Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1998 19:07:07 -0400 From: glaad@glaad.org (GLAAD - the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) Subject: GLAADLines - December 21, 1998 GLAADLINES FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 21, 1998 Contact: Liz Tracey, Publications Manager (212) 807-1700 tracey@glaad.org http://www.glaad.org News and Breaking Stories about the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community 1) OUT AT WORK PREMIERES ON HBO 2) WEST HOLLYWOOD HONORS MATTHEW SHEPARD 3) OHIO APPEALS COURT DENIES ADOPTION 4) EDITOR'S NOTE 1) OUT AT WORK PREMIERES ON HBO: The first-ever documentary about lesbian and gay workplace discrimination will premiere on HBO on January 6, 1999 at 10:30 p.m, as part of the documentary series "America Undercover." The groundbreaking film, produced, written and directed by Tami Gold and Kelly Anderson, is narrated by retired Colonel Margerethe Cammermeyer, who fought her own battle against workplace discrimination in 1992, when she was dismissed from the armed forces because of her sexual orientation. The film uses case studies of two gay men and one lesbian who confronted discrimination in their workplaces and took action against it. Cheryl Summerville worked as a cook at a Cracker Barrel restaurant in Georgia until she was fired under a corporate policy stating that they would no longer employ those "whose sexual preference failed to demonstrate normal heterosexual values." Mark Anderson, a trainee at the Los Angeles branch of a prestigious securities trading firm, was fired when rumors began to spread that he was gay. Finally, Ron Woods, a third-generation auto worker in Detroit, was physically attacked by co-workers and management after they learned he was gay. He then sued Chrysler, alleging that they had failed to provide a safe work environment. Tami Gold, co-producer and co-director of Out At Work, observed, "Even now, in the 90s, there is a seriously shocking climate of intolerance, discrimination, and violence against gays and lesbians, which extends into the workplace. Out At Work raises critical issues about workplace rights and, ultimately, the human rights of us all." For more information, contact Tim Chandler (HBO New York) at (212) 512-1462, or Nancy Lesser (HBO Los Angeles) at (310) 201-9274. 2) WEST HOLLYWOOD HONORS MATTHEW SHEPARD: The West Hollywood City Council approved the naming of a landscaped triangle at Santa Monica and Crescent Heights Boulevards as "Matthew Shepard Square." In discussing the honoring of the University of Wyoming student who was brutally beaten and left to die in October, West Hollywood Mayor Steve Martin stated, "The horrific murder of Matthew Shepard shocked the entire nation. It woke up America to the hate that millions in the lesbian and gay community face every day." Mayor Martin continued, "No one so represents the sad reality of the hate that exists against the LGBT community in America today as does Matthew Shepard. We have an obligation to honor him for all the others that came before him and sadly, for all those that may follow." For more information, contact the Office of the Mayor of the City of West Hollywood at (213) 848-6445. 3) OHIO APPEALS COURT DENIES ADOPTION: The State Court of Appeals in Akron, Ohio denied a lesbian couple’s request for a second-parent adoption, leaving an eight-year-old child without the substantial protection of a second legally recognized parent. In the case of In re: Adoption of Jane Doe, lesbian parents "Trish Smith" and "Marcia Jones" sought to have "Smith" adopt their daughter, who was conceived by alternative insemination and whose biological mother is Jones. The court ruled that second-parent adoptions, which allow a person to adopt the children of his or her unmarried partner without terminating the other partner's parental status, were not possible for lesbian and gay parents under existing Ohio law. Patricia M. Logue, managing attorney of Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund's (LLDEF) Midwest Regional Office, argued the case before the appeals court. She commented, "Adoption is supposed to be about what's best for children. It's disappointing that the court focused on narrow legal questions rather than on providing Jane with the security that other children take for granted -- like the right of both mothers to make medical decisions for her." For more information on the case, contact Patricia M. Logue (LLDEF Midwest Regional Office) at (312) 663-4413, or Peg Byron (LLDEF Communications Director) at (212) 809-8585, or via pager at (888) 987-1984. EDITOR'S NOTE: Because of the holiday season, GLAADLines will not appear on Monday, December 28. Regular publication will resume on Monday, January 4, 1999. The GLAAD staff extends its wishes for a happy, healthy and joyous holiday season. 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 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" The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is a national organization that promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation of individuals and events in the media as a means of combatting homophobia and 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.