jack's estranged father to come in from out of town to discuss the issue. Over dinner with Jack and his sister Andie (Meredith Monroe), Mr. McPhee (David Dukes), too, asks Jack if he's gay, making clear the fact that he will not support his son's being gay. Jack reluctantly complies with his father's wishes, not touching too much on the subject, but toward the end of the program, he confronts his father again. When Mr. McPhee dismisses him, Jack responds emotionally, saying "This is one conversation you can't run away from - we are going to talk about me! - [Y]ou ask me again! - Ask me if I'm gay!" Jack's father tells him, "You are not gay," at which point Jack finally reveals that in fact, he is. "[A]s hard as you've tried to stamp it out and to ignore it ... I have tried harder," Jack says. "I have tried harder than you to be quiet and forget - and not bother my family with my problems. But, I can't try anymore, because it hurts. I'm sorry, dad ... Andie, I'm sorry ... I don't want to be going through this, but I am." Andie supports him, standing up to their father for the first time as she demands he leave their home. At the end of the piece, Jack comes out to Joey, as well, who struggles with the revelation, but is supportive and expresses appreciation him for his honesty. Dawson's goes beyond the coming out story, though, really taking an in-depth look at the impact which Jack's coming out has upon all those around him - his father, Joey and Andie, yes, but also upon people like his classmate Jen Lindley (Michelle Williams); her conservative and religious love interest, Tyson; and her grandmother. When Tyson makes clear his belief that homosexuality is wrong, Jen's grandmother interrupts their conversation. She reprimands Tyson for his criticism of Jack, noting that, "If anything, that boy must be scared and alone, and he will need the understanding of his fellow man to help him through." The episode sensitively and compassionately dealt with Jack's sexual orientation and the difficulties he faced in coming to terms with it. Especially important is the recognition of the power that a show like this can have on its primarily teenage audience: it tells those who are struggling with their sexual orientation that there are people who will accept and support them; it tells kids who feel isolated and alienated that they are not alone; and it sends a message to the classmates of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth, letting them know that it's alright to support their friends. Furthermore, Jack is the WB's first openly lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender series regular. Please thank Dawson's Creek, its creator and executive producer Kevin Williamson (who came out in the February 18 edition of New York's Daily News) and the WB Network, for what is surely one of the most powerful pieces we've seen. Contact: … Kevin Williamson, Creator and Executive Producer, Dawson's Creek, 12233 West Olympic Blvd., Suite 210, Los Angeles, CA 90064, e-mail via WWW: http://www.dawsonscreek.com … Jamie Kellner, President, WB Television Network, 4000 Warner Blvd., #34-R, Burbank, CA, 91522 2) Twice More, the New York Post Illustrates Its Intolerance and Disrespect In the February18 edition of the New York Post, columnist Steve Dunleavy went one step further than his usual brand of inflammatory, insensitive and homophobic commentary, moving into the territory of clear-cut hate speech and threatening the subject of his column with violence. Queens School Board candidate Wayne Mahlke has drawn significant attention for his attempts to resurrect the Rainbow Curriculum by placing lesbian- and gay-themed books in public school libraries. Among those age-appropriate books Mahlke has been promoting: Daddy's Roommate and Heather Has Two Mommies. Dunleavy writes that Mahlke's candidacy "worries the living hell out of me," because "what Mahlke wants to do with these 10-year-olds is expose them to something that makes me want to loosen his teeth." Dunleavy quotes Mahlke's opponent, Frank Borzerelli, who says Mahlke "is sick - [and] can only be called allegedly brainwashing for perversion." Dunleavy agrees with him, slinging insults at Mahlke in an apparent attempt to discount Mahlke's claim that he is trying to promote tolerance and multiculturalism. Most appalling, however, is how Dunleavy closes the piece. He warns, "Come near my school district, and perhaps you won't be beaten up, but your legs won't touch the ground the moment you get off the train - But if I hear about gay books with daddies in bed being exposed to little kids, you may not be as safe as I promised." The February 12 edition of the Post included an appalling editorial cartoon about the recent controversy surrounding the Teletubbies [see GLAADAlert 02.11.99]. Five men and a sheep are shown sitting in front of a television, with the words "And now back to Teletubbies," coming from the television's speaker. From left to right, the seated figures depicted are: George Michael; an unidentified man wearing lipstick and an ascot; U.S. Representative Barney Frank; Boy George, another unidentified man, his lips pursed and his finger pointing toward his mouth; and finally, a human-sized sheep. All six have their legs crossed, with large hats covering their laps -- presumably to hide erections. New York Post cartoonist Sean Delonas draws in a number of items on the floor, as well -- charged images, chock-full of stereotypes and visual slurs: an open can of tuna fish, a gerbil with a string attached to its tail, a magazine which appears to have a sheep on its cover, and what seems to be a tire pump. In 1997, GLAAD met with New York Post Editor Ken Chandler, Managing Editor Marc Kalech and one of the paper's metro editors, to discuss the paper's history of problems in covering lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues. At that meeting, GLAAD cited columns by now-retired Post columnist Ray Kerrison and Dunleavy as particularly hateful and damaging examples of the Post's coverage. That was before Dunleavy decided to entertain notions of gay-bashing and physical violence so obliquely in his column. In addition, GLAAD specifically mentioned the offensive nature of many of the Post's cartoons, noting their consistent and ludicrous inclusion of a sheep in every cartoon featuring even the most marginal lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender themes. The much-criticized Teletubbies controversy - which ensued when religious political extremist Jerry Falwell asserted that one of the show's central characters was gay -- certainly warrants parody. But the New York Post chose not only to advocate for the very intolerance that Falwell and his colleagues brought to the nation -- it went one step further, adding even more insipid stereotypes to the mix. The Post has once again demonstrated its complete disregard for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people -- and for the diversity so present in its own home base of New York. Point your browser to http://www.glaad.org to check out the cartoon on GLAAD's website, GLAAD Online, and then tell the Post that this kind of bigotry is simply unacceptable. Demand that they issue an apology from Dunleavy for his threats of violence, as well. 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 3) WB Brings Us a Little More Felicity Another of the WB's top-rated shows prominently featured gay themes this past week. The February 23 episode of Felicity opens with Javier, boss of the title character, Felicity Porter (Keri Russell), proposing marriage to her. While she had initially been reluctant to marry Javier, since "there's only one real reason to get married...and that's for love," Felicity changes her mind when she learns that Javier will be deported should she not marry him, and will be separated from his partner, Samuel. "If I married Javier," she tells her friend Sally in a taped letter, "it would be for love. I mean, its not often you find your soul mate...and Javier has found his." Javier's partner demands (and is granted) a transfer when he finds out that Javier planned to marry Felicity, and the wedding is cancelled. Felicity's love interest, Noel Crane (Scott Foley) deals with his own struggles in the episode. Noel's brother Ryan comes down to visit, saying he has some big news for Noel - who assumes that his brother has proposed to his longtime girlfriend. Instead, Ryan takes Noel to a bar, where he tells him he's broken up with his girlfriend, and that it "[t]urns out I'm gay." Noel tells Ryan "I'm not upset," saying "Okay, if that's the way it is, then okay." But he adds that "I guess I don't know you as well as I thought I did." Noel later tells Felicity: "You didn't know Ryan in high school; I mean, he was the king of the studs - Girls loved Ryan! - This isn't sane. It's got to be a phase; people don't change that much overnight." Ryan soon tells Noel that he's not only gay, but he has a boyfriend, whom he invites to a dinner that Noel and Ryan had planned with Felicity, where Ryan further announces that he and his boyfriend plan to have a commitment ceremony. Noel is overwhelmed and lashes out at Ryan and his boyfriend. "What do you think mom and dad are going to say when you bring this up?" Ryan tells him, "You know what's nuts? I was going to ask for your support when I told them." Ryan walks out, and it's not until Noel bumps into Javier that he has a change of heart. Referring to the fact that Felicity had offered to marry him, Javier says "I can't tell you how much it means to me that she realized how difficult it is - our situation, Samuel and me. You know, you'll be surprised -- a lot of people disapprove, but Felicity, no. She believes in love." In the end, Noel and Ryan make amends. The show closes with Sally's response to Felicity. "As crazy as it is," Sally says, "I would have offered to marry Javier, too - When you see someone in love, you want to do whatever you can for them, because the truth is, you want to be them." The show dealt both with Ryan's coming out and with Javier's predicament in a compelling manner, using very current issues (such as the struggle for equal marriage rights and immigrations problems) to illustrate the issues which lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender people face. It broke stereotypes by discussing Ryan's past; illustrating the old proverb which says you can't judge a book by its cover. Please thank the producers of Felicity and the WB Network for this educational and supportive look at the lives of two gay men and those around them. Contact: … J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves, Executive Producers, Felicity, c/o Touchstone Television, 500 South Buena Vista, Burbank, CA 91521 … Jamie Kellner, President, WB Television Network, 4000 Warner Blvd., #34-R, Burbank, CA, 91522 4) Ivins Takes on Arizona Politics "The thing I like about Arizona is that you can count on politics here having real bite -- like a habanero pepper," begins syndicated columnist Molly Ivins' February 20 column on a proposed bill in Arizona. Penned by state Rep. Karen Johnson (R-Mesa), the bill in question would ban the provision of insurance benefits to the same-sex partners of government employees. Ivins writes that "this is because, according to a particularly peppy and well-informed sponsor, [Rep. Barbara Blewster,] homosexuality shares a room with bestiality, cannibalism and human sacrifice." Ivins recounts Blewster's use of the Aztec culture as an illustration of the link between these far-removed practices, although she notes that, "the culture was noted for neither homosexuality nor bestiality, although it is possible that Blewster was confused by the often-reported fact that the Aztecs were fond of wearing pink feathers." And what of the bill's author? According to Ivins, "Johnson - spoke at length about 'gay bowel syndrome,' which is something she claims affects gays - [although it] came as news to everyone else at the hearing." But Ivins is not the only one to challenge Blewster and Johnson. She writes that openly gay Rep. Steve May spoke against the bill and its sponsors, continuing to illuminate the fascinating nature of Arizona state politics by noting that "[t]his being Arizona, May is also a conservative Republican," whom she further notes was raised as a Mormon. "Arizona politics has not been as much fun since they recently got over their habit of electing hopeless nincompoops to the governship," Ivins writes, referencing Gov. Jane Hull's dismissal of the bill. She concludes the piece, saying, "I hate when they get reasonable here. It's not nearly as much fun." Please thank Ivins for her dry wit, her fair-mindedness, and for sharing with readers a taste of the sardonic political environment she so wryly captures. Contact: Molly Ivins, Columnist, The Star-Telegram, 1005 Congress Ave., Suite 920, Austin, TX 78701, e-mail: mollyivins@star-telegram.com 5) Walls of Educational Photos Irk Paglia The February 22 Wall Street Journal featured an op-ed by prominent academic and openly lesbian feminist Camille Paglia, entitled "It Wasn't 'Romeo and Julian'" and referring to a Newton, Mass., junior high school's posting of photographs of lesbian and gay historical figures in celebration of diversity. According to Paglia, the Newton schoolteacher who created the exhibit told the Boston Globe that it was intended to teach "tolerance and respect." But much to Paglia's chagrin, featured persons include people who were not, in their lifetimes, "professed gays," pointing to William Shakespeare, Michelangelo and Walt Whitman. Paglia says that in spite of their admittedly likely attraction to men, "In the absence of hard information, to call them 'gay' is ethically wrong." At the crux of Paglia's argument is her assertion that "to introduce major artists to schoolchildren via sexual scandal rather than through the art itself is a perversion of education." She chastises the exhibit's inclusion of Eleanor Roosevelt for "reduc[ing] a bold, dynamic woman - to gossip and speculation." She notes that Shakespeare's work was never inclusive of lesbian and gay themes, except in negative and implied portrayals. In fact, she writes, "Shakespeare is world-famous for his celebration of heterosexual love, as in the eternally popular 'Romeo and Juliet.'" Paglia then delves into a discussion of the roots of sexual orientation, claiming that "it certainly is not inborn," and asserting that the "intrusion of militant gay activism into primary schools does more harm than good by encouraging adolescents to define themselves prematurely as gay." Toward the end of her piece, Paglia suggests that it is a "kind of arrogant cultural imperialism shown in Newton - where 'tolerance and respect' would clearly not be accorded to a fundamentalist Christian or Hindu who declared homosexuality immoral -" Paglia misses the point. The photographs presented were not supposed to contest the varied achievements and contributions of their subjects, nor were they intended to "hoist" anyone as "a gay saint." And while it is true that some of the figures did not self-identify as being lesbian or gay during their lifetimes, Paglia glosses over the fact that there wasn't a cultural identity in the sense that she's discussing in the time of figures such as Michelangelo and Shakespeare. In delving into the notion of "causes" of homosexuality, Paglia, a humanities professor at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, treads into waters where she wouldn't seem to have much credence or expertise. And finally, her presumption that a desire to promote tolerance and respect for diversity would inherently be at odds with acceptance of fundamentalist Christians and Hindus is absurd. Please contact the Wall Street Journal and let them know what you think of Paglia's commentary. Contact: Robert L. Bartley, Editorial/Opinion Page Editor, Wall Street Journal, 200 Liberty St., New York, NY 10281-1003, fax: 212.416.2658 (until 4pm EST), e-mail: letter.editor@edit.wsj.com 6) U. Asks, "Can You Be Gay & Greek?" February's U. Magazine, a publication "written for students by students" and distributed at colleges nationwide, features an extensive look at the lives of lesbian, gay and bisexual students in sororities and fraternities. "Can You Be Gay & Greek?" interviews students who have struggled with their decision to come out to their peers, and explores the varied problems they have experienced within the traditional 'Greek' system. "The fear of losing friendships or being kicked out of their house if they come out looms large for gays in the Greek system," writes U. Assistant Editor Jessica Lyons, "And gay-bashing gives homosexual members even more reason to stay closeted." The article goes on to describe Delta Lambda Phi (DLP), a national fraternity for gay, bisexual and progressive men. In a sidebar to the piece, U. interviews Joseph Criswell, a current DLP brother at Eastern Michigan University, and provides information on how to form a DLP chapter. Lyons weighs the reasons for joining gay fraternities against "traditional" ones, noting that "[g]ays may be the minority group most fully intergrated into the Greek system -- and the most alienated." She closes the piece by noting that even those "traditional" fraternities and sororities are increasingly facing issues surrounding sexual orientation, and by asking "will brotherly love prevail?" In the same issue of U., college student Abby Reed briefly profiles Michelle Stanton, a transgender professor at California State University in Northridge. Reed gives context to Stanton's experience by noting a number of other schools with "gender-bending profs (including cross-dressers)". U. references the October, 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, which has put a sudden spotlight on the experience of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students on college campuses nationwide. A much-publicized incident took place in October at Colorado State University's Homecoming Parade, in which a float sponsored jointly by a fraternity and sorority carried a scarecrow painted with the words "I'm Gay," seemingly making light of the fact that the man who found Shepard's body hanging from a fence initially thought he was a scarecrow. While the incident is not mentioned, it illustrates precisely the type of problem Lyons attempts to expose. The piece is handled with sensitivity, depth and an overwhelming sense of hope. Between its Stanton profile and its piece on the 'Greek' system, U. has given voice to countless individuals in the collegiate community who have long been ignored or invisible, and provides sound advice to them - much of which comes from their own peers. You can find the article online at http://www.umagazine.com/CurrentIssue/content/10CurrentIssue/070Features/gay .html Please commend U. for not shying away from an important part of the collegiate community. Also, please acknowledge their positive profile of a transgender professor. Contact: Frances Huffman, Publisher and Editor, U., 1800 Century Park East, #820, LA, CA 90067, e-mail: fhuffman@umagazine.com 7) ABCNEWS.com: Setting a Standard In its February 19 piece about an attack on 17-year-old Adam Colton, ABCNEWS.com provided extensive information which contributed to its report. Based on a story which originally broke in the Associated Press, Rebecca Leung's ABCNews.com piece details the case, noting that this is the second time Colton has been victimized at a school which has also allegedly had a history of racial intolerance [for more information, see GLAADLines 02.16.99]. But in the report, ABCNEWS.com includes related audio-visual footage of the report; a map showing the crime's proximity to San Francisco, and provides a link to its July, 1998 article on hate crimes against lesbians and gay men, which, in turn, also provides information to a number of lesbian and gay community organizations which provide important services to victims and other community members. This is certainly not the first time GLAAD has recognized ABCNEWS.com for the scope of its in-depth and contributing coverage of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues. It appears that they may be setting a new standard. You can see the site at: http://abcnews.go.com:80/sections/us/DailyNews/sfattack990219.html Please check out the site and let ABCNEWS.com know how you felt about their coverage. Contact: ABCNEWS.com, via WWW: http://www.abcnews.go.com/service/abccontact.html -- then click on the "U.S." link under the "content" list 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 (SF), 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! 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The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is a national organization that promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation of individuals and events in the media as a means of combatting homophobia and challenging discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are registered trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc.