Date: Mon, 16 Jun 1997 16:06:49 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADLines 06.16.97 GLAADLINES FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 16, 1997 contact: Don Romesburg (415) 861-2244 romesburg@glaad.org http://www.glaad.org News, Tips and Breaking Stories about the Gay & Lesbian Community DAY OF COMPASSION TO AIR JUNE 20: June 20th's Day of Compassion will be kicked off by a press conference on June 18 at New York City's at CyberCafe (273A Lafayette Street). On the 20th daytime television will join with radio stations and Internet providers for this fifth annual event designed to model compassion and support for people affected by HIV and AIDS. "Day of Compassion brings the different media together for a purpose," said Lynne Gabriel of Hollywood Supports, "and whether it's a public service announcement, a full hour of programming, a conversation in a daytime soap, or a live Internet chat, it reminds us that the crisis is not over." For more information on the press conference or Day of Compassion, contact Liz Tracey, GLAAD Associate Communications Director at (212) 807-1700 or email at tracey@glaad.org. GEORGETOWN STUDENTS STAND UP TO ANTI-GAY CONFERENCE: On June 21, in the first-ever university-sanctioned protest outside a designated campus "free speech" zone, students at Georgetown University will voice their opposition to the American Public Philosophy Institute's "Homosexuality and American Public Life" conference being held June 19-21. Speaker Chai Feldblum of the Georgetown University Law Center will be joined by John Cronan, president of the Georgetown University Student Association, and Christopher Layfield, president of Georgetown Pride. In addition, the students will hold a press conference at 10:00 am on June 19 at the steps of Healy Hall at Georgetown. "This conference is not the 'comprehensive analysis of homosexuality' it claims to be," said Jonathan Zucker, co-chair of the Bisexual, Lesbian and Gay Association of Georgetown University Law Center. "It is nothing more than a thinly veiled pseudo-intellectual platform for gay bashing and a reinforcement of the worst stereotypes and myths." For more information contact Jonathan Zucker (BiLAGA) at (202) 628-4160, ext. 4008. TEACHER FILES DEFAMATION SUIT OVER "SAFE ZONE": In Brookfield, Connecticut a 71-year-old high school teacher, Veronica Berrill, has filed a defamation suit against parents who allegedly spread defamatory statements about her after she implemented a "Safe Zone" in her classroom. The "Safe Zone" was established by Berrill as a means of establishing a place where sexual minority youth were assured safety from verbal and physical abuse. After explaining the purpose of it to students at the start of classes last year, she alleges that the parents of one student made false statements to both the local press and public school officials. On April 30, the Board of Education suspended the "Safe Zone" program. "The malicious charges against Veronica Berrill were an attack not only on her gay and lesbian young persons and their right to learn in a safe and respectful classroom environment," said Ted LaBonne, a spokesperson for the Committee for the Defense of Classroom Tolerance (CDCT), a fundraising group of concerned citizens. For more information please contact Ted LaBonne (CDCT) at (203) 743-5552. PRIDES NATIONWIDE: Among the 13 gay and lesbian Pride events happening around the country the weekend of June 21-22 are celebrations in Los Angeles, Birmingham, Alabama and the first-ever West Virgina statewide Pride parade. Christopher Street West (CSW) will have over half a million attendees and is the third largest event in California, trailing only the Rose Bowl Parade and the Hollywood Christmas Parade. The celebrity Grand Marshall will be performer Kathy Najimy, while entertainment will be headlined by Me'Shell Ndege'ocello and Extra Fancy. In Birmingham, the parade and fair are expecting a record turnout. "The recent local censorship of ABC's Ellen has galvanized the gay community," noted organizer Kevin Snow. Among speakers scheduled are author Michaelangelo Signorile and Rev. Mel White. The West Virginia event will march through Charleston, arriving at the Capitol for a street festival. For more information contact Bo Lumabao (Media Coordinator, CSW) at (310) 274-8787, ext. 115, Elliot Jones (Media Coordinator, Birmingham Pride Alabama) at (205) 933-8433 and John Brown (West Virginia Pride Coordinator) at (304) 345-3490. 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.