Date: Mon, 5 Oct 1998 16:36:39 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: GLAADLines October 5, 1998 GLAADLINES contact: Liz Tracey (212) 807-1700 x18 tracey@glaad.org http://www.glaad.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 5, 1998 News and Breaking Stories about the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community CULINARY INSTITUTE TO HONOR CONTROVERSIAL FOOD FIGURE: The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) is planning to honor the President of Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores, Ronald N. Magruder at its Annual Gala, to be held in New York on Oct. 14, 1998. The Institute's plans have prompted New York city and state politicians to condemn the award and call for the CIA to reconsider their plan. In 1991, Cracker Barrel, which runs a chain restaurants in the South, ordered its branch managers to fire employees "whose sexual preference fails to demonstrate normal heterosexual values." At least 11 employees were terminated under this policy. After media attention was drawn to the firings, the company maintained it had rescinded the order, yet never rehired the fired workers, never offered any compensation for wrongful termination, and Chairman Dan Elvins was then quoted as saying it was up to local restaurants to decide employment criteria for themselves. The City of New York, which holds stock in Cracker Barrel, has been fighting for a stockholders' resolution, which would require management to implement a non-discrimnation policy. After blocking the resolution, the Security and Exchanges Commission has allowed the vote, which will appear on a November 24 ballot at the annual stockholders' meeting. New York City Comptroller Alan Hevesi, State Assemblyperson Deborah Glick and New York City Councilmembers Tom Duane and Margarita Lopez have called for the CIA to reconsider offering the award to Magruder, but responses from the CIA have failed to point out any action under consideration. "Apparently, for the CIA, raising money is more important than standing up to bigotry and discrimination," said Hevesi in an Oct. 1 release. For more information on this ongoing story, please contact David Neustadt in the Office of the Comptroller at (212) 669-3747. OCTOBER: IT'S ISN'T JUST FOR PUMPKINS ANYMORE: The lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender community will celebrate two community-oriented events throughout the month of October (chosen for the two historic Marches on Washington held in 1979 and 1987): National Lesbian and Gay History Month, and on Oct. 11, National Coming Out Day. The theme for this year's History Month celebration, "Find The Facts, Know The Truth," will be used by national, statewide, local and campus organizations to create events which illuminate the diversity of individual and group stories that create the lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender community. For more information about History Month, and for an on-line resource guide and backgrounder, contact Dilia Loe, GLAAD's Director of Programs at (404) 876-1398or visit GLAAD Online at http://www.glaad.org. Among the events for History Month And Coming Out Day: * The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) will present a panel of local and national political activists to discuss the history of gay politics in Washington, D.C. Panelists will include Kathleen DeBold of the Victory Fund, Carl Schmidt of Log Cabin Republicans and Jeff Coudriet of the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club. The panel, moderated by GLAAD Director of Community Relations Cathy Renna, will be from 7:30-9 p.m. Oct. 9 at the Historical Society of Washington, New Hampshire Avenue and O Street N.W. For more information contact Renna at (202) 986-1360, or via e-mail at renna@glaad.org. * The Museum of Television and Radio-Los Angeles will be hosting three seminars discussing images of lesbians, gay men and people with HIV on television. Participants in the seminars will include actors, producers, writers and series creators from some of Hollywood's best shows, as well as GLAAD. The seminars, covering the history of characters, representations of HIV and in sitcoms, will be held on October 15, 20 and 22 respectively, and be broadcast by satellite to colleges and universities across the country. For more information, please contact Scott Seomin (GLAAD) at (213) 658-6775 or via e-mail at seomin@glaad.org. * The 10th Annual National Coming Out Day, sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), will be held on Sunday, October 11, with local, state and national events being held to encourage the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community to continually renew their courage and commitment to coming out and being out. For a complete list of events, and resource guides to National Coming Out Day, contact HRC's Wayne Besen at (202) 628-4160, or visit their website at http://www.hrc.org. * The award-winning documentary Out of the Past is the focal point of a new national campaign by the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN) to mark History Month. The film, which documents the emergence of lesbians and gay men through 300 years of American history, won the 1998 Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival and is to be aired on PBS this Fall. A full press kit is available on request. For more information contact Matthew Lavine at (212) 727-0135 x105 or mlavine@glsen.org. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (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 Liz Tracey at (212) 807-1700 or at tracey@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.