Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 19:51:25 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADAlert - May 20, 1999 May 20, 1999 The GLAADAlert is the bi-weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Index to Stories: 1. AIDS: An Epidemic Of Silence For The Black Community 2. Judge(ment) Gone Awry 3. The Rev. Jimmy Creech Keeps On Keepin' On 4. Marketing To Us 5. Blazing New Trails And Batting A Thousand 6. Dallas South Sixty Or Being Gay In Gun Barrel City 7. Epithets By Ex-Gay Go Unchallenged On WUSA 8. Ignorance is Dangerous 9. The Object Of Their Affection AIDS: An Epidemic Of Silence For The Black Community In the May 9 Miami Herald AIDS in the African-American community is addressed in a forthright and poignant fashion by a pair of reporters, Andrea Robinson and Stephen Smith, and in a complementary op-ed piece by Leonard Pitts, Jr. The former piece is an exhaustive report that pulls out all stops in search of an answer to the question, "How can the black community talk about AIDS?" In the service of this piece Robinson and Smith interview 100 hundred people, from PWAs, to pastors, to politicians, to prisoners, to family survivors. It is a bleak portrait, but a tale that must be told. The article quotes spokespersons from the National Black Lesbian and Gay Leadership Forum, the Congressional Black Caucus, and references a recent speech by Jesse Jackson, who has pledged "rhetorical and political might to the battle with the virus." The power of this article is its range. It is anecdotal, but it also spotlights research studies (one analyzes how the loss of a close relative affects a woman's ability to fight HIV), the power of stigma, and steps taken to acknowledge an epidemic that continues to disproportionately affect the African-American community. Leonard Pitts' op-ed piece references this article, and is a plea that quotes Marvin Gaye: "Talk to me. So you can see. What's Going On." Although blacks account from one-seventh the population of Florida, they account for 63% of AIDS deaths. The contribution of these Miami Herald reporters to fighting the denial and silence around AIDS is inestimable. Let their managing editor know that theirs is a done well done. Contact: oLarry Olmstead, Managing Editor, Miami Herald, 1 Herald Plaza, Miami, FL 33132, fax: 305.376.8950 Judge(ment) Gone Awry Chicago Sun Times reporter Adrienne Drell reported on May 14 the story of Susan J. McDunn, a Cook County Circuit Court Judge, who breached the confidentiality of two sets of adoptive lesbian couples by sending their application information to the ultra-conservative Family Research Council and adding FRC as a party to the adoption process. McDunn's actions in each of these cases was unprecedented and Drell catalogues a list of infractions which makes a case for her disbarment. As the legal affairs reporter Drell invokes the language of the Illinois Supreme Court canon of ethics, which requires judges to perform their duties "impartially and diligently." McDunn was ultimately transferred to traffic court by her supervisor, Judge Francis Barth, but has refused to surrender jurisdiction on the two cases in question. Beyond Drell's helpful background on McDunn, Drell speaks to the role that Lambda Legal Defense has played in this dispute. Lamdba filed initial briefs with the Illinois Court of Appeals, succeeded in having Judge Barth remove McDunn, and is set to argue for the resolution of this dispute on June 1. Rather than portray lesbian adoption as suspect and requiring scrutiny, Drell covered this story impartially, as the judge should have, and has produced a pithy ethics lesson that should guide lawyers and adoptive parents alike. Please thank the Chicago Sun Times for this thoughtful piece, which stresses that our laws are designed to protect all. Contact: o Larry Green, Executive Editor, Chicago Sun Times, 401 N. Wabash, Chicago, IL 60611, fax: 312.321.2120, e-mail: lgreen@suntimes.com, letters@suntimes.com The Rev. Jimmy Creech Keeps On Keepin' On In the May 15 Charlotte Observer Anna Griffin profiled the Rev. Jimmy Creech, one of a half-dozen United Methodist ministers around the country who performs same-sex marriage ceremonies. Griffin chronicles Creech's evolution from a civil rights activist during the late 1960s to a young pastor in North Carolina to a pastor who marched in gay rights parades and preaches tolerance. While Creech doesn't see himself as a gay rights activist, per se, he was swayed in 1984 by a member of his parish who withdrew in protest of a church order that held homosexuality to be unacceptable. From that point on Creech spoken out on behalf of his lesbian and gay parishioners, has addressed organizations such as Parents & Friends of Lesbians and Gays (P-FLAG), and has continued to challenge church doctrine by performing same-sex ceremonies. Ms. Griffin delved into Rev. Creech's past with care, spoke with those whose lives he has touched and has elicited dynamic quotes from the pastor himself: "My cause is the soul of my church." In this article she has managed to illustrate how a mainsteam (and heterosexual) pastor has reconciled faith with respect for all. Please commend the Charlotte Observer for this nuanced and inspiring portrayal of the Rev. Jimmy Creech. Contact: oJennie Buckner, Editor, Charlotte Observer, P.O. Box 30308, Charlotte, NC 28230 fax: 704.358.5022, e-mail: opinion@charlotte.com Marketing To Us Anheuser-Busch's recent Bud Lite ad in EXP, a St. Louis bi-weekly gay publication, reverberated around the country. Jerry Falwell mobilized his denizens to ring Busch's toll-free lines off the hook. Interestingly, the ad merely shows a couple (from the back) holding hands. In a current print and billboard campaign Subaru has mounted a wry campaign, with license plates that read, "CAMP OUT," "PTOWNIE," "XENA LVR," complete with a rainbow flag sticker and the Human Rights Campaign's equality symbol on the bumper. It is important, however, to examine the trajectory in advertising, and to question the motives of the companies that are courting the gay dollar. Are we being exploited as a community, or treated with respect? Two articles from the Los Angeles Times and the San Francisco Examiner, respectively, look at this recent phenomenon. In the May 18 Los Angeles Times Cliff Rothman investigates the power of the gay and lesbian market, which has seen ad dollars in the gay press doubling in the last five years, moving from $53 million to $120 million. Rothman speaks with pioneers, such as IKEA and Dockers, who led with portrayals of lesbians and gay men, pointing out the unsuccessful boycott of Disney, and charting the way to the present, where more and more ads are "openly gay," rather than implictly so. Dave Ford, of the San Francisco Examiner, in an op-ed entitled, "Intoxicated by Bud Light's Gay-Themed Ads" questions blind allegiance to those brands that deign to cater to the gay market. While his statement that "Advertising imagery does not change people's minds" is disputable, the remainder of the piece is food for thought. Ford asks us to consider that we are "so starved for positive representation in the dominant culture that we run the risk of mistaking consumerist assimilation for respect, advertising imagery for rights." A progressive corporation, Ford suggests, would not merely produce ads for a gay market, but would fund grassroots legislative drives, gays-in-the-workplace seminars and treatment for substance abuse in the gay and lesbian community. Please thank Suburu for an ad campaign that acknowledges lesbian and gay automobile enthusiasts, in all their diversity and the mass transit systems of Washington, DC and San Francisco who have run these ads. Please write to the Los Angeles Times to thank them for an education in advertising to the "gay market," and to the San Francisco Examiner for a cautionary discussion on not confusing visibility for authenticity. Contact: oAdvertising, Subaru of America, 609.488.8500, e-mail: www.subaru.com/feeback/index.html oFor mass transit advertising, both San Francisco BART and Washington, DC. Metro: Dan Langdon, Transportation Displays Incorporated (TDI), 202.775.9115 o John Lindsay, Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square Los Angeles, CA 90053 fax: 213.237.4712 oSharon Rosenhause, Managing Editor, NewsSan Francisco Examiner, P.O. Box 7260, San Francisco, CA 94120, fax: 415.512.1264 Blazing New Trails And Batting A Thousand Sports, the final frontier. While is it certainly difficult to be "out" in fields such as high finance, it also remains problematic in the world of sports, from sandlot baseball to professional sports. In this arena gender roles are policed with extreme care, and being lesbian and gay opens one to scrutiny, and possibly, danger, in what is by design a physical outlet. Two pieces, in Newsday and the Los Angeles Times celebrate a well-known owner of a sports franchise, and in the latter, the players on a gay softball team at Van Nuys Sherman Oaks Park. In the May 16 edition of Newsday, Kelly Whiteside writes of Carol Blazejowski's coming out to the public-at-large. Whiteside does double duty in this concise piece, lauding Blaze for being what is believed to be the first executive of a professional sports team to be openly gay, as well as providing readers with a context for why sports are homophobic. In the case of Blaze's team, the Liberty, and women's professional basketball in general, "there is a great fear [...] that their sexual orientation will have a negative affect on sponsorships." Blaze, apparently, is unafraid. Art Marroquin, a staff writer for the Los Angeles Times, writes on May 15 of the importance of softball to a cadre of gay men. In "Gay League, Myths Strike Out," Marroquin writes of the Greater Los Angeles Softball Association, a gay league of 31 teams established 21 years ago, and of the players from three of its teams, the Batboys, the Bandits, and the Mayan Warriors, all who play for the fun of it, and in so doing shatter myths: "Because we're gay, people don't expect us to play sports," said Martin Madrigal. "I'm glad I proved that myth wrong=8A because playing softball has played such a large role in finding out who I am." Please praise Newsday and the Los Angeles Times for publishing these pieces which will contribute to recognition and eradication of homophobia in sports. Contact: oRichard Galant, Managing Editor, Newsday, 80-02 Kew Gardens Road, Kew Gardens, New York 11415-3610, fax: 718.575.2550 o John Lindsay, Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times,Times Mirror Square Los Angeles, CA 90053 fax: 213.237.4712 Dallas South Sixty Or Being Gay In Gun Barrel City In the May 16 issue of the Dallas Morning News Michael Precker gives an account of gay life in Gun Barrel City, Texas, a rural town of 6,000 that is sixty miles south of Dallas. He follows proprietors of the town's gay bar, Friends, and interviews residents, gay and straight, elected officials, and even one disapproving pastor one town away. While life is far from utopian, members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community feel that they can be "out" without living in the big city. It is true that members in the community are somewhat circumspect about their place in greater Gun Barrel--they hold no gay pride marches--but they maintain that this is one small town that follows the axiom, "live and let live." Case in point: The proprietor of Friends, Dewayne Bell, took part in a benefit show for a local food bank. Afterward a group headed out in full drag for dinner at "Whataburger." No one remarked. Please commend the Dallas Morning News for publishing "Out: Among Friends in Gun Barrel City," an engaging piece that looks at rural gay life with open eyes. Contact: oJohn Cranfill, Editor, Dallas Morning News, P.O. Box 655237, Dallas, Texas 75265 fax; 214-977-8321 e-mail: john@dallasnews.com Epithets By Ex-Gay Go Unchallenged On WUSA On Monday, May 17, WUSA, the Washington, DC affiliate of CBS ran an interview segment following a protest that Parents & Friends of Ex-Gays (P-FOX) recently mounted against the American Psychiatric Association (APA), for its recent statement condemning reparative therapy. Moderator Gordon Peterson invited two guests to discuss the recent ex-gay ads, which began airing this past Mother's Day, and the APA's condemnation of 'conversion therapy.' The national director of P-Fox, Tony Falzarano, had the floor first. In the course of a few q&a's he made the following egregious statements: "Most people don't realize that 75% of homosexuals have been molested or raped as children." "The average male homosexual [is dead from AIDS] at the age of 42." Unfortunately, these statements went uncontested. Dr. Andrew Cutler of the APA was unprepared to dispute these defamatory remarks levied at the gay community. As a result, sincethese charges went unchecked, viewers at home might then hold them to be true. Please voice your concerns that this segment was unbalanced and that it privileged P-Fox by presenting only their contact information at the close of the telecast. Note: GLAAD has since met with WUSA, which plans to prepare a piece on ex-ex-gays. Tell them that you look forward to such a segment. Contact: o Paul Irvin, News Director, WUSA Channel 9, 4100 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC, 20016-2807, 202-895-5999, e-mail: 9news@wusatv9.com Ignorance is Dangerous Richard Lessner's editorial "High-School Hijinks: Homosexual Group at West; Lawsuit in Concord" in the May 18 edition of the Union Leader (Manchester, NH) was an exercise in journalistic ignorance. Students at Manchester's West High requested a support group for gay and lesbian teens and were turned down by their principal. Their request is now before the school board. Lessner tosses off this request as a bit of nonsense, since "the last thing they need in such circumstances is a "support group" to add to their confusion by endorsing their supposed sexual orientation." Further, as the author of this piece is a journalist, we would have thought that he could get the facts straight. Among his gaffes, he maintains that "[n]o evidence suggests that homosexuality is genetic," and argues that "it is a myth that homosexuality is untreatable." It is shocking that a staff member of a newspaper in the very same state where Gov. Jean Shaheen has just repealed a ban against gay adoption treats part of his readership with utter contempt and compromises the safety of its youth in a most cavalier fashion. Please let the Union Leader know that this column was offensive, defamatory and dismissive. Contact: o Jim Linehan, Managing Editor, Union Leader, P.O. Box 9555, Manchester, NH 03108-9555, fax: 603.668.0382 The Object Of Their Affection The love affair continues. If Will & Grace and the film, The Object of My Affection, are to be believed, heterosexual men should be grateful that gay men like straight women, but don't find them their, uh, cup of tea. Why? Because straight women like us better. In the June 1999 issue of Cosmopolitan, journalist Sarah Miller gives us, "8 Reasons Gay Men are a Girl's Best Friend." Without recounting each, this humorous article succeeds in portraying gay men in a positive light, without stereotyping them as men who like shopping (actually, that is point #4), or guys who gossip (whoops! that's point #6). In any case, the piece is a sweet valentine to all of the gay men in our lives, and those who wish they could be. Please thank Cosmopolitan for publishing this savvy tipsheet on the friendship that dare speak its name. Contact: oMs. Jennifer Kasle, Entertainment Editor, Cosmopolitan, 224 West 57th Street, NewYork, NY, 10019-3212, e-mail: cosmomagazine@chickmail.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 (LA), 212.807.1700 (NY), 415.861.2244 (SF), 202.986.1360 (DC), 404.876.1398 (Atlanta) and 816.756.5991 (Kansas City) =46eel free to pass GLAADAlert on to friends, family and associates! Report defamation in the media and breaking news of interest to the LGBT community 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)." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Loren R. Javier Interactive Media Director GLAAD Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation javier@glaad.org phone: 925.831.1092 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 combating 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.