Date: Thu, 8 Jul 1999 18:50:44 -0700 From: GLAAD Subject: GLAADAlert -- July 9, 1999 GLAADAlert -- July 9, 1999 The GLAADAlert is the bi-weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Pride Roundup As the gay civil rights movement has grown by leaps and bounds so has the media's coverage of it. Even compared to last year's coverage, which failed to fully capture the texture of our community, this year's harvest of articles included anecdotes on lesbian families, political initiatives, and thoughtful descriptions of the ongoing importance of these events across the country. Perhaps the most exciting trend was the first-ever gay parades in smaller communities, such as Tulsa, Oklahoma and the broadening of Pride events to include booths for the filing of domestic-partnerships and for voter registration. While the Pride events were not entirely bereft of controversy (witness the burning of the rainbow flag in Columbus, Ohio and the disrespectful treatment of the Stonewall Veterans by policemen from Manhattan South) this year's Pride gained mainstream visibility by Presidential proclamation of June as "Gay and Lesbian Pride Month." With few exceptions, this year's pride coverage by mainstream media used the 30th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion as a context with which to present Pride events around the country and locally. This touchstone enabled journalists, many for the first time, to present a detailed history of the gay civil rights movement, and to elaborate on issues that affect us the other 364 days of the year such as hate crimes, health care, marriage, employment and housing discrimination. What follows is a cross-section of articles that are provocative and/or noteworthy: The Nation devoted its annual queer issue to "Gay Politics: Moving In New Directions." Within its pages was a piece by E.J. Graff on "Same Sex Spouses in Canada," two thoughtful pieces by Doug Ireland on the dangerous implications of the Religious Liberty Protection Act and the future of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender movement. Donna Minkowitz's piece "Love and Hate in Laramie" is not without its problems. While Minkowitz convincingly links misogyny with homophobia, she accords an excessive degree of victim status to Matthew Shepard's alleged killers, Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson, rather than see Shepard as the obvious and true victim. In addition, Minkowitz comes dangerously close to asserting a "homosexual panic" defense for this crime, by framing gay-bashing as an erotic crime. Still, the piece is a compelling exploration of how class is an underestimated variable in the equation that leads to anti-gay violence. Controversial too is Richard Kim's piece, "The Truth About Hate Crimes Laws." Kim writes that while these laws would lengthen prison sentences, they would not create a safer environment. At www.TheNation.com readers can participate in a discussion on this topic. Please commend The Nation for their continued commitment to equality and full citizenship for all. Contact: oKatrina vanden Heuvel, Editor, The Nation, 33 Irving Place, New York, NY 10003, email: letters@TheNation.com The Village Voice's ongoing coverage of the lesbian and gay community has been prodigious. In fact, it has had an annual pride issue for the last twenty-one years. The theme of this year's edition (June 23-29) was "Planet Queer: Gay Life Around the World." Seven articles, framed by Richard Goldstein's opening piece, "Gay is Global," succeed in conveying the historical importance and world-wide perspective of the gay liberation movement. The articles detailed the quality of life (or lack thereof) in the continent of Africa (South Africa's new constitution recognizes the full citizenship of lesbians and gay men, while the President of Zambia continues to criminalize lesbian and gay citizens); the repression still in place in Jamaica; the peculiar mainstream celebrity of both Israel's "trannie pop star" Dana International and Thai transgender kickboxer Parinya Kiabusaba. Standout pieces include E.J. Graff's survey of same-sex marriage rights around the world and Alisa Solomon's study of the perils facing lesbian and gay immigrants in New York City. Please thank The Village Voice for their peerless reporting. Contact: o Doug Simmons Managing Editor, The Village Voice, 36 Cooper Square, New York, NY 10003, fax: 212.475.3300, email: voice@echonyc.com The New York Times, which until GLAAD intervened in the early '80s, referred to lesbians and gays as "avowed homosexuals," had two pieces which focused on this year's Pride Parade in NYC. It's concise op-ed on June 29 reflected on the difficult and long journey that has led to a mature lesbian and gay movement, culminating on the recent inclusion of the Stonewall Inn in the National Register of Historic Places. Amy Waldman's article in the June 28 Times ("30 Years After Stonewall, Diversity is Shown in Gay Pride Parade") managed to successfully convey the complexity of our community. In this piece she cites among the marchers Tom Ryan, the first active-duty firefighter to march, and the faces behind the New England Lavender Arab Society. Also noted in attendance were the Gay Officers Action League and Mayor Guiliani, who presence angered as many it as pleased. Waldman's greatest contribution in this piece was her implicit point that Pride enables the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community to come out, not only to themselves, but to their families, their friends, and at their workplace. Contact: oBill Keller, Managing Editor, New York Times, 229 West 43 rd Street, New York, NY 10036-3959, fax: 212.556.3690, e-mail: letters@nytimes.com Greg Morago, writing in the June 27 edition of the Hartford Courant, took a slightly different tact from his peers. Rather than historicize Stonewall and pontificate on its legacy, he focused on the Stonewall Veterans, many of whom led New York City's Pride Parade this year. In "Stonewall Vets Have Place of Honor," Morago likens the impact of their stand to the impact of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, as a wakeup call for all of America. This article dredges up the heinous headline that the New York Daily News ascribed to the event: "Homo Nest Raided, Queen Bees Are Stinging Mad." The piece closes with a long quote from Donna Red Wing, national field director of the Human Rights Campaign. While she is sanguine about the prospects for the future, Red Wing articulates a goal all of us can share, "We simply want to live our lives free from discrimination and free from violence." Amen. Contact: oClifford L. Teusch, Managing Editor, The Hartford Courant, 285 Broad Street, Hartford, CT, 06115-2510, fax: 860.241.3865 The (Minneapolis) Star Tribune's article on Twin Cities Pride appeared on June 27 and was entitled, "Ever-Growing Crowd at Gay Festival Adds to the Pride." Like many other articles covering pride this year it uses the 30th anniversary of Stonewall as a jumping off point to contextualize Pride. The piece does not omit, to its credit, that this year is also the 30th anniversary of Minnesota's first gay-rights organization: Free (Fight Repression of Erotic Expression). Just as the Hartford Courant drew comparisons between Stonewall and Martin Luther King's oratory, the author of this piece, Janet Moore, likened the watershed event to the Montgomery bus boycott. Especially welcome in this article is a faith-based perspective, which welcome gays and lesbians into their houses of worship. A member of St. Luke Presbyterian Church is interviewed and states unequivocally that "We welcome everyone." There is also a call from a St. Paul school board member urging marchers to become active in their communities in pursuit of gay rights. Contact: oPamela Fine, Managing Editor, Star-Tribune, 425 Portland Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55488 fax: 612.673.4359 Curiously, while the Houston Chronicle's June 26 piece on their Pride event is entitled "Thousands Turn Out for Gay Pride Parade: Participants Spread Message of Tolerance," journalist Edward Hegstrom, in noting the presence of protestors, chose to give them voice, "These people are out of the closet now, but they are going to pay the ultimate price when they are thrown in hell." It is unfortunate that coverage of this occasion was undermined but this homophobic rhetoric. Contact: oTony Pederson, Managing Editor,Houston Chronicle, P.O. Box 4260, Houston, TX, 77210-4260, fax: 713.220.6677, e-mail: hci@chron.com Karen Matthews of the Associated Press did a fine job in putting Pride in perspective. Rather than tell the tale of Stonewall from a second-hand point of view, Matthews interviews Joan Nestle, a pioneer in the movement, founder of the Lesbian Herstory Archives, and one of the two grand marshals of this year's New York City Pride. The article, infused by the wisdom of Nestle, reflects on both the tremendous advances our community has made with respect to visibility, but also strikes a cautionary note with respect to the sodomy laws which remain on the books in eighteen states, the protracted efforts to see passage of hate crimes laws, and the lives taken by AIDS. Contact: o Amy Westfeldt, Correspondent, Associated Press, Hemisphere Center, Route 1 & 9 South, Newark, NJ, 07114, fax: 973.643.2526, e-mail: amy-westfeldt@ap.org In the June 25 issue of the San Francisco Chronicle ("Marching in 3-Inch Heels") Dan Levy wrote about San Francisco's first ever "drag march," enlightening readers about a 1965 police raid on a costume ball at California Hall, predating Stonewall by four years. While much of the piece reiterates San Francisco's contribution to the gay rights movement, the author is responsible enough to include voices which remind us that transgender people remain vulnerable to discrimination, and continue to be marginalized from within the movement. The close of the piece notes that the march included the kickoff of a voter registration drive which will prove crucial for Californians to defeat the Knight Initiative, which would prohibit state recognition of same-sex marriage. Contact: oJerry Roberts, Managing Editor, San Francisco Chronicle , 901 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103-2988 fax: 415.896.1107, e-mail: chronfeedback@sfgate.com The GLAADAlert is the bi-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 323.658.6775 (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! 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)."