Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1998 15:53:28 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADLines - September 21, 1998 GLAADLINES FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 21, 1998 Contact: Sharen Shaw Johnson (202) 986-1360 x193 sjohnson@glaad.org http://www.glaad.org News and Breaking Stories about the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community ONE MILLION SIGNATURES SOUGHT TO KEEP MURDERER IN JAIL: The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) and Dorothy Hajdys-Holman have initiated a national drive aimed at getting one million signatures on a petition asking the Naval Parole and Clemency Board to deny parole to Terry Helvey. In 1992, Helvey beat to death his shipmate Allen Schindler, Hajdys-Holman's son, because he was gay. Schindler's murder and his mother's fight for justice were depicted in Lifetime's 1997 film, Any Mother's Son: The Dorothy Hajdys Story, which won a 1998 GLAAD Media Award. Under Navy law, sentences of prisoners serving more than one year are reviewed annually for possible reduction. The next hearing for Helvey, who was sentenced to life, is in January 1999. Said Hajdys-Holman: "The reasons for keeping my son's murderer in prison are simple. Terry Helvey is dangerous. He is likely to do the same thing again, if set free. I do not want any other mother to live through what I have." For more information contact SLDN's Julia Adams at (202) 328-3244. LESBIAN-GAY-BISEXUAL VOTE COULD IMPACT MID-SIZED CITIES: The lesbian, gay and bisexual electorate is sizeable and growing and could be especially influential in congressional elections in mid-sized cities, says a new study by Dr. Robert Bailey of the Rutgers University School of Public Policy and Administration. Bailey reported that more voters in such cities -- 8.9% -- self-identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual than in either more urban or more rural areas. The report, produced by the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) Policy Institute, is an in-depth profile of the lesbian, gay and bisexual voting block and the first-ever analysis of the impact of this emerging constituency in national elections. The report, entitled Out and Voting: The Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Vote in Congressional House Elections, 1990-1996, also found that 28% of such voters balloted Republican in the 1996 presidential election. For more information contact Tracey Conaty, NGLTF communications director, at (202) 332-6483 ext. 3303, or by e-mail at tconaty@ngltf.org . DETROIT GAY RIGHTS GROUP WON IN COURT, STILL SEEKS APOLOGY: A Michigan county circuit court has ruled that State Rep. Deborah Whyman defamed the Triangle Foundation in her 1996 campaign literature by falsely stating that the gay and lesbian advocacy group supports "sex acts between grown men and boys." Said Triangle Foundation Executive Director Jeffrey Montgomery: "We hope now Debbie Whyman will do the right thing and make a public apology for her lies." The ruling is believed to be a first, Montgomery said: "Never before has a glbt [gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender] organization successfully sued an elected official for defamation." The Triangle Foundation is a Michigan civil rights advocacy and anti-violence organization. For more information contact Jeffrey Montgomery or Sean Kosofsky at (313) 537-3323, or by e-mail at: trijeffm@aol.com . FAITH COMMUNITIES CONFRONT SEXUALITY: While a majority of Americans polled as part of a special on The Odyssey Channel, cable's interfaith network, said they believe homosexuality is morally wrong they do show a high level of acceptance for lesbians and gay men. The poll was commissioned for a News Odyssey special, "Windows of Hope, Closets of Despair: Faith Communities Confront Sexuality," which will premiere on Thursday, Sept. 24, at 9:00 p.m. EDT/ 6:00 p.m. PDT. Among findings from the poll of mostly Christian (83%) Americans: Most Americans (66%) do not want their faith groups to try to "convert" lesbian and gay people; 74% report they would not feel any differently towards a family member upon learning that person was lesbian or gay (74%); 81% said they would not feel uncomfortable working alongside a lesbian or gay male, and 72% discounted the popular myth that lesbians and gay men try to "recruit" others. For more information contact The Odyssey Channel's Joan Behan at (212) 225-0191 or via e-mail at: jbehan@odysseychannel.com . LESBIAN AND GAY PARENTS WORK WITH SCHOOLS: Strategies for how lesbian and gay parents and educators can work together are among goals of an Oct. 3 conference to be held at National-Louis University, 2840 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Ill.. The scheduled guest speaker is April Martin, author of The Lesbian and Gay Parenting Handbook: Creating and Raising Our Families. Sponsoring organizations of the event, entitled "Opening Doors: Lesbian & Gay Parents and Schools," are the Chicago-area Rainbow Families, which offers social and educational activities for lesbian and gay parents and their children; Gay and Lesbian Parents Coalition International (GLPCI), an advocacy, support and research organization for lesbian and gay parents, and National-Louis University, which has campuses throughout the U.S. and offers many degrees in the field of education. For more information contact Rainbow Families at (630) 585-3920. 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.