Subject: GLAAD/LA Reports - 3/93
From: Jack Newsbaum <[email-masked]>

GLAAD/LA Reports - March '93 Issue
Carl Matthes, Editor
(213) 254-2726  FAX (213) 257-5878

Hollywood's Other Awards...
GLAAD/LA's "Show of the Year," March 20

    One of Hollywood's most glamorous and exciting events - the
  Fourth Annual GLAAD/LA Media Awards Show - is on its final
  countdown as the elegant, International Ballroom in the
  Beverly Hilton Hotel, is readied for GLAAD/LA's "Show of the
  Year" on Mar. 20.  The GLAAD Awards are presented to those in
  the media and entertainment industries who represent and
  portray the lives of lesbians and gay men accurately.  Poised
  to attend this year are Steve Allen, Roseanne and Tom Arnold,
  Beatrice Arthur, Rene Auberjonois, Bruce Davison, Robert
  Desidereo, Amanda Donohoe, Jill Eickenberry, Ella Joyce, Chaka
  Khan, Sheila Kuehl, Judith Light, Sir Ian McKellen, Paul
  Monette, Rita Moreno, Karyn Parsons, Lisa Pelikan, Della
  Reese, Carl Reiner, Doris Roberts, Doug Savant, George Takei,
  Rip Taylor, Michael Tucker, Karen Malina White, JoBeth
  Williams and Hattie Winston.

    The evening's festivities begin at 6:00 pm with cocktails and
  a Silent Auction.  Those purchasing VIP tickets will be guests
  at a private Celebrity Cocktail Reception attended by the
  presenters and recipients of the 1993 Media Awards.
  Meanwhile, a cocktail hour set in the Beverly Hilton's
  Executive Center is open to everyone attending the Media
  Awards Show and will feature a Silent Auction.  Patterned
  after last year's successful effort, the Silent Auction will
  feature showbiz memorabilia along with other unique items.
  Already up for bids is a photo of Madonna with her autrograph,
  a script for "Three Thousand" (the original "Pretty Woman"
  script) carrying the signature of Richard Gere, A "Murder, She
  Wrote" script signed by Angela Lansbury, and a "Glengarry Glen
  Ross" screenplay autographed by Jack Lemmon.  Dinner is at
  7:30 pm and the Media Awards Show is at 8:30 pm.

    As the Media Awards Show countdown continues, the time to
  order your tickets is now.  The quickest way to secure your
  tickets is to call Events Unlimited, Inc. at (310) 996-1188.
  Another way is to send in the order form found on page __ of
  the newsletter.  But, whatever way you choose, act now!  Don't
  miss out on one of Hollywood's hottest shows.

L.A & N.Y. GLAAD Chapters announce...
Recipients of 1993 Media Awards

    The Los Angeles and New York chapters of GLAAD have announced
  the recipients of the 1993 GLAAD Media Awards.  The awards
  will be presented during two gala Media Awards Shows: in Los
  Angeles on Mar. 20 and in New York on Mar. 28.

Awards to be presented during the Show in Los Angeles will be:

The 1993 Stephen F. Kolzak Award to: Sir Ian McKellen

    GLAAD/LA's highest honor will be presented to Sir Ian McKellen
  who was knighted in 1991 by Queen Elizabeth II for his
  outstanding work in stage and film.  He has emerged as a
  prominent activist for gay and lesbian rights, making numerous
  public appearances and working diligently to dispel the myths
  surrounding gay men and lesbians.  The Kolzak Award was first
  presented in 1991, posthumously, in honor of Stephen F.
  Kolzak, a highly successful casting director.  Stephen devoted
  the last part of his life fighting AIDS-phobia and homophobia
  within the entertainment industry.

Outstanding Television Comedy Series: Roseanne

    For the second year in a row this award is presented to the
  ABC-TV hit series, "Roseanne."  The series continues to
  include realistic portrayals of gay and lesbian characters,
  including Sandra Bernhard and Morgan Fairchild as this
  seasons's only two recurring lesbian characters on prime time.
  Producers: Roseanne and Tom Arnold, Tom Werner and Marcey
  Carsey (Carsey-Werner Productions).

Outstanding Television Dramatic Series: Melrose Place

    "Melrose Place," Fox Broadcasting Company's weekly series
  about residents of a Los Angeles apartment complex receives
  this award for the inclusion of a recurring gay character.
  Doug Savant portrays Matt, a gay tenant in the complex, who
  becomes the third openly gay or lesbian character on prime
  time.  One realistic storyline featured Matt as the victim of
  a gay bashing and the anti-gay job discrimination that
  resulted.  Executive Producer: Darren Star (Aaron Spelling
  Productions).

Outstanding Dramatic Television Movie: Doing Time on Maple Drive

    "Doing Time on Maple Drive" tells the story of a young man
  coming to terms with his sexual orientation and coming out to
  his family.  This production from Fox Night at the Movies
  receives its award for it's honesty and sensitivity.
  Executive Producer Paul Lussier (FNM Films).

Outstanding Theater Production: Angels in America

    Tony Kushner's epic play "Angels in America," sub-titled "A
  Gay Fantasia on National Themes," achieves an award for its
  unabashed indictment of government neglect and
  institutionalized bigotry.  Written with incisive wit and
  disarming humor, the play's riveting centerpieces - AIDS,
  homosexuality, religion and politics - forcefully convey the
  anger, frustration and commitment of a gay and lesbian
  community under seige.

Outstanding Theater Production: Children of the Night

    "Children of the Night" is a musical journey of several
  African-American and Latino lesbians and gays written by
  Stephen Semien.  GLAAD gives an award to this choreopoem for
  reinforcing the very naturalness of homosexuality.

Outstanding Music Video: The Last Song, Elton John

    Elton John receives an award for his music video of "The Last
  Song."  This song tells the story of a young gay man dying of
  AIDS who is reunited with his father.  He is then bolstered by
  his father's unexpected show of love and support.

Outstanding Song: We Shall Be Free, Garth Brooks

    This award is presented to Garth Brooks for the song "We Shall
  Be Free."  The song's message calls for a new respect for
  diversity - including gay men and lesbians.  Garth is a member
  of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (P-FLAG).

Outstanding Community Service Award: VIVA!

    Viva!, a non-profit lesbian and gay Latino artists
  organization, receives this award for its successful and
  continuing efforts to discover, empower and promote lesbian
  and gay Latino arts and artists.

Gay and Lesbian Visibility Award:
Openly Gay and Lesbian Members of the United States Military

    This award recognizes the courage shown by those men and women
  of the United States Military who have come out in an effort
  to end the government's ban on openly gay men and lesbians
  serving in the Armed Forces.  Among those to be honored will be
  Dusty Pruitt, Keith Meinhold, Joseph Steffan and Margarethe
  Cammermeyer.

GLAAD/LA Special Award: Roseanne and Tom Arnold

    For their outspoken support of the gay and lesbian community
  and their continuing efforts to portray lesbians and gay men
  in a realistic and understandable manner, this special award
  is presented to Roseanne and Tom Arnold.

The following Awards will be presented during the Show in New York:

  Outstanding Broadcast News Segment: 20/20, The Only Way Out
  Outstanding Newspaper Coverage: The New York Times
  Outstanding Magazine Coverage: The New Yorker
  Outstanding Print Journalist: Anna Quindlen
  Outstanding Television Dramatic Series: One Life to Live
  Outstanding Theater Production: Falsettos
  Outstanding Achievement by a Media Columnist: Liz Smith

Executive Director's Report
by David Smith

"Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"

    A sense of community intensifies during times of crisis.  As
  our community comes together in preparation for the battle
  ahead against the religious right and the Pentagon over
  lifting the ban against lesbians and gays in the military, it
  is vital that we remain community-minded and focused.

    GLAAD/LA is sending me to Washington, D.C., to work for the
  next six months with the Campaign for Military Service, the
  coalition effort that has been formed to spearhead the effort
  to end the ban against lesbians and gays in the U.S.
  military.  What became clear during that week long spectacle
  orchestrated by the Pentagon and the religious right, is that
  the President of the United States cannot do it alone.  The
  Campaign for Military service was created several days after
  the President held his historic press conference on the issue,
  and announced his six-month, two-part plan -- in reality, a
  short-term compromise.  While it includes immediately ending
  the practice of asking new recruits their sexual orientation,
  it calls for Senate hearings on the issue, clearly a stalling
  tactic by our opponents to allow time to whip up public
  support for not lifting the ban.  The compromise was forced by
  the usual Senate Republicans, the Pentagon, and Democratic
  Senator Sam Nunn, who promised an immediate vote on the issue
  if the President lifted the ban outright, a vote that would
  have gone against us by a wide margin.

    The Campaign for Military Service is going to be headed by
  civil rights attorney and former Lambda Legal Defense and
  Education Fund executive director Thomas B. Stoddard, with
  five key components: operations, policy, lobbying, grassroots,
  and media.  The primary tasks will be securing a Presidential
  executive order lifting the ban, garnering congressional
  support, coordinating with the March on Washington, and
  countering the misinformation and fear that has driven the
  entire debate thus far.  I will serve as Communications
  Director, coordinating the media component of the campaign.

    I will retain my position as Executive Director of GLAAD/LA,
  however the bulk of my day to day duties will be performed for
  six months by a Deputy Director.  GLAAD/LA Board Member Lee
  Werbel has been named to that position.  Lee, who has served
  on the Board since October, will insure that GLAAD/LA will
  continue its media advocacy work unabated.  In addition,
  GLAAD/LA will be working closely with the Campaign for
  Military Service, and serve as one of the campaign's
  point-organizations in Los Angeles.  The campaign will also
  employ successfully proven GLAAD models to educate news
  organizations on gay and lesbian issues.

    In making this decision GLAAD/LA's Board has taken the
  position that the unprecedented national debate over lifting
  the ban against lesbians and gays demands an all out community
  effort and that GLAAD is committing its media expertise and
  other resources towards ensuring our message is successful.
  The ban must fall.  It signals to the rest of the nation that
  bigotry against us is acceptable.  It is based on fear and
  ignorance and as long as it remains in effect, second class
  citizenship will prevail in our lives.

    Make no mistake about it, the controversy that erupted over
  President Clinton's stated intent to lift the ban was brought
  to you by forces that are organizing against us at
  unprecedented levels.  But, we will out organize them.  The
  momentum of our movement is unstoppable.  The victory that
  will be won, will be won for everybody.

Madonna donates her photo...
Last Call for the Silent Auction

    How would you like to own a photograph of Madonna donated by
  her, with her signature, or a script from the hit television
  series "Murder, She Wrote" autographed by Angela Lansbury?
  Or, how about a stay at the Hotel St. Maarten in Laguna Beach
  or a meal from Le Chardonnay?  You can own them all for the
  right bid.  Each will be available for your bidding
  consideration during this year's Silent Auction at the Media
  Awards Show on Mar. 20.  Also on the auction block will be
  hotel stays at the West Hollywood Ramada Inn and the Terrace
  Manor B & B, and restaurant meals at the French Quarter and
  Pane Caldo Bistro.  Celebrity items include a Geena Davis
  autographed baseball, autographed scripts by Richard Geer
  ("Three Thousand," the original "Pretty Woman" script), Jack
  Lemmon ("Glengarry Glen Ross"), a T-shirt autographed by Rita
  Moreno and an autographed Top 40 audiophile disk set by Casey
  Kasem.  Other fine gifts have been received from Sunset Blvd.
  Car Wash, Steven Kay Hair Stylist, Video West, Inc, Bijan
  Bahar and Himpurr Cattery.  Even if you are not attending the
  Media Awards Show itself, you can still come to the Beverly
  Hilton's Executive Center and bid in the Silent Auction.

    Gifts are arriving daily, and it is not too late for you or a
  friend to donate something for the Silent Auction.  All donors
  receive appropriate thanks in the Media Awards program book
  and elsewhere.  To donate contact Leslee or Stacey at Events
  Unlimited (310) 997-1188.  If you have questions call Dean
  Hansell at (213) 931-4883, Stephanie Farrington-Domingue at
  (213) 751-3030 or Lee Werbel at (310) 376-6210.

Co-President's Column
by Stephanie Farrington-Domingue

    I had a phone conversation with a friend of mine the other
  day.  As we giggled and talked excitedly about my cameo
  appearance on the 11:00 pm news following the Maria Shriver
  "Gays in the 90's" piece, he commended me on my courage to be
  "out there" as an open lesbian.  He remarked that I had
  certainly blown off any closet doors that might have remained.
  We discussed that while I knew him as a gay man who was quite
  active in our community, he was not openly gay in his
  professional relationships and how that keeps you minding your
  P's and Q's.

    Alas, the gay and lesbian dichotomy.  How many of us move
  freely through our community, only to become invisible with
  the punching of the clock on Monday morning?  Each year we
  descend on West Hollywood in celebration of our pride; but
  only for the day, only for the hour.  What happens to all that
  pride once the playground is disassembled and the streets are
  swept clean?  We become invisible, never to be heard from
  again.  For years I operated in that way.  Excluding myself
  from certain office chit-chat, being extra careful about
  gender references and opting not to attend many family,
  professional and staff related events.  So often it is more
  expedient to remain invisible; to stay inside our COMFORT ZONE
  where there are no personal trade-offs or consequences...or so
  we think.  There are consequences, however...the consequence
  of not sharing in conversation, of hiding portions of who we
  are, and the consequence of being all you can be and being
  invisible all in one fell swoop.  We do ourselves a great
  disservice.  And while the fault is not ours alone, we can be
  key players to right this wrong.

    The electronic media penetrates our lives to the core.  It's
  in our living rooms, our bedrooms, our automobiles.  It is our
  enemy, it is our friend.  Thus the media's ability to shape
  perception is powerful.  Mischaracterization has substantial
  impact on public opinion about who we are, and despite great
  strides, we still have work to do.  Inaccurate portrayals of
  gays and lesbians tend to severely limit our comfort zone.  If
  all the images we see place us in a negative light, we lose
  our sense of pride and withdraw into invisibility.  By
  fighting for accurate images of gays and lesbians, we expand
  our comfort zone; we create a space where our teens no longer
  select suicide as a primary option for ending their pain, a
  space where all of our community can join in the celebration
  of our lives.  Activism and visibility have their price, but
  they also have wonderful payoffs; such as the FREEDOM to be
  who we are without reservation.

    As we brought our conversation to a close, my friend shared
  with me that after careful consideration, he had decided to
  accept an offer to sit on the Board of Directors of a well
  established gay and lesbian organization.  He felt that it was
  time to take the step.  I congratulated him and thanked him
  for lending his credibility and visibility to our cause, and I
  can't help thinking that my "courage," as he put it, helped
  him find his courage within.  My hope is that he will join me
  on Mar. 20 at our Media Awards Show as we acknowledge and
  honor those who have chosen to represent us as we are, so that
  we might be all that we can be.

TELEVISION AND FILM

Diversity: First You See It, Then You Don't

    Looking like a blueprint for American diversity in the '90s is
  the hip new television series "Key West" (KTTV, ch. 11,
  Tues., 9:00 pm).  Debuting on Jan. 19 with the series pilot,
  the cast of characters was impressive, including Mayor
  Penbrooke (Actor Nicolas Surovy) the openly gay mayor who is
  running for reelection.  When the second episode arrived Jan.
  26, the election had happened off-screen and Mayor Penbrooke
  is nowhere to be seen.  He lost the race to Chaucy, a
  right-wing, hard-drinking, anti-gay woman who doesn't seem to
  know what to do now that she's mayor.  In one sequence, Chaucy
  is having a get acquainted meeting with her office staff and
  one young staffer, Phillip, immediately tells her he is gay.
  He confronts her about her homophobic campaign attacks on
  Mayor Penbrooke, her shallow explanation is followed by the
  question "Are there any other
  alternately-sexually-oriented-people here?"  Half of the staff
  members raise their hands.  The Feb. 2 and 9th episodes
  contained no gay references, demonstrating only rampant
  heterosexuality and terminal sexism.

    Fox Broadcasting Company has confirmed that neither Mayor
  Penbrooke or Phillip are regular cast members.  There was no
  information available on character or storyline development or
  how frequently these two gay men might appear.  The series has
  received favorable critical comments, but must overcome its
  time slot opposite "Roseanne," who has two lesbian characters
  appearing regularly, to win decent ratings.  The intelligent
  inclusion of gay and lesbian characters is always encouraging.
  Let the production company know that these characters should
  not be lost to invisibility or non-development.  Write: "Key
  West," David Beaird, Co-Executive Producer, c/o Fox
  Broadcasting Company, P.O. Box 900, Beverly Hills, CA 90213.

Following is a copy of a letter sent to GLAAD/LA Reports regarding
a review of "Key West" appearing in the Jan.  9 edition of TV Guide:

Dear Editor,

    In the review of "Key West," it is stated that "only the
  dolphins seem well adjusted."  This, after describing three of
  the characters, one of them being the openly gay mayor.  After
  awaiting removal from the annals of Psychiatry, that being a
  homosexual or a lesbian is not due to any mental aberration (a
  few decades ago it was finally deleted), the observation made
  by the critic would reinforce the previous way of thinking
  about persons who have a different sexual orientation.
  Perhaps it is innocuous, but I just wish that a little more
  sensitivity were shown by people who are in the position to
  influence the public.

  Sincerely,
  Natalie Mosleych

  P.S.  I was motivated to write this letter as both a human
  rights activist and the mother of a son who is homosexual.

Salvo's from the Cultural War

  1. CNN/Buchanan
  2. "Good Morning America"
  3. Bomb Threat
  4. One Reader's View
  5. Marines Beat Gay Civilian

A step towards "ethnic cleansing"...
Buchanan's "Cultural Cleansing"

    There's no need to introduce Pat Buchanan.  But maybe the
  folks at CNN who have hired him back as a panelist for
  "Crossfire" need to re-acquaint themselves to the hate and
  unrest he is espousing.

    "Ethnic cleansing" is decimating population segments around
  the world.  While some of it is government sponsored,
  religious hatreds linked with age-old ethnic distrust and
  dislike for those who are different, remain the flashpoints
  for the killing, rape and mayhem.  In America, Buchanan is one
  of the right-wing architects of "cultural cleansing," a kind
  of "ethnic cleansing" that is not yet using guns.  While in
  this country there is some protection against the combination
  of religion and government, the religious fundamentalists and
  political right-wing extremists are talking of a "cultural
  war" to rid the country of citizens who do not agree with
  them.  With hate crimes - especially gay bashings and gay
  killings on the rise - how long will it be before guns are
  brought into the picture?  The sorry spectacle of some
  military leaders teaming-up behind the scenes with a few
  ensconsed members of the Senate to challenge the President of
  the United States over allowing all citizens to serve their
  country, only gives more license to the hatemongers.  CNN is
  validating that license by rehiring Pat Buchanan.  Why give a
  platform to a rabid homophobe for an unpopular ideology that
  was soundly defeated during a long primary campaign and
  election?  Who should we expect to see next?  David Duke?
  Write: R.E. Turner, Chairman, Turner Broadcasting System,
  P.O. Box 105366, Atlanta, GA, 30348.

A Real Eye-Opener...

    Jumping in bed with CNN was ABC-TV's "Good Morning America"
  who included Buchanan as a conservative pundit on a recent
  broadcast.  Wake-up, "Good Morning!"  Buchanan is not even a
  real conservative, has nothing new to say and certainly
  doesn't provide "balance" or factual information.  What he
  does offer are bigoted opinions that are hopelessly sliding
  into the dustbin of history.  Where are the real conservatives
  who believe the government should not run people's lives?  Or
  that the government should not ally itself with organized
  religion to make personal moral decisions the law of the land?
  Where are the conservatives that believe in the freedom and
  the strength of individuals and the Constitutional mandates
  that protect these rights even for the minority?  Comments and
  suggestions may be sent to: Thomas S. Murphy, Capital Cities,
  77 W. 66th Street, New York 10023.

Bomb Threat Against GLAAD Billboard...

    Meanwhile, the Patrick Media Group, an Oakland based outdoor
  advertising firm, was informed that a bomb threat was received
  concerning a public service billboard donated for the Gay and
  Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.  According to Cass
  Caulfield from Patrick Media, the threat was called in Feb. 2
  to the building that holds the billboard on Stockton and
  Taylor Streets in San Jose, CA.  The property owner called the
  police.  Citing public safety concerns, Patrick Media made the
  decision to cover up the billboard.  This billboard, part of
  the Billboard Project sponsored by GLAAD/LA and GLAAD/SFBA,
  was the last of a twenty-two billboard campaign throughout
  California.  It depicts an interracial lesbian couple, one of
  whom is pregnant, with the tag "Another Traditional Family."
  The couple, San Francisco residents and a family for more than
  nine years, are now the proud parents of a six month baby boy.
  Comments may be directed to: Trish McDermott, GLAAD/SFBA, 514
  Castro Street, Suite B, San Francisco 94114.

>From One Reader...
Feb. 3, 1993
GLAAD/LA Reports

Dear Editor,

    I have observed billboards in Los Angeles depicting two women,
  one of whom is pregnant, and captioned "Another Traditional
  Family."  The statement smacks of an asinine if not
  embarassing sort of "me-too-ism." ... The semantics and
  statistics of what might constitute "traditional" aside, the
  insistence that gays have to justify ourselves by citing -- or
  creating -- examples of how "normal" or "traditional" we are
  is fawning and, ultimately, altogether unconvincing.

    Whatever message GLAAD might want to convey about lesbian
  motherhood, the one being presented is sociologically wrong,
  politically embarassing, (and) intellectually without
  foundation.

  Yours truly,
  Jarrow L. Rogovin

Beatings Continue...

    Three Marines were booked on charges of beating a gay man
  apparently in response to President Clinton's decision to lift
  the ban on homosexuals in the Armed Services.  The three were
  booked on assault charges after they attacked civilian Crae
  Pridgen as he came out of a bar in Wilmington, North Carolina.
  The three are stationed at nearby Camp Lejeune (GLAAD/LA
  Reports, Jan. '93).  Crae and his mother were interviewed on
  NBC's "Dateline" where he repeated that while he was being
  attacked the suspects said, "...they wished (homosexuals) were
  all dead, and that this was in repsonse to President Clinton's
  action to allow gays and lesbians to serve in the military."

    Local officials said the case would be turned over to the FBI
  because the incident is being treated as a hate crime.

CBS Schoolbreak Special...
"Love Off Limits"

    Steve Guttenberg has directed one of the finest achievements
  in television programming for young people.  Airing on
  KCBS-TV, Jan. 19 at 3:00 pm the show, "Love Off Limits,"
  presented a myriad of themes packed into one short hour -- the
  most predominant of which was censorship and its ensuing
  destruction of art and progressive thought.

    Two high school students set out to make a film on love and
  all its forms.  Included are married couples, single parents,
  unmarried heterosexuals and a gay couple.  A school board
  administrator sees to it that public funds are withdrawn so
  that the film cannot be completed unless those portions he
  finds objectionable are removed.  There is a happy ending but
  not before issues of immorality, integrity, racism, sexism and
  homophobia are explored.  The program was an enlightened look
  at the current social climate and the encroaching bigotry
  brought on by divisive "family values" rhetoric.  It was
  pointed out that the world could have been deprived of works
  by such artists as Michaelangelo, Virginia Woolf, Franz
  Schubert and Langston Hughes had religious bigots censored art
  and artists on the basis of sexual orientation.

    "Love Off Limits" is educational without being preachy and
  KCBS has taken the necessary step in airing this show intact
  and to its target audience: children and young adults.  Your
  comments may be sent to: CBS School Break Special: "Love Off
  Limits," Mr. Frank Doelger, Co-Executive Producer, c/o
  CBS-TV, 7800 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles 90036.

Gay and Lesbian Life Hits PBS

    "In the Life" is a public television variety show highlighting
  gay and lesbian culture.  PBS has aired it three times, giving
  it a 12:30 am time slot on Sunday evening.  Kate Clinton was
  the host for the show's pilot, and GLAAD/LA Board Member
  Garrett Glazer hosted a subsequent show in which Jehan Agrama
  was interviewed.  Comedy, drama and commentary provided
  effective windows to view and understand lesbian and gay
  expression.  The show is now on hiatus while funds are being
  raised for production costs.  Watch your PBS listings for its
  return and let's try to get it aired at an earlier time.
  Meanwhile, correspondence may be addressed to: In the Life
  Productions, 39 W. 14th St. Suite 402, New York 10011; (212)
  255-6012.

"Oprah" & "Donahue:" A Double Header

    You would have needed two television sets on Wed., Jan. 20 at
  3:00 pm, because both the "Oprah Winfrey Show" (KABC-TV) and
  "Donahue" (KNBC-TV) featured programs about lesbians and gay
  men.  "Donahue" was busy airing "Gays Who Discriminate Against
  Bisexuals," while Oprah was offering "Confronting Your Gay
  Lover's Family."

    Oprah's guests included the male lover and mother of a young
  gay man who had recently died from the complications of AIDS.
  Emotions ran high as the lover revealed his pain and suffering
  over the tragic loss.  The mother was unsympathetic to the
  lover because it had been kept from her that her son was
  suffering from AIDS.  (Her son did not want her to know.)  She
  also felt the lover should have "done something more" to help
  her son live.  Meanwhile, a balanced airing of the tensions
  between bisexuals and homosexuals was occurring on "Donahue."
  Some lesbians and gay men discriminate against bisexuals
  because they are perceived as usurpers of the civil and human
  rights struggle and have divided alliances.

    Both shows were good and demonstrate how far we've come from
  being portrayed as a monolithic community.  Comments to: Ms.
  Oprah Winfrey or Ms. Debby di Maio, Executive Producer,
  "Oprah Winfrey Show," c/o Harpo Inc., 110 N. Carpenter St.,
  Chicago, IL 60607.  "Donahue," 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York
  10112; (212) 664-6501.

A "Jenny Jones" Overkill

    Talk about family values.  Viewers of the Jan. 22 edition of
  "Jenny Jones" (KNBC-TV, ch. 4, weekdays, 2:30 pm) were
  treated to a disturbing story of a family's destruction over
  the father's seduction and molesting of his daughter's 14
  year-old boy friend.  On camera were four members of the
  family: the father, mother, daughter and son, and the boy
  friend.  As the convoluted story unraveled, the usually
  sensitive Ms. Jones began focusing on the "macho" son's
  desire to punish his father, and she asked him repeatedly if
  he every considered "killing his father for being gay?"  She
  then went further and asked if he wanted to "kill the gay boy
  friend."  Lost in the shuffle of this shifted-relevancy, was
  the importance of the illegal behavior of the father; the
  genuine affection the daughter had for her former boy friend
  even though she now knew he was gay; the self-esteem of the
  gay teen-ager; and the unresolved anger of the mother and son.
  Kill became the operative word, and in this day of increased
  gay bashing, it became a very negative and exploitive one.
  Ms. Jones has proven she is far more capable than this.
  Comments to: "Jenny Jones," Ms. Debbie Glavin, Executive
  Producer, P.O. Box 3333, Chicago, IL 60654; send a carbon
  copy of your remarks to the show's syndicator: Mr. Jim
  Paratore, President, Telepictures Productions, 3300 Riverside
  Drive, Burbank, CA 91522.

Volunteers Needed for TV Survey

    During a week in March-April the MIC (Media Image Coalition of
  Minorities and Women) will be holding its 2nd TV survey of
  minority and women's images in television.  Volunteers are
  needed to assist in this important survey which will be made
  public after completion.  The work entails 3-5 hours of TV
  viewing.  Volunteers will be given a one hour training session
  for coding and scoring.  GLAAD/LA is one of over 15 member
  organizations of MIC.  The survey will catalogue the number
  and types of images of women and minority groups that appear
  on television.  If you would like more information, or are
  willing to tape and analyze, please call (213) 931-9429.

San Francisco man reaches out...
"He will be my legacy."

    A human interest story about Victor Maul, a San Francisco man
  dealing with AIDS and his doctor's prediction of "six months
  to live," and 10 year-old Rudy Campbell, found broadcast time
  on both the "Today Show" (KNBC-TV, ch. 4, weekdays, 7:00 am),
  and the "CBS Evening News with Dan Rather" (KCBS-TV, ch. 2,
  weekdays, 6:30pm) during the last week of Jan.  As Victor
  watched the television coverage of the civil unrest in Los
  Angeles last year, he witnessed the impromptu TV interview of
  Rudy.  With ruins still smoldering in the background, Rudy
  expressed the fear that his school would never reopen and he
  would never receive an education.  Moved by Rudy's simple
  declaration, Victor decided to search for the boy and see if
  there was some way to meet him and possibly help.  After
  hundreds of phone calls, contact was made and Victor decided
  to make a financial commitment to guarantee an education for
  Rudy through college.  Victor became Rudy's mentor.  As
  reported by Bryant Gumbel and Dan Rather, both reports were
  positive and conveyed a sense of shared values and human
  concern.  Said Victor, "I guess he will be my legacy."
  Comments to: Mr. Jeff Zucker, Executive Producer, "Today,"
  NBC News, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York 10112; Mr. Erik
  Sorenson, Executive Producer, "The CBS Evening News with Dan
  Rather," 524 W. 57th Street, New York 10019.

Thanks to Jay

    "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno has long been known to contact
  gay and lesbian associates to test comedy material that might
  be offensive to our community.  Jay recently ran a gay
  military piece by some friends and immediately pulled the joke
  from his monologue after being advised that it might be
  offensive to his gay and lesbian viewers.

    Jay is one of the few on air performers that gets the fact
  that what he says on the air has tremendous influence on
  re-enforcing misconceptions about gay and lesbian people.
  Drop Jay a note at NBC, 3000 W. Alameda, Burbank, CA, 91523,
  and let him know that we appreciate his friendship.

RADIO AND PRINT

New York & Los Angeles Times

    How do the nation's two biggest newspapers--The New York Times
  (NYT) and The Los Angeles Times (LAT)--stack up against each
  other in coverage of lesbian and gay issues?  GLAAD/LA Reports
  decided to conduct a mini, non-scientific survey for Jan.,
  1993.  From President Clinton's efforts to lift the military
  ban along with tragic gay-bashings and murders, to the battle
  in New York City schools over the Rainbow Curriculum, our
  issues have attracted serious attention.

    During Jan., gay and lesbian issues caught the front page of
  both the NYT and the LAT ten times.  Each paper had a handful
  of pro-g/l editorials.  Within nine days, the editors gave
  three separate anti-ban sermons, with one criticizing the
  Joint Chiefs of Staff and another blasting Sam Nunn, Les Aspin
  and Colin Powell.

    Using our calculations, the LAT came up with 52 lesbian-and
  gay-specific stories, while the NYT offered 41.  This
  compilation did not include the NYT's arts and leisure piece
  about Hollywood actors who initially worried about appearing
  in HBO's AIDS movie "And the Band Played On."  What came as a
  surprise were the number of g/l issues that grabbed headlines
  throughout the month -- the military ban notwithstanding.  The
  LAT Metro section gave page one coverage to the three openly
  g/l candidates running for the City Council in Los Angeles'
  District 13; the Community Voices section asked residents "Is
  There a Need for a Gay University," while another piece looked
  at the stigma of homosexuality within the local
  Vietnamese-American community.  Other articles covered the
  effectiveness of economic boycotts and egg donation clinics
  that refuse to accept eggs from lesbians, just in case
  homosexuality is hereditary.

    When it has a particular story, the LAT tends to go deep.
  During the debate over the military ban, the Jan. 30 LAT
  offered "Clinton Compromises, Partially Lifts Gay Ban,"
  "Disruptions Rare as Gays Have Been Integrated," "Gay Sailors
  Say Sex Not an Issue in the Ranks," "Busy Capitol Hill Phones
  May Not Ring of Truth" and "Battle Sparks Hope Among Gay
  Activists"--all in the LAT''s news section.  On the same day,
  the religion page looked at efforts to create a gay military
  chaplaincy and the editorial writers praised the Clinton
  compromise.

    Where the LA Times--and most other news media--have problems
  is featuring gays and lesbians to comment on specific issues.
  During the military ban story, some lesbian and gay soldiers
  were interviewed.  No one, however, thought of asking
  non-military gays and lesbians how they felt about having
  their status as U.S. citizens debated on a day to day
  basis.  The NYT is still the best source for picking up that
  slack.  The Jan. 31 "Homosexuals Wake Up to See a Referendum:
  It's On Them" provided a rare look at the hurt, rage and fear
  felt by lesbians and gays throughout the country during the
  military debate.  Reporters recorded responses like: "I can't
  help thinking, `Damn it, we're not going to let them stop
  thinking about us.'"... "Now every gay man, every gay woman
  in America knows where we stand.  They hate us.  It's like
  being a black and hearing the Government debate pro-slavery."
  ... "I'm a little sad.  We've gone from euphoria and feeling
  like part of the process to find we're not at the table.  Now
  we have to start again with our neighbors, one by one."

    This is exactly what we should expect from the news media: in
  debates over homosexuality, news writers should go to the
  source and ask us what we're thinking about, how we are
  reacting.  In the NYT piece, the respondents' frustration and
  humanity are impossible to miss.

    The NYT provided broad coverage in other ways.  The front page
  "Healthy, Gay & Guilt Stricken: AIDS' Toll on the Virus-Free"
  examined gay men who have survived the AIDS crisis but seen
  dozens of their closest friends fall.  On the cultural front,
  there were articles on how a particular form of gay humor is
  used in Paul Rudnick's "Jeffrey"--a play about a man who
  decides to become completely celibate -- and on "Okoge" and
  "Kira Kira Hikaru," two new Japanese movies that deal with
  homosexuality.

    If Jan. was any indication, 1993 will be the year when
  lesbian and gay issues come to mainstream America.  Our job is
  to insure that we get fair and wide-ranging reporting and
  analysis, and that we are included at all levels in the
  debate.  To help this inclusion to continue, write: Mr. Max
  Frankel, Editor, New York Times, 229 W. 43rd Street, New York
  10036; Mr. Shelby Coffey III, Editor, Los Angeles Times,
  Times-Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053.

Oklahomophobia!

    The Oklahoma State Center of the Book (OSCB) turned down
  Dorothy Allison as a speaker.  Allison, whose novel Bastard
  Out Of Carolina was nominated for a National Book Award, is a
  lesbian writer known for her poetry.  Executives at the
  National Book Foundation (NBF), which gives the annual awards
  and had arranged for Allison to speak, says that Allison was
  turned down because she was a lesbian.  OSCB executives say
  the cancellation was due to scheduling problems.

    Neil Baldwin, executive director of the NBF and special
  projects director Diane Osen, both say that OSCB executive
  director Ann Hamilton declared that Allison was an
  unacceptable speaker because of her sexual orientation.
  Hamilton denies ever saying that but conceded that Allison's
  work would not be appropriate material for all people.

    When GLAAD/LA asked the director of public information of the
  OSCB, Marilyn Vesely, why a reputable organization such as the
  NBF would level such an accusation against them if it were not
  true, she said that she did not know.  Write: Ann Hamilton,
  Marilyn Vesely, or David Clark, President, Oklahoma State
  Center for the Book, 200 N.E. 18th Street, Oklahoma City,
  Oklahoma 73105 (405) 521-2502.

Orange County Deputy Sheriffs...
Editorial is a Manifesto for Hate

    It would be hard to find a worse example of the bigoted
  mind-set of some law enforcement officers than that of Deputy
  Sheriff Augustin Alvarez.  Alvarez is an elected officer of
  the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs and Editor of
  it newsletter.  Following is the text of one of his recent
  editorials entitled "Webster Was Right."

    "Noah Webster was never politically correct.  As a matter of
  fact, if he went on the lecture circuit of most 'Institutions
  of Higher Learning' (sic) he would probably end up being
  tarred and feathered for his efforts.  Good ole Noah had a
  problem in that he would call a spade a spade when he wrote
  his book about words and their definitions.  An affair was an
  extraordinary event, gay meant joy and a queer was a
  homosexual.  And for the longest time, the general public
  accepted these terms and definitions as gospel: as it was,
  Noah's main reference book, the Bible, was even more popular
  (sic) than the one he wrote.

    But that's all in the past.  Just look at the latest updated
  editions of Webster: all (of) the definitions have been
  changed in order to be more sensitive to whatever new wierdo
  (sic) or practice comes down the pike.  The classic is
  `homophobic' which means that you can't dislike homosexuals,
  the inference being (sic) that there is something wrong with
  you if you don't accept their lifestyle.  When I worked Sex
  Crimes and would arrest homosexuals for molesting little boys,
  was I being `homophobic' or just competent?  When the
  individual in Milwaukee (sic) was arrested for running a
  buffet in his apartment, the one item that the news media
  never mentioned was that he was homosexual.  What harm could
  there have been, if homosexuality is just another `different'
  lifestyle?  Just ask Randy Kraft or Gordin Bonin.  But then
  again, they may look down their noses at a cannibal which may
  place them in a position of being called `canniphobic,' (what
  the heck, if they can make up words, why can't I?).

    Like the Emperor's (sic) new clothes, this modern `enlightened
  society' has been sold a bill of goods and, what is even more
  remarkable, is that they are willing to buy into it to avoid
  appearing `insensitive,' (it's amazing how you can make some
  people feel guilty for everything).  I still think Noah
  Webster was right (originally): If you dress up a pig in all
  the fancy clothes and perfumes and bring him inside, despite
  all of your good intentions, you still have a pig."

    Comments may be directed to: Jerry Pierson, President,
  Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs, 1314 W. 5th
  Street, Suite A, Santa Ana, CA 92703; (714) 285-2800.

Thanks to Newsweek

    Newsweek magazine's Jan. 18 issue included a well-written
  cover story on the impact of AIDS on the arts.  The role of
  gay people in arts efforts around the nation were credited and
  overall, the piece seemed a sensitive look at the health
  crisis and it impact on the future of the American cultural
  scene.  Why not take a moment to drop a note to Newsweek's
  Editor-in-Chief to say thanks.  You may write to: Richard M.
  Smith, Editor-in-Chief, Newsweek, 444 Madison Avenue, New York
  10022.

Well-Done, Advertising Age!

    The weekly trade journal, Advertising Age, regarded by many as
  the bible of the advertising industry, published a
  precedent-setting special report in its Jan. 18 issue called
  "Marketing to Gays and Lesbians."  The series of articles
  detailed the difficulty in measuring the lesbian and gay
  market and examined the controversy over demographics
  currently being waged by competing gay/lesbian publications.
  Regardless of the outcome of the disagreement over just how
  many lesbians and gay men read gay media, the very fact that a
  journal as prestigious as Advertising Age saw fit to report on
  it represents progress.  You may send a note of appreciation
  to: Fred Danzig, Editor, Advertising Age, 220 E. 42nd Street,
  New York 10017-5806.

Outing of Hoover

    A new book by former British Broadcasting Corporation
  journalist Anthony Summers revives the rumor that former FBI
  chief J. Edgar Hoover was homosexual.  Claiming a photo shows
  Hoover engaged in a sex act with long time aide and housemate
  Clyde Tolson as the basis for his conclusion, Summers states
  that Hoover was being blackmailed by the mob over this and
  other photos.  The new book "Official and Confidential: The
  Secret Life of J. Edgar Hoover," names organized crime
  figures Meyer Lansky and Frank Costello as having obtained the
  photos from the OSS, the forerunner to the FBI.  Published by
  G.P. Putnam's Sons it will be excerpted in the March issue of
  Vanity Fair.

MUSIC AND THEATER

"Children of the Night"

    "Children of the Night," a choreopoem written by Stephen
  Semien, is currently running at the Brock Peters
  Communications Bridge Institute in Los Angeles.  "Children" is
  billed as a musical journey as it follows several
  African-American and Latino lesbians and gay men.  This
  well-written and choreographed play receives a 1993 GLAAD
  Media Award for Outstanding Theater Production.  For
  information call: (213) 930-1196 or (213) 293-5619.

Was the Underwear Too Tight?

    During a recent appearance on Britain's teen program "The
  Word," pop star and reggae singer Shabba Ranks was asked to
  comment on the lyrics of "Boom Bye Bye," a reggae song that
  advocates shooting of gay men (GLAAD/LA Reports, Jan. '93).
  He responded, "(the lyrics were) absolutely right, anyone who
  forfeits the laws of God Almighty deserves to be crucified."
  Shabba Rank's hateful sentiments were followed by the
  conspicuous silence of fellow guest, Marky Mark.  Marky, who
  has stormed the underwear/advertising world by modeling for
  Calvin Klein, then performed a rap song with Ranks announcing
  "all of you that got a problem with that can step the
  f----back."

    Ranks recently brought his sounds of hate to New York's
  Madison Square Garden under the sponsorship of Budweiser Beer
  which refuses to distance itself from Shabba Rank's
  statements.  Let Anheuser-Busch know what you think of
  corporations that underwrite bigotry: August Bush, President,
  Anheuser-Busch, 1 Busch Place, St. Louis, MO 63118.

    While you're at it, why not let Calvin Klein know that the
  only thing coming between you and your Calvins is homophobia.
  Write: Calvin Klein, Calvin Klein, Inc, 205 W. 39th Street,
  New York 10018.

GLAAD NEWS

"Why Don't We Kiss and Make Up?"

    The Women's Caucus of GLAAD/LA announces a panel discussion
  addressing issues surrounding lesbian differences and
  intolerances.  Scheduled for May 4, 1993 and titled "Why Don't
  We Kiss and Make Up?," the panel will address lipstick
  lesbians, separatism, activism, sex roles and sex practices.
  This will be a unique opportunity to explore and challenge
  stereotypes and misconceptions.  The starting time and
  location for this first-in-a-series panels will be announced
  soon.

    Meanwhile, the regular monthly meeting of the Women of GLAAD
  Caucus meeting will be on Mar. 2 at 7:00 pm at the GLAAD
  office (7033 Sunset Blvd.).  If you would like to be a part of
  the lesbian voice in GLAAD's affairs, come and join us for our
  monthly informal gathering to discuss ways in which we can
  become more visible in our community.  Our purpose is to
  encourage the participation of lesbians on the GLAAD/LA board
  and on GLAAD's committees, and to ensure that GLAAD continues
  to fight for lesbian visibility in all areas of the media.  We
  will aggrandize, politicize, scandalize, hypothesize,
  socialize and we need your creative input.  All are encouraged
  to attend.  Please call: GLAAD/LA Office, (213) 463-3632.

Cracking the Blacklist

    Call it a blacklist: the advertising community's reluctance to
  support gay and lesbian-themed programs on television.  This
  reluctance, which seems to be inspired by fear and ignorance
  among the corporate, network and media buying executives,
  helps to continue misconceptions about lesbians and gay men.
  The reasons for this might be fear of the religious right,
  boycotts, right-wing letter writing campaigns, or that some of
  the executives are closeted homosexuals who are afraid to
  suggest gay and lesbian-themed programs.  However, there is a
  growing list of companies defying this unwritten ban, as
  sponsors no longer automatically "head for the hills" when
  they learn of gay/lesbian content in a program.

    GLAAD/LA is starting an advertising watch, and we need your
  help.  The Monitor/Response Committee is going to begin
  tracking companies that sponsor shows containing gay/lesbian
  content.  The next time you watch television keep a pencil and
  paper handy.  If there is such content, jot down the name of
  the show, its sponsors and products.  Then call this
  information into the GLAAD/LA Hotlines: English (213)
  931-9429; Spanish (213) 463-4673.  This will help us to learn
  which companies are inclusive with their advertising budgets.

March on Washington

    Organizers are predicting over 1 million people will
  participate in the Sunday, April 25, 1993 National March on
  Washington demonstrating for lesbian, gay and bisexual equal
  rights and liberation.  Over a week of festivities are
  planned.  Information: Los Angeles March on Washington
  Hotline: (310) 285-6774; Firstworld Travel Express (310)
  820-6868; Travelers Services (800) 728-2515 or (818) 709-0300.

Unity in Diversity
by
Carol Anderson, Veronica Davis, Robin Podolsky

No Gay/Lesbian Magic at the Bank
by Robin Podolsky

    Recently, a study commissioned for the Advocate revealed that
  lesbians and gays boast an impressive chunk of disposable
  income.  This study is proving useful to attract advertisers
  to the gay press and provide incentive to stand firm for those
  advertisers whom the right-wing is pressuring.  But it is also
  proving useful to the right-wing.  In debating Colorado's
  anti-lesbian/gay Measure 2, a right-wing spokesman cited the
  study as proof that lesbians and gays don't need protection
  against on-the-job discrimination.  The subtext of his message
  was that we are a pampered special interest group who deserve
  everyone else's resentment, along with their disapproval.  In
  California, the Traditional Values Coalition's raving
  reverend, Lou Sheldon, cited similar "data" to argue against
  AB101.

    It is important that, if we make use of the Advocate's study,
  we put it into proper perspective.  While it offers a useful
  record of our income it is absolutely not a study of every
  lesbian and gay person in the United States.  It will not
  reflect those who have relationships with people of their own
  gender but would never say so to a stranger collecting data.
  This group includes blue collar workers and people of limited
  income, for whom a lost job is arguably the beginning of
  homelessness, as well as people of color and lesbians who have
  often experienced discrimination at the hands of official and
  unofficial agencies

    Also, double income male households raise the curve
  dramatically.  This is because women earn roughly
  three-fourths as much as men, and that blue collar, middle
  class or upwardly mobile male couples tend to make more than
  mixed or lesbian partners.

    The point here is not to isolate wealthy gays and lesbians who
  work hard for what they earn, or to suggest that the only
  thing they have to offer is their money.  Some of our most
  active and astute political activists are also successful
  business people.  But the vast majority of us are still
  recovering from the last decade.  No one should be made to
  feel that they "must not be doing it right," that the real
  gays and lesbians are living in some alternative universe of
  privilege to which they have not found the key.  That's not
  only unfair; it simply isn't true.  Furthermore, to encourage
  a false image of our community as supernaturally affluent,
  while the rest of the nation is still waiting for the promised
  `recovery', is to risk becoming the targets of people who are
  angry at the same system we are.  Arab-Americans,
  Jewish-Americans and Asian-Americans can testify to the
  negative effects of what might be considered a harmless or
  even positive stereotype.  As it is, when we come out of the
  closet and honor sexual orientation and personal happiness
  over dishonesty and frustration, we are often accused of
  self-indulgence.

    Ultimately, no stereotype is positive or accurate.  The
  Colorado schoolteachers who came forward with their fears of
  being fired for their sexual orientation are just as dependant
  on that next paycheck as their colleagues.  The lesbian and
  gay machine operators with whom I once worked in the aircraft
  industry were just as frightened of threatened layoffs as
  anyone else.

    Certainly, the power shoppers in our ranks ought to make any
  smart advertiser interested.  But let's get real.  From the
  boardroom to the breadline, we really are everywhere.

Table Sponsors for Media Awards Show

    The success of the 1993 GLAAD/LA Media Awards Show is the
  result of the work of many people.  One of the most crucial
  roles, however, is that played by our table sponsors, the
  "unsung heroines and heroes of GLAAD," who last year, for
  example, were responsible for generating more than three
  quarters of the ticket sales.

    We would like to acknowledge the efforts of this years' table
  sponsors: AIDS Project Los Angeles, Alan Acosta & Tom Gratz,
  Jehan Agrama & Dwora Fried, Carol Anderson & Kathy Paspalis,
  Gwendolyn Baba & Vicki Yerman, David Bohnett & Rand Schrader,
  Steve Bowyer, Ann Bradley & Dana Champion, Bragman Nyman
  Cafarelli, Inc., Bullock/Cannon, Ruthe Canter & Marcia Reed,
  Horace Collins & Robert Del Deo, Veronica Davis, Michael H.
  Epstein & Scott Schwimer, Stephanie & Sandra
  Farrington-Domingue, Leigh Fortier, Ron Galperin, Rose Greene,
  Tracy M. Griggs & Elizabeth Daro, Will Halm & Marcellin
  Simard, M.D., Dean Hansell & Jeffrey Janis, Harmony Gold
  (Corporate), James A. Higgins, R. Scott Hitt, M.D., & Alex
  Koleszar, Hunter Communications and Richard Jennings & Jerome
  Braun.

    Others who are table sponsors include Allen Katz, Esq.,
  Michael B. Keegan, MCA/Universal (Corporate), MCA Television
  Entertainment, Carl Matthes & Carl Johnson, Ella Matthes,
  Michael McKinley, Paul Monette & Winston Wilde, Peter M.
  Nardi, Lois & Arnold Newdorf, Robert Norton, Steve O'Hara,
  M.D. & Tarek Amad, Dennis Odums, Jim Petrone & Keith G.
  Kauhanen, M.D., Robin Podolsky, Sylvia Rhue, Myra Riddell,
  Sandy Sachs & Robin Gans, Hon. Stephanie Sautner & Pamela
  Albers, Robert Scheps & Clark Brown, Jan Simons & Vicki
  Schiller, M.D., David Smith, Carmichael Smith-Low, Mason A.
  Sommers, Ph.D., Stephanie Thomas & Andrea Kinloch, Bruce
  Tucker, Lee Werbel & Serena Tripi, and Karen Wilson.

SIDE BARS

ACTION ALERT
"Make Yourself Heard"

  Join in the fight to allow all American citizens to serve
  their country in the Armed Services.  Here are some important
  numbers to call and let officials know where you stand on
  lifting the ban on service by people who are openly gay or
  lesbian:

President Bill Clinton
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington D.C. 20500
Phone: (202) 456-1111
FAX: (202 456-2461

Colin Powell
Joints Chief of Staff
The Pentagon
Washington D.C. 20301-5000
Phone: (703) 697-9121
FAX: (703) 697-8758

Senator Sam Nunn
Dirksen Senate Bldg.
Washington D.C. 20504
Phone: (202) 224-3521
FAX: (202) 224-0072

Senator Diane Feinstein
367 Dirksen Bldg
Washington D.C. 20504
Phone: (202) 224-3841
FAX: (415) 249-4777

Senator Barbara Boxer
112 Hart Senate Office Bldg.
Washington D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-3841
FAX: (415) 403-0100

Republican Senators:
Dan Coats (202) 224-6551
Robert Dole (202) 224-6521
Strom Thurmond (202) 224-5972

  You may send a telegram to the White House.  Call Western
  Union at (800) 325-6000 and tell them you wish to send an
  OpinionGram to President Clinton.  It costs $9.95 for 20 words
  and is charged to your phone.

Quotable Quote...

  From Richard Rodriguez in his op-ed piece "Sissy Warriors Vs.
  Real Men" in the Jan. 29 Los Angeles Times, "So there they
  were, the thin voices on the radio call-in shows.  Many of
  these were the same people who, during the Vietnam years
  blithely mocked anti-war protesters as `draft dodgers.'  All
  this week they were in the embarrassing position of having to
  criticize homosexuals for wanting to fight and die for their
  country."

Quotable Quote...

  From Gen. Colin Powell speaking to midshipmen at the U.S.
  Naval Academy about lifting the ban on homosexuals serving in
  the Armed Forces, "If after ... decisions are made, you still
  find it completely unacceptable and it strikes to the heart of
  your moral beliefs, then I think you have to resign."

Gay/Lesbian Harassment Settled - L.A. to Pay $770,000.

  With the final language still to be adopted in court,
  attorneys for openly gay and lesbian LAPD officers have
  announced a settlement of a suit brought against the City of
  Los Angeles for discrimination and harassment.  The sweeping
  settlement clears the way for the recruitment of gays and
  lesbians and sets standards for recruitment, behavior and
  disciplinary procedures including the "screening of anti-gay
  applicants so that they are dropped from the recruitment pool
  or required to participate in special sensitivity training."

General Meeting: March 23

  The March General Meeting of GLAAD/LA will take place at 7:00
  pm Tues. evening, Mar. 23.  The meeting will be held at
  Temple Beth Chayim Chadashim, 6000 W. Pico Blvd. (just east
  of Cresent Heights.)  Refreshments are available and guests
  are welcomed.  A donation of $5.00 is requested.

"Philadelphia" Update

  Jonathan Demme continues his Tri-Star directorial duties by
  shepherding "Philadelphia," a film about AIDS and homophobia,
  towards completion (GLAAD/LA Reports, Jan. 1993).  Added to
  the on-screen talent will be gay artists Lypsinka, The
  Flirtations, the a capella quintet and performance artist
  David Drake.  Also inked is Antonio Banderas who gained famed
  in Madonna's "Truth or Dare."  Antonio is cast as the lover of
  Tom Hanks, the film's lead.

Around Town...

  Barry Steiger, who has appeared on both of GLAAD/LA's Comedy
  Nights, is now hosting the first all gay and lesbian comedy
  revue in a mainstream comedy club.  The place: The Comedy
  Store's Belly Room, 8433 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood.  The time:
  Wed., 9:00 pm... The Gay & Lesbian Media Coalition (GLMC),
  sponsors of the 11th Annual Los Angeles International Gay &
  Lesbian Film & Video Festival is now accepting submissions for
  inclusion on the Festival which will run from July 8 - 18,
  1993.  Deadline for submitting films or videos made by and/or
  for lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgenders, is April
  16.  For more information contact GLMC at (213) 650-5133...
  Girl Power: Young Women Speak Out Through Writing is
  soliciting journal entries, poetry and non-fiction from young
  woman, 13-19 years of age.  Info from Hillary Carlip, P.O.
  Box 2635, Hollywood 90078... Nominations for the fifth annual
  Lambda Literary Awards are now being accepted in any of 15
  categories including gay/lesbian fiction, non-fiction, mystery
  and poetry.  The awards will be given in Miami, Florida in
  May.  Write or call: Lambda Book Report, 1625 Connecticut Ave.
  N.W., Washington D.C. 20009-1013; (202) 462-7924...
  Entertainers and DJs who wish to entertain during this
  year's Christopher Street West Pride Festival may send an
  audition tape to: Nick DiMartino, 7985 Santa Monica Blvd.,
  Suite 109-24, West Hollywood, CA 90046; (213) 656-6553...
  A weekly gay/lesbian-themed comedy variety show is in
  development and non-union jobs are available for director,
  segment producers, comedy writers, booking coordinators, set
  designers and computer graphics editors.  Info: Triangle Media
  West, 8033 Sunset Blvd., Suite 821, Los Angeles
  90046... Celebration Theatre has announced its second annual
  play competition for full-length plays with gay or lesbian
  themes.  First Place will receive $200 and a guaranteed
  stage reading.  May 31 is submission deadline.  Contact:
  Celebration Theater, New Play Competition, 4470-107 Sunset
  Blvd., #353, Los Angeles 90027... The syndicated TV talk show
  "Jerry Springer" is seeking lesbian couples who are breaking
  up or have broken up recently and who would be willing to
  speak openly and candidly about the experience.  Contact Anita
  Pace, P.O. Box 1917, Beaverton, Oregon 97075... An exhibition
  of emerging gay and lesbian Latino artists is being planned by
  VIVA, the gay and lesbian Latino arts organization.  Info:
  (213) 953-1970... "Essence of Family, Pictures of Pride" is the
  name for the exhibition of photos by New York artist Gail
  Goodman opening in the Excellent Center for Arts and Culture,
  1101 Grover City, CA on March 7.  Info: (805) 481-7577.

Quotable Quote...

  From the inaugural poem "On the Pulse of the Morning" by Maya
  Angelou delivered during President Clinton's swearing in on
  Jan. 20, an excerpt "...So say the Asian, the Hispanic, the
  Jew, The African, the Native American, the Sioux, the
  Catholic, the Muslim, the French, the Greek, the Irish, the
  Rabbi, the Priest, the Sheik, the Gay, the Straight, the
  Preacher, The privileged the homeless, the Teacher..."

  From the Los Angeles Times Editorial Board commenting on
  President Clinton's aim to lift the ban on homosexuals serving
  in the Armed Forces, "Clinton's aim is unquestionably right:
  the ban on homosexuals in the military must go, because it is
  wrong...equal rules will apply throughout the
  military...judging worth and eligibility, based on behavior
  and nothing else, must prevail."

Off the Hotline...

  When you see or hear anti-gay or lesbian slurs in the media
  call (213) 931-9429.  Not all calls, however, are as unusual
  as this one from one gentleman arrested for Driving Under the
  Influence (DUI).  It seems he was ordered by a judge to attend
  Alcoholics Anonymous meetings at a city center.  The
  instructor told the class that alcohol interferes with the
  endocrine system which then sends wrong signals to the brain
  and that causes homosexuality.

Benefits Extended to Same-Sex Partners

  Stanford University began extending access to benefits to
  same-sex couples on Feb. 1.  According to Barbara
  Butterfield, vice-president for faculty and staff services,
  domestic partners were described as two individuals, who are
  not blood relatives, "who live together in a long-term
  relationship of indefinite duration, with an exclusive mutual
  commitment similar to that of marriage, in which the partners
  agree to be financially responsible for each others'
  well-being, and each others' debts to third parties."
  Stanford President Gerhard Cooper and the Board of Trustees
  agreed to the proposal on Dec. 8.  Comments to: Gerhard
  Cooper, President, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305.

Newsletter Deadline: The First of Each Month

  The deadline for submitting material for possible publication
  in GLAAD/LA Reports will be the first of each month for the
  following month's newsletter.  For the Apr. newsletter all
  material needs to be submitted on or before Mar. 1.

  There are five distinct steps in producing each month's
  GLAAD/LA Reports.  First is the collecting and editing of the
  stories brought forward by the Monitor and Response Committee.
  Second is the formatting, or set-up, of the pages of the
  newsletter.  Third comes the printing, collating and folding
  of the 9,000 copies, followed by the fourth step of an
  additional fold and adhering of address labels.  The fifth and
  final step is the delivery by the US Postal Service by the
  target date of the first of each month.

  GLAAD/LA Reports welcomes your participation and invites you
  to attend the Monitor and Response Committee meetings in Mar.,
  the 4th and 18th.  Letters or other submissions may be sent
  to: GLAAD/LA Reports, c/o GLAAD/LA, P.O. Box 931763,
  Hollywood 90093; FAX (213) 463-4923; or directly to the
  Editor, Carl Matthes, at FAX (213) 257-5878.

Updates to Handy Media Guide

  Changes in management at some of the companies in the
  entertainment industry are reflected in this month's GLAAD/LA
  Reports Handy Media Guide (inside back cover).  Ted Harbert
  replaces Robert Iger at ABC Entertainment and Ms. Lucie
  Salhany replaces Paul Chernin as President of Fox
  Broadcasting.  At the local TV stations, Reed Manville is now
  known as the President/General Manager at KNBC and Tom Capra
  is designated as the new Vice-President/General Manager at
  KTTV, replacing Mitchell Stern.  Meanwhile, at the motion
  picture studios, Sherry Lansing has assumed the office of
  Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Paramount Studios replacing
  Stanley Jaffe who has become the Chief Operating Officer
  (COO).  Added to the Handy Media Guide is CNN.  They may be
  reached: Mr. Ed Turner (no, not Ted Turner), Executive
  Vice-President, Cable News Networks, 1 CNN Center, Atlanta, GA
  30348-5466; (404) 827-1700, in Los Angeles (213) 993-5000;
  (800) 851-9905.

Media Outreach Committee

  The Media half of the Outreach Committee will be meeting the
  third Tues. of each month (for Mar. that will be the 16th)
  at 7:00 pm at the GLAAD/LA office, 7033 Sunset Blvd., one
  block east of La Brea in Hollywood.  Media Outreach works in
  a variety of ways to educate people in the media about
  homophobia and about GLAAD.  Our activities are targeted at
  the film, television, radio, music and print industries.  If
  you have experience in any of these areas or if you are
  interested in learning more about the media, please join us.
  Call: Michael Keegan or Jehan Agrama, Outreach Committee,
  Media Co-Chairs, (213) 463-3632.

Monitor/Response Committee

  Dateline Los Angeles: GLAAD/LA Reports questions invisibility
  of gay character, Matt (Doug Savant), on "Melrose Place."  Fox
  Broadcasting contacts GLAAD/LA and arranges an interview with
  Doug to coincide with gay episodes.....Dateline Fresno: KRZR
  103.7FM allows anti-gay slurs and tone to permeate
  Schlock-Jock Chris Daniels radio show: Queer Nation/Fresno
  contacts GLAAD/LA who sends representatives to meet with
  station management....Dateline Hollywood: GLAAD/LA makes the
  list of the "100 most influential groups in Hollywood."

  Behind these actual events, and many others, was the
  involvement of the GLAAD/LA Monitor/Response committee.
  Described as the heart and soul of GLAAD, the committee
  watches what's happening in the media and either congratulates
  accurate portrayals of our community or says, "We're mad as
  hell and we're not going to take it anymore."  But there's a
  lot of media out there to monitor and respond to and we need
  your help.  Do you own a television?  A video cassette
  recorder?  Then you are already highly qualified to join the
  Monitor/Response committee, the group that sniffs out great
  and/or lousy portrayals of lesbians and gays in the media and
  then lets the entertainment and news media know how we feel.
  The committee has been particularly low on television watchers
  recently, but of course, movie, radio and print media hounds
  are also welcome.  Do you have friends who absorb popular
  culture like a sponge?  Send them down.  Nobody likes to admit
  that they watch TV, but we know you're out there.  Co-chairs
  are Anne Dutton and GLAAD/LA Board Members Robin Podolsky and
  Ruthe Canter.  Please join us, we need your help.  Meetings
  for Mar. are on the 4th and 18th at 7:30pm at the GLAAD/LA
  office, 7033 Sunset Blvd, Hollywood; (213) 463-3632.

Direct from the Horse's Mouth...
GLAAD/LA Reference File

  GLAAD/LA is continually updating its reference file of
  clippings and articles so that the actual statements of anyone
  who is practicing defamation, or voicing support for our human
  rights, can be easily documented.  A strong note of thanks
  goes to Marj Karpen, who follows the Los Angeles Times;
  Stephen Moore, the ever vigilant watchdog of the San Gabriel
  Valley Tribune and Orange County Register; and Roy Bigelow,
  who comes to the GLAAD/LA office three times a week to keep
  the files in order.  But, we need more volunteers.  Can you,
  or someone you know, follow the Daily News and share the
  burden with the Los Angeles Times?  We need help.

  In addition, if you read something in a magazine, newspaper,
  periodical, newsletter, etc., that relates to gay and lesbian
  issues, clip it and send it to: GLAAD/LA, P.O. Box 931763,
  Hollywood 90093-1763; or FAX it to us (213) 463-4923; or call
  the hotline (213) 931-9429 and report it verbally.

GLAAD/LA Wish List
Can You Help?

  We need: a laser printer - computer paper - programmable fax -
  general office supplies, i.e. copy paper, scissors, staplers,
  file folders, etc. - multi-line phones, phone systems - blank
  video and audiocassettes.  Call: GLAAD/LA office (213)
  463-3632.

GLAAD/LA Office Volunteers

  Yearning to have your finger on the pulse of combatting
  homophobia and heterosexism in the media?

  Interested in seeing first hand how GLAAD operates?

  Want to assist our weary overworked office staff?

  GLAAD is looking for people to volunteer in the office to help
  with phones, faxing, mailings and general office duties.
  Volunteer some time and make a difference.  Call Nancy at the
  office: (213) 463-3632.

Call GLAAD/LA BBS

  GLAAD/LA members may pick up GLAAD/LA Reports on the GLAAD
  Bulletin Board, (213) 463-9257, with no charge.

Hotline Stickers

  You've just seen a lesbian positive episode on TV or you've
  just read an article on family values that doesn't include us.
  You want to call the hotline but you cannot find your
  newsletter and you can't remember that the number is 931-9GAY.
  You panic.  Then it comes back to you.  You had sent a
  self-addressed stamped envelope to GLAAD/LA and had gotten
  back several hotline stickers to attach to your phone.  You
  reach for the phone, content in knowing you are actively
  participating in helping the organization monitor the media.
  The feeling is great!

  YOUR CALLS ARE VITAL!  USE THE HOTLINE.  IT IS A VEHICLE FOR
  CHANGE.  Please send a self-addressed stamped envelope to:
  Send Me Some Stickers, GLAAD/LA, P.O. Box 931763, Hollywood
  90093.

Anti-Homophobia Curriculum

  Homophobia: Discrimination based on Sexual Orientation is a
  40-page, 5-part lesson plan for junior and high school
  students.  This prejudice reduction curriculum contains lesson
  plans, supplementary readings and a bibliography.  The lessons
  are entitled: Homophobia and Violence, A Lesson In History,
  Dispelling Myths and Falsehoods, Troubled Teens, and Preparing
  Your Class for Speakers on Homosexuality.  Each lesson plan
  has a teacher's guide which includes objectives, vocabulary,
  teaching strategy, discussion questions and activities.  The
  lesson on history includes a chronology of important events in
  the lesbian/gay rights movement and a list of famous
  historical figures who are known to have had lesbian/gay
  relationships.  The curriculum has been approved for use in
  the Los Angeles Unified School District.  It has been styled
  to be used in conjunction with the Anti-Defamation League's
  "World of Difference Campaign."  To order please send $12.50
  (includes shipping and handling) to GLAAD/LA, P.O. Box
  931763, Hollywood 90093.  You can also purchase copies at A
  Different Light Bookstore.

Calendar dates:
Mar 1    Monday    Deadline for April issue GLAAD/LA Reports
Mar 2    Tuesday   Women of GLAAD 7:00pm                      7033 Sunset
Mar 3    Wednesday Community Outreach (Speakers) 7:30pm       7033 Sunset
Mar 4    Thurdsay  Monitor/Response Committee 7:30pm          7033 Sunset
Mar 9    Tuesday   GLAAD/LA Board Meeting 7:30pm              7033 Sunset
Mar 16   Tuesday   Media Outreach 7:00pm                      7033 Sunset
Mar 18   Thursday  Monitor/Response Committee 7:30pm          7033 Sunset
Mar 20   Saturday  GLAAD/LA Media Awards Show        Beverly Hilton Hotel
Mar 23   Tuesday   General Meeting 7:00pm                     6000 Pico

Apr  1   Deadline for April GLAAD/LA Reports
Apr  1   Monitor/Response Committee, 7:30pm
Apr  6   Women of GLAAD, 7:00pm
Apr  7   Community Outreach, 7:30pm

Editor Carl Matthes FAX (213) 257-5878
Assistant Editor David Zahnizer
Art Direction & Design John Cook
Research Assistance Garrett Glaser
Advertising Editor Margo Strik (213) 259-9208
Contributors:
Jehan Agrama, Sandi Bodner, Veronica Davis, Stephanie
Farrington-Domingue, GLAAD/SFBA, Garrett Glaser, Will Halm,
Dean Hansell, Carl Matthes, Nancy Perez, Robin Podolsky,
Sylvia Rhue, David Smith, Wally Smith, Carmichael Smith-Low,
Donald Suggs, GLAAD Tidings, Stephanie Thomas, Tracy Stern,
David Zahnizer
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