Date: Mon, 10 Aug 1998 19:47:09 -0400 From: glaad@glaad.org (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) Subject: GLAADLines - August 10, 1998 GLAADLINES - August 10, 1998 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE News and Breaking Stories about the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community contact: Sharen Shaw Johnson (202) 986-1360 x193 sjohnson@glaad.org http://www.glaad.org Index: 1) NEWSWEEK CONDUCTS POLL ON PUBLIC OPINION 2) "EX-GAY" AD CAMPAIGN CONTINUES - WITH A TWIST 3) PREACHER TO PROGRESSIVE TALK RADIO SHOW 4) GAY GAMES CONCLUDE SUCCESSFULLY DESPITE SNAGS 5) NEW MAGAZINES BRING SAME-GENDER PARENTS AND MODERN FAMILIES TO THE FOREFRONT NEWSWEEK CONDUCTS POLL ON PUBLIC OPINION: To accompany this week's cover story on so-called "conversion ministries," Newsweek cited a poll it had commissioned recently which found that "the vast majority said gays deserve equal rights in obtaining jobs and housing (83 percent and 75 percent)," and that 52% "even said gays should be allowed to inherit their partners' Social Security benefits. But 54 percent believe homosexuality is a 'sin,'" and only 33% of the "overall population" believes that "homosexuality is something people are born with." But Newsweek neglects to mention pertinent facts about its poll: when it took place, the number of persons polled, criteria for participant selection (e.g., registered voters or adults over age 18), the precise wording of the questions asked and the margin of error. Kerry Lobel, Executive Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) said, "Whether genetic or chosen, sexual orientation is deeply seated, and our goal is for a society in which individuals can explore their sexuality without risk of violence, discrimination, vilification or damnation. Whatever today's polls say, public opinion is continually moving to approval of equality and greater acceptance of gay, lesbian and bisexual people. NGLTF has looked at the trend in public opinion during the past twenty years. This Newsweek poll is without context and conducted during one of the most hostile periods against GLBT people in recent memory." For more information, contact Tracey Conaty, NGLTF Communications Director at (202) 332-6483 x3303 or via e-mail at tconaty@ngltf.org . "EX-GAY" AD CAMPAIGN CONTINUES - WITH A TWIST: GLAAD has confirmed information released by the Center for Reclaiming America (CRA): the San Francisco Chronicle has denied CRA's request for advertising space, making it the first major daily known to have rejected an ad from the advertising campaign which posits the feasibility of "conversion" for lesbians and gay men to heterosexuality. CRA announced the launch of the "third phase" of their campaign, which is co-sponsored by 17 religious political extremist groups and "ex-gay" ministries, which began with the placement of another full-page ad in the Aug. 10 edition of the Wall Street Journal. Previous ads ran in the New York Times (July 13),Washington Post (July 14), USA Today (July 15), Washington Times (July 21), Los Angeles Times (July 27), Chicago Tribune (July 28), and Miami Herald (July 29). For more information, please contact Jennifer Einhorn, GLAAD Communications Director at (212) 807-1700 x14 or via e-mail at einhorn@glaad.org . PREACHER TO PROGRESSIVE TALK RADIO SHOW: The Rev. Toni Cook of Denver says she's "sick and tired of the religious right telling the world they have the only religious point of view," so she's starting her own talk radio show, Religious Rhetoric, which she says will be "unapologetically liberal." The program is to air on KRRF-AM 1280, midday on Sundays, immediately after Cook preaches before her own congregation in Capitol Hill. She says guests will discuss topics such as abortion, lesbian and gay rights, current news, social issues and the new Interfaith Alliance, which was formed to fight religious political extremism. For more information please contact Rev. Cook at St. Paul's United Methodist Church at (303) 832-4929. GAY GAMES CONCLUDE SUCCESSFULLY DESPITE SNAGS: The 5th Gay Games came to a close on Aug. 8, having staged almost all scheduled events despite of a number of controversies which had arisen during its week-long run. Reuters reported that the Games' director was fired after organizers learned he had overspent by an estimated $1 million, but this year's host city, Amsterdam, expects the Games to bring in an extra $75 million, arranged an emergency $2.5 million bail-out loan. In addition, the ice skating competition was canceled after the International Skating Union-the sport's governing body-ruled it would not sanction the contests. Skaters gave a separate performance. Each quadrennial Gay Games is organized by a separate group in that year's host city, unlike the Olympics, which is overseen by a permanent governing group. The next Gay Games are to be in 2002 in Sydney, Australia. For more information please contact Scott Mandell, Federation of Gay Games Executive Director, at: 011-31-20-06-22-11-70-77. NEW MAGAZINES BRING SAME-GENDER PARENTS AND MODERN FAMILIES TO THE FOREFRONT: Los Angeles accountant Kelly Taylor recently launched the bimonthly Alternative Family Magazine, billed as the only national publication geared toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender parents and their children. The current issue's cover story is a profile of Jon and Michael Galluccio, who made history this past Fall when they became the first same-sex couple to jointly adopt a child in New Jersey, and came to further attention in a highly-publicized holy union on Father's Day. Also, Paul Horne and Sam Francis of West Hollywood, Calif., premiere HERO this month, a magazine devoted to covering diverse cultural issues for gay men, their families and loved ones. HERO has a strict policy of rejecting sex-oriented advertisements, and will cover topics including civil rights, gay marriage, entertainment, and technology. The first issue, with a column by Andrew Sullivan and interviews with Michelangelo Signorile and Patricia Nell Warren, hit newsstands nationwide last week. For more information about Alternative Families Magazine, please contact Managing Editor John Quinlan at (608) 283-3218 or Publisher Kelly Taylor at (818) 909-0314. For more information about Hero Magazine please contact Editorial Director Paul Horne at (310) 360-8022 or via e-mail at editor@heromag.com . GLAAD is the nation's lesbian & gay multimedia advocacy organization. GLAAD promotes fair, accurate, and inclusive representation as a means of challenging discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. To subscribe contact Wonbo Woo at (212) 807-1700 or at woo@glaad.org . "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are registered 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 a national organization that 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.