Subject: GLAAD Media Watch for 5-13-93 by Al Kielwasser NEW YORKER DISCOUNTS L/G YOUTH SUICIDE An essay in the May 3 issue of "The New Yorker" attacks the credibility of the 1989 government report on lesbian and gay youth suicide, which indicates that lesbians and gays account for as much as thirty per cent of all completed youth suicides annually. In "Political Science," New Yorker essayist David Shaffer claims that "by any measure it is clear that the figure of thirty per cent is far too high." He condemns not only the numbers but also the l/g activists who cite the report's statistics. According to Shaffer: "Suicide...has no place on anyone's political agenda, no matter how worthy." In the same essay, Shaffer also supports the recent Guttmacher Institute study that has been widely misused to "prove" that homosexuals make up only 1 per cent of the general population. Shaffer's essay is filled with a number of inaccurate claims. What is most disturbing, however, is that he completely ignores the central contribution made by the 1989 Task Force Report on Youth Suicide. The Task Force Report asserts that lesbian and gay youth do not commit suicide because they are l/g but because they live in a homophobic society. For making that urgent point, the Report was originally suppressed by the U.S. government. The fact that homophobic hatred kills children is a hard fact to swallow, especially amongst those who do the hating. Let the New Yorker know that the enormously important subject of lesbian and gay youth merits a much more informed (and a much less biased) analysis than that provided by David Shaffer. We must resist this latest effort to suggest that--both literally and figuratively-- l/g/bi people do not count. Write to Pamela Maffei McCarthy, VP and Managing Editor, The New Yorker Magazine, Inc., 20 West 43rd St., NY NY 10036. C-SPAN UNDER SIEGE On April 25, the cable network "C-SPAN" offered complete and non-stop coverage of the March on Washington for L/G/Bi Equal Rights and Liberation. For providing that service, the network has been inundated with hostile feedback from callders ostensibly upset by "female frontal nudity" and "four-letter words." Let C-SPAN know that you appreciated the well-deserved coverage and encourage the network to continue offering programs devoted to l/gi/bi subjects. Write to C-SPAN, 400 North Capital St. NW, Suite 650, Washington DC 20001,; tel 202-737-3220. HATE VIDEO ALERT Be forewarnedand forearmed! The heterosexual supremacist group that brought us "The Gay Agenda" has announced production of a new hate video, "The Gay Agenda in Public Education." According to "The Report," the newsletter of Springs of Life Ministries, this new video will focus on "homosexual indoctrination in public schools," where "adolescents are being encouraged to experiment with homosexuality and, without parental consent, seek advice from gay organizations." As they did with "The Gay Agenda," the makers of this latest hate tape plan to distribute it widely amongst local, state, and federal legislators and school officials. Should have wish to get in touch with the makers of this homophobic video, contact Ty and Jeannette Beeson, Executive Directors, The Report-Springs of Life Ministries, 42640 10th St. West, Lancaster CA 93534, tel. 1-800-462-4700. NEW STUDY LOOKS AT LESBIANS/GAYS IN THE NEWS The Radio & Television News Directors Association (RTNDA) and the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA) are conducting a seminal study of lesbians and gays in the broadcast newsroom. Surveys are being sent to news directors and working journalists to assess both the newsroom environment and the news coverage. Broadcast journalists who want to participate in this confidential study should request a survey from the NLGJA, POB 523048, San Francisco CA 94142-3048. The deadline is June 10. For more information about the study, contact Eric Swanson, Executive Director, RTNDA, tel. 202-659-6510, or Leroy Aarons, President, NLGJA, tel. 415-905-4690. NEW YORK MAGAZINE COVERS LESBIAN CHIC The May 10 issue of "New York" magazine features a substantive and well-illustrated cover story on "Lesbian Chic." The article by Jeanie Russell Kasindorf explores everyone "from k.d. to Martina to the Lesbian Avengers' to demonstrate that "women who love women are crushing stereotypes. They are stylish, corporate. They are political, proud." The excellent essay gives particular attention to the important role played by the media in forming and transforming lesbian images. Thank the magazine for making an important contribution to lesbian visibility. Write to Peter Herbst, Managing Editor, New York Magazine, K-III Magazine Corp., 755 Second Ave. NY NY 10017-5998. DEWEY DECIMAL? SHELVE IT! Take a look around your branch of the public library. Are the books about our community located next to books about pedophilia and incest? Unfortunately, they probably are. The Dewey Decimal System, used to number and assign books to shelf locations, classifies l/g/bi material with numbers based on the code for "sexually deviant" subjects. Whether the books are about our civil rights or coming out, they all tend to fall in the same demeaning category. To express your concerns over this national classification system, write to the American Library Association, 50 East Hudson St, Chicago IL 60601. AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE WANTS YOU! The American Legion Magazine reports that, to date, they have received 111 letters about the military ban against l/g/bi people. Only 20 of those letters supported lifting the ban. To counter the homophobes and voice your support, write to "The American Legion Magazine," POB 1055, Indianapolis IN 46206. typed by Jessea Greenman