Date: Thu, 5 Aug 1999 17:48:48 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADALERT -- August 5, 1999 GLAADALERT -- August 5, 1999 The GLAADAlert is the bi-weekly activation tool of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation GLAADAlert Index: 1) "Eye" on Ellen: CBS Negotiating for DeGeneres' Return to TV 2) When Spouses Comes Out: Orange County Register on Marriage 3) We-Blocker.Com: Censoring Gay Sites Was "Simply A Mistake" 4) A Top 10 Lesbian 5) Honolulu Star-Bulletin Says "You're Never Too Old to Learn" Fairness 6) GLAADAlert Reminder: Tell Dr. Laura the Truth 1) "Eye" on Ellen: CBS Negotiating for DeGeneres' Return to TV After a year-long absence from the small-screen, Emmy-winning comedian Ellen DeGeneres is considering a return to network television. DeGeneres, who recently starred in the films EdTV and The Love Letter, has been negotiating with CBS to star in a new comedy series which would focus on the on- and off-camera life of a TV variety show host. The series, according to CBS Television President and CEO Leslie Moonves, is intended for the 2000-01 season. The sexual orientation of DeGeneres' character on the new show has not been discussed, but CBS told the Television Critics Association that it wouldn't matter to them if she were lesbian or not. Please thank Leslie Moonves and CBS for developing a project for DeGeneres to bring her back to TV. Contact: Mr. Leslie Moonves, President and Chief Executive Officer, CBS Television, 7800 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036-2188. 2) When Spouses Comes Out: Orange County Register on Marriage In his excellent July 15 feature, Orange County Register staff writer Andre Mouchard takes an in-depth look at the social forces that push lesbians and gay men into heterosexual marriages - and the toll taken on their spouses when they must finally come out. Mouchard's examination of the recently-created Straight Spouse Awareness Month (coinciding with June's Pride Month) touches on several important, often overlooked issues, including the immense pressure on lesbians and gay men to construct false, heterosexual lives; the emotional damage wrought upon their straight spouses; and the social isolation of divorced spouses who must live in a world that does not want to acknowledge their pain. "To a lot of people in the straight world, this is still one of the last taboos =8A a threat," says Amity Pierce Buxton, the quoted author of the 1991 book The Other Side of the Closet: The Coming Out Crisis for Straight Spouses and Families. Buxton adds that the plight of straight ex-spouses of lesbian and gay partners might not even exist but for cultural forces that push individuals to closet their sexual orientation. Mouchard's insightful, balanced portrayal of the needs of straight spouses points to a larger cultural need for embracing and legitimizing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender relationships. Once the community is not stigmatized and distanced from the institution of marriage, the pain caused by these unions born of fear might begin to heal. Please thank the Orange County Register for Andre Mouchard's exceptional feature, and encourage them to continue to develop and print stories of this depth and cultural importance. Contact: Mr. Christian Anderson, Publisher, Orange County Register, 625 North Grand Ave., Santa Ana, CA 92701-4347 fax: (714) 565-3681, e-mail: letters@link.freedom.com 3) We-Blocker.Com: Censoring Gay Sites Was "Simply A Mistake" In late July, GLAAD received several reports from community members and companies (including the New York Lesbian & Gay Center and GayBC.com, in Internet news source) that an Internet filtering software manufacturer called We-Blocker.com had sent them an e-mail notifying them that their Web sites have been blocked by their software. GLAAD immediately contacted We-Blocker.com Chief Technology Officer Steve Kirby. Kirby apologized and said a "mistake" had occurred, causing many lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender sites to be filtered. He explained that sites containing various keywords (in this case "sex") are usually flagged and reviewed manually. Sites including the words "sexual orientation," "homosexual, "bisexual" and others were tagged, but the sites were not manually checked and were accidentally loaded into the database of blocked sites. Kirby assured GLAAD that he would go through the sites and free any site that did not meet We-Blocker's content requirement for filtering. While admirable in its desire to rectify its mistake, We-Blocker illustrates how imperfect Internet filtering software can be. Through a combination of human and technological error, support resources for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people were censored, leaving isolated community members without access to this virtual lifeline. Please write We-Blocker and thank them for working to correct this error, and let them know how important the Internet is to our community. If you should receive similar letters from We-Blocker or if other filtering software companies notify you that your site is being blocked, please report them to GLAAD at javier@glaad.org . Contact: Mr. Steve Kirby, Chief Technology Officer, We-Blocker.com, 13430 North Scottsdale Rd., Suite 202, Scottsdale, AZ 85254, e-mail: info@we-blocker.com 4) A Top 10 Lesbian Top 10, the latest offering from America's Best Comics, an imprint of the DC Comics-owned WildStorm, features a lesbian superhero by the name of Jack Phantom (a.k.a. Officer Jackie Kowalski). The new book revolves around the lives of police officers in the 10th Precinct of Neopolis, a town made up of superheroes and villains. In the introductory storyline, Robyn Slinger, a new recruit to the 10th Precinct, goes out for a beer with Jackie after her first day on the job. After Robyn tells Jackie about her harrowing first day, Jackie says of Robyn's teaming with an unfriendly officer named Smax, "I can't believe they put you with Smax...I mean, that guy is such a pig. It's ridiculous how women fall all over him. I'd avoid him like typhoid, even if I was straight." When Robyn tells her that there is somebody waiting for her at home, Jackie replies, "Can't blame a girl for trying." While gay characters are not new to DC Comics and its imprints, Top 10 is a rare book whose inclusiveness is aimed at younger male audiences who comic books usually do not offer positive exposure to our community. Please thank America's Best Comics and Top 10's creators for their inclusion of the Jack Phantom/Jackie Kowalski character, and encourage them to develop her in upcoming storylines. Contact: Mr. Jim Lee, Editorial Director, America's Best Comics, and Mr. Alan Moore & Mr. Gene Ha, Creators, Top 10, c/o America's Best Comics, 7910 Ivanhoe Ave., Suite 436, La Jolla, CA 92037; e-mail: top10@wildstorm.com 5) Honolulu Star-Bulletin Says "You're Never Too Old to Learn" Fairness In her August 2 Honolulu Star-Bulletin column, Diane Yukihiro Chang writes with disarming honesty about a transgender athlete's struggles. Local canoe paddler LiAnne Taft recently filed a lawsuit against the Hawaii Canoe Racing Association for barring her from competing on the women's team because her birth certificate identifies her as male. While she writes that the decision initially made sense to her, Chang seeks out the opinion of a professor at the University of Hawaii, who asked her, "So when does LiAnne 'officially' become female? When she no longer has the male organ? When her hormonal therapy is complete? [Or when] she acts, thinks, feels like and believes that she is woman? =8A Being called a troublemaker and trying to break into a closed group in power sounds familiar, doesn't it? Think discrimination against blacks, Asians, women, gays, the handicapped, etc." Chang has a change of heart, noting that although she'd always fancied herself "a bona fide liberal with nary an ounce of prejudice =8A you're neve= r too old to learn." Taft has announced that she won't take part in the upcoming state championships because she doesn't want to cause problems for her teammates. But, as Chang admirably points out, "LiAnne is not the problem. More likely, it's people like me - who are too quick to label =8A who have the real problem around here." Please thank the Honolulu Star-Bulletin for offering readers Chang's enlightened and open-minded perspective. Contact: John Flanagan, Editorial Page Editor, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, PO Box 3080, Honolulu, HI 96802, fax: 808.523.8509, e-mail: editor@starbulletin.com 6) GLAADAlert Reminder: Tell Dr. Laura the Truth Please remember to check out GLAAD Online ( http://www.glaad.org ) for details on the "Tell Dr. Laura the Truth" campaign, including a special GLAADAlert, transcripts of Dr. Laura's radio program, a letter from GLAAD Executive Director Joan M. Garry and a list of radio stations carrying Schlessinger's program. On her program Wednesday, Aug. 4, Schlessinger again escalated her attacks: "You want to know about hate speech? Read articles about me. Hate speech! That's why I'm always laughing into my shoes when GLAAD or some other organization has screaming fits because I doesn't believe in other than a man and a woman getting married. They go crazy and call me 'phobic' and 'hateful.' You want to see hateful? Read some of the letters their people send. You should know from hateful. Trust me." Clearly, Schlessinger continues to misrepresent the letters our community sends her. GLAAD encourages you to continue sending Schlessinger respectful letters illustrating the falseness of her perceptions and the impact of her prejudice on real people. Your letters keep us on higher ground and help us change hearts and minds about Schlessinger's dangerous rhetoric. Please send your letters to: Dr. Laura Schlessinger, c/o PREMIERE RADIO NETWORKS, 15260 Ventura Blvd., Suite 500, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403, fax: 818.461.5140, e-mail: webmaster@drlaura.com Please also send us a copy of your letter at: Dr. Laura Letters, c/o GLAAD, 8455 Beverly Blvd., Suite 305, Los Angeles, CA 90048, fax: 323.658.6776, e-mail: glaad@glaad.org ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 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) =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. 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