Date: Mon, 23 Dec 1996 15:43:09 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADLines 12.23.96 GLAADLINES contact: Don Romesburg (415) 861-2244 romesburg@glaad.org http://www.glaad.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 23, 1996 News, Tips, and Breaking Stories about the Gay & Lesbian Community GLAAD CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT NEW TV RATINGS SYSTEM: Following the December 19 announcement by an independent entertainment industry committee of the adoption of an aged-based television ratings system, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) expressed cautious optimism that the new system would not distinguish between heterosexual and gay content. For the last six months, GLAAD has been communicating about the ratings system with Motion Picture Association of America president Jack Valenti, who heads the television ratings committee. "While we remain concerned that any ratings system runs the risk of restricting our right to free speech, GLAAD is pleased that the television ratings system is not designed to crop lesbian and gay images from television's picture of the American landscape," said William Waybourn, GLAAD's managing director. "Throughout the next ten months we will monitor the ratings system to prevent it from ever being used as a broad broom that would sweep gay content under the rug and off our television screens." For more information contact Alan Klein (GLAAD's national communications director) at (212) 807-1700. ANTI-GAY IMMIGRATION PAMPHLET STILL DISTRIBUTED: In spite of a 1990 act that removed homosexuality from a list of traits that are grounds to deny applicants a U.S. visa, tens of thousands of outmoded pamphlets which tell lesbians and gays that they will be denied entrance because of their sexual orientation are still being distributed by U.S. embassies worldwide. The pamphlet, "United States Immigration Laws: General Information," published in 1989 by the Department of Justice, lists item 4 of 33 "reasons you cannot be allowed into the United Stares" as those who are "mentally ill or homosexual." Brian Jordan of the Justice Department said the item was in the pamphlet as "an anti-AIDS measure...in the interests of public health." According to Sydney Levy, the asylum project coordinator of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), "This is totally outrageous. The U.S. Government is spreading misinformation, scaring people, and if that were not enough, a spokesman for the Justice Department has made it worse in trying to justify the pamphlet by implying that all gay people are HIV-positive and should be excluded." For more information contact Sydney Levy (IGLHRC) at (415) 255-8680. LEGISLATORS MOVE TO DENY SAME-SEX MARRIAGES: In the face of possible legalization of same-sex marriages in Hawaii, Florida and New Jersey are poised to join 16 states currently enacting legislation to deny lesbian and gay couples their rights. Florida State Senator John Grant (R-Tampa) has introduced a bill forbidding the recognition of gay marriages from other states. It is likely to pass the 1997 legislative session with little opposition. In New Jersey, the Senate Judiciary Committee also introduced a bill banning same-sex marriage. For more information contact Evan Wolfson of the National Freedom to Marry Coalition at (212) 995-8585. IDAHO SAYS SEX ED MEANS ABSTINENCE ONLY: Idaho State Schools Superintendent Anne Fox announced that she will deny federal financial assistance to any public school AIDS education program that teaches students any prevention method other than abstinence. "The state should send a strong message that this is an area where young people need to learn restraint and self-discipline," Fox said. She denied that she was bowing to pressure from religious radicals opposed to contemporary sex education and the distribution of life-saving information. However, Cameron Lewis of the Idaho Sexually Transmitted Diseases-AIDS Program in the Division of Health said, "there's absolutely no research that shows abstinence-only programs have any effect at all whereas there is a lot of research that show abstinence-based programs [that include safer-sex information as well] are very successful." According to Lloyd Kolbe, director of the Division of Adolescent and School Health at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Idaho may be the first state to enforce the most restrictive approach to education about AIDS. For more information contact the Idaho AIDS Foundation at (208) 888-6057. BAY AREA BOY SCOUTS VOW TO CONTINUE DISCRIMINATION AGAINST GAYS: Contrary to a new, confidential policy reported by the San Francisco Examiner last week, the Boy Scouts of the San Francisco Bay Area Council (SFBAC) will continue to follow the National Boy Scouts' policy of expelling gay scouts and leaders solely on the basis of their sexual orientation. Stephen Barnes, SFBAC Council Executive, denies that SFBAC adopted any sort of "don't ask, don't tell" policy and claims the article was full of inaccuracies. For more information contact Tom Ammiano (San Francisco Board of Supervisors) at (415) 554-5144. To report events that merit media coverage, or news stories breaking in your area, please contact us. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is the nation's lesbian & gay news bureau and the only national lesbian & gay multimedia watchdog organization. GLAAD promotes fair, accurate, and inclusive representation as a means of challenging discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. To subscribe contact Don Romesburg at (415) 861-2244 or at romesburg@glaad.org. "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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. TO JOIN GLAAD AND RECEIVE GLAAD's DISPATCH AND QUARTERLY IMAGES MAGAZINE, call 1.800.GAY.MEDIA or join on the Web today at www.glaad.org/glaad/join/join-about.html TO SUBSCRIBE TO GLAAD-Net, GLAAD's electronic mailing list, send e-mail to majordomo@vector.casti.com with the message "Subscribe GLAAD-Net" TO UNSUBSCRIBE, send e-mail to majordomo@vector.casti.com with the message "Unsubscribe GLAAD-Net" GLAAD is the nation's lesbian and gay news bureau and the only national lesbian and gay multimedia watchdog organization. GLAAD promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation as a means of 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.