Date: Mon, 22 Sep 1997 16:55:20 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADLines 09.22.97 GLAADLINES FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 22, 1997 News, Tips and Breaking Stories about the Gay & Lesbian Community contact: Don Romesburg (415) 861-2244 romesburg@glaad.org http://www.glaad.org ARMY ACKNOWLEDGES LESBIAN-BAITING: On September 11, the Army released a report of its Senior Review Panel on Sexual Harassment which admits that the Army has engaged in calling or threatening to call women lesbians in retaliation for reporting sexual harassment, rape or for rebuffing sexual advances. "One particular form of sexual harassment not addressed in the survey but commented on in a few focus groups and by other female soldiers...was the fear of being accused of being a homosexual.," states the report. According to the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), the Clinton Administration's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy creates an obstacle to servicewomen's safety, arming perpetrators with a tool of sexual extortion. "The Army's recognition of the depth of the sexual harassment within its ranks in groundbreaking," said SLDN Co-Executive Director Michelle Benecke. "Army leaders must end retaliatory lesbian-baiting and instead investigate the perpetrators of harassment." For more information contact Julia Adams (SLDN) at (202) 328-3244. IN & OUT AMERICA'S #1 MOVIE: The hit comedy In & Out featuring Kevin Kline as a high school teacher struggling with his sexual orientation, the media and his small-town community became the top-earning film of the past weekend, grossing $15 million. "In & Out not only promises to help break down stereotypes and intolerance all across our country, its strong earning power will undoubtedly chip away at Hollywood's reluctance to feature lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender characters and themes," said GLAAD Entertainment Media Director Chastity Bono. "Its success right out of the starting gate shows that Americans love a good comedy, regardless of the sexual orientation of the characters." For more information contact Liz Tracey (GLAAD Associate Communications Director) at (212) 807-1700 or pgr. (800) 946-4646, pin# 1423527. MURDERER OF TWO OREGON LESBIANS PLEADS FOR LIFE: On September 23, a Jackson County (Oregon) Circuit Court jury will hear arguments to determine whether Robert Acremant, who shot two lesbians to death on December 4, 1995, should get a life sentence or a lethal injection for the crime. Acremant killed the couple, Roxanne Ellis and Michelle Abdill, after the two refused to give him money. He has been quoted as knowing the two were lesbians, and figured they wouldn't have any families to miss them. Later, he said he'd killed the women because he hated gay and bisexual people. After the slayings, community members laid the foundation of the Abdill-Ellis Lambda Community Center in Ashland in honor of the two women, who had worked for the rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and people with AIDS. For more information contact Carole Souza (President, Lambda Community Center Association) at (541) 488-8963. ARIZONA PRISON POLICY DISCRIMINATES AGAINST GAY PRISONERS: Under the guise of "promoting strong family values," Arizona's corrections director has banned gay prisoners from embracing or holding hands with their partners during visits, even though heterosexual prisoners are allowed to. According to Corrections Director Terry Stewart, "Any policy condoning homosexual activity at visitation, amid families and children, would be contrary to state law. It would be unconscionable for the department to undermine the will of the people by brazenly violating state law and deviating from current policy of non-familial same-sex kissing, embracing or petting." Jenny Pitzer, managing lawyer for the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund in Los Angeles, told AP Stewart's response was "a pretty blatant example of people in government positions not understanding how the law works." Donna Leone Hamm, director of the Phoenix-based Middle Ground Prison Reform (MGPR) added, "There is absolutely nothing sexual about two individuals holding hands or giving an affectionate hug at a visit. Terry Stewart's homophobic slip is showing." For more information contact Donna Leone Hamm (MGPR) at (602) 966-8116. LEGAL GROUPS SUE PROVIDENCE POLICE FOR PUBLIC RECORDS: On September 16, the Gay & Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) and the Rhode Island American Civil Liberties Union (RI ACLU) teamed up to challenge the Providence Police Department's year-long refusal to make available public records concerning an alleged anti-gay sweep operation in the Blackstone Park area. According to GLAD, the records may shed light on claims that the police have been fabricating reports of sexual activity as an excuse to drive away gay people who use the park, have police decoys engage men in sexual conversations and make arrests of men who were simply having lunch or using the park. "Our requests for basic information have been stonewalled at every turn," said GLAD Attorney Mary Bonauto. "The public has a right to know about arrest patterns in particular areas." Carolyn Mannis of the RI ACLU added, "The Providence Police seem to think they are above the law." For more information contact Mary Bonauto (GLAD) at (800) 455-4523. ERRATA: The September 15 GLAADLines reported the PROGRESS Summit would be September 19-21. It has been rescheduled for March 13-15, 1998. In addition, while Debra Chasnoff is an Academy Award-winning director, It's Elementary did not win an Oscar. GLAAD regrets any confusion this may have caused. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (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. 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