[this file can be found in /pub/QRD/qrd/glaad/SFBA/glaad-SFBA-8.20.93 at vector.intercon.com, the Queer Resources Directory] San Francisco Bay Area Chapter GLAAD Media News Briefs -- August 20,1993 by Al Kielwasser GLAAD/SFBA Herb Caen: New and Improved Herb Caen, that widely-read and caustic columnist, has finally taken a turn for the better (due, no doubt, to your complaints!). Caen recently dished out some pointed remarks about Eugene Lumpkin, that Human Rights Commissioner, Baptist minister, and avowed homophobe who has repeatedly made vicious and bigoted statements to the press. In his August 18 column, Caen correctly relegates Rev. Lumpkin to the category of the absurd. Caen writes, "BEYOND COMPREHENSION (mine anyway): Mayor Jordan's stubborn refusal to bounce gay-bashing Rev. Eugene Lumpkin off the Human Rights Commission -- a self-canceling phrase as long as the Lump is aboard." The next morning, in his August 19 column, Caen had this to say: "Now then, about the Rev. Eugene Lumpkin of the Human Rights Commission, who quotes from Leviticus in the Bible that 'gays are an abomination.' Isn't the Lump being a bit selective? ... Leviticus also condones slavery. Would the Rev. and his Bible-waving confederate, Sup. Willie Kennedy, care to confront this cotton-pickin' problem?" Though Eugene Lumpkin has since been forced off the Human Rights Commission, you can still congratulate Caen for attempting -- in his own, limited way -- to "get it right" this time. Write to Herb Caen, San Francisco Chronicle, 901 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103, tel. 415-777-1111. Hypocritical Times While The New York Times tends to support lesbians and gays editorially, the newspaper still refuses to include announcements of our domestic partnerships. Perhaps the Times could learn a lesson from George Pyle of the Salina Journal (of Salina Kansas). Describing his paper's decision to print the wedding announcement of two gay men, Pyle wrote: "We quickly decided that we could not argue on the editorial page, as we had, for equal treatment for homosexuals and then deny equality on our own wedding page." Tell the Times management to rethink their hypocritical and discriminatory policy, and start to practice what they preach. Write to Max Frankel, Executive Editor, The New York Times, 229 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036. Advertising Homophobia In an article titled "The Way Out," the July 19 issue of AdWeek takes a look at out lesbians and gays in the ad business, and examines the effects that coming out has had on their careers. The article reveals the high level of homophobia that still pervades an industry that prides itself on being progressive. AdWeek is a major trade publication for the advertising industry. The magazine should be encouraged to continue reporting on homophobia, as well as the contributions made by lesbians and gay men in the advertising business. Write to Craig Reiss, Editor-In-Chief, AdWeek, 1515 Broadway, New York, NY 10036. Cobb: The County Operated By Bigots On August 10, the government of Cobb County, Georgia, officially condemned homosexuality. According to the Cobb County Board of Commissioners, "gay lifestyles" are incompatible with community standards. Now, these commissioners are planning to restrict arts funding, limiting grants to the projects or groups that promote "family-oriented standards." Cobb County Commissioner (and heterosexual supremacist) Gordon Wysong, who is pushing these hateful measures, stated: "I felt it was important that we were not going to spend our money to implement the gay agenda." Closer to home, the Cobb County assault on human rights is being praised by Lou Sheldon (California's own ubiquitous bigot and leader of the Traditional Values Coalition). Sheldon is eyeing Cobb County with hope, seeing such battles as indicators of his own chances for successfully promoting hatred and ignorance. Referring to the Cobb County backlash, Sheldon said: "The heterosexual community all at once decided that we are going to be proud that we are not homosexual and we are going to push for our laws." Of course, we must resist any effort in the nationwide offensive against the civil rights of lesbians, gays and bisexuals. We must confront every bigot who seeks to censor our art, silence our speech or shackle our presses. Contact the local newspapers in Cobb County and let your voice be heard! Write to Letters to the Editor, Marietta Daily Journal, 580 Fairground St., Marietta, CA, 30061; Letters to the Editor, Atlanta Constitution, P.O. Box 4689, Atlanta, GA 30302. You can also lend your support to the resistance by calling the Cobb Citizens Coalition (tel. 404-256-8690), the local group that is combating their county's hate legislation. Finally, you might share your opinions about the impact of hate legislation on local business revenues by calling the Cobb Chamber of Commerce (tel. 404-980-2000). New Study of Media Bias: Public Television Ignores Lesbian and Gay Publics An important new study of public television programming challenges some old and stale premises of the debate over public television bias. In particular, the study casts serious doubt upon the incessant claims that public TV programs favor liberal or left-wing points of view. The findings of this independent, national study appear in the Septemher/October issue of Extra! magazine, which is published by the media watchdog group "Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting" (FAIR). After examining the types of people who appear as sources in a wide range of public TV programs (1,644 sources, appearing in 423 segments in 114 programs), the researchers could not find a single representative of a gay or lesbian organization. In fact, the authors report that lesbian and gay activists were totally absent from public affairs programming in the time period studied. This finding exposes the base-less claims made by members of the "Religious Right," who argue that lesbian and gay activists dominate public television. The authors conclude that public television actually under-represents "slighted constituencies," including women, people of color, lesbians and gays. In doing so, the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) has failed to fulfill its Congressionally-mandated mission. that mission, as set forth in a 1967 Carnegie Commission Report, insists that the purpose of public television is to "help us see America whole, in all its diversity" and "provide a voice for groups in the community that may otherwise be unheard." Significantly, this new study of media bias has been slated for official release on the day before the Corporation for Public Broadcasting begins the first in a series of hearings on "balance and objectivity" in public broadcasting. These hearings have been instigated by conservative U.S. Senators who hope to whip up unfounded fears about public television's "pro-homosexual" agenda. Encourage the management of your local PBS television station to study the results of this recent study. Remind your U.S. senators to reject the hysterical claims made by Jesse Helms and other Congressional bigots. Let then know that, as a simple matter of fact, public television has largely failed to serve the lesbian and gay public. PBS can only fulfill its mission by providing a fair and equitable forum for our nation's diverse voices. Write to Michael Schwarz, KQED Channel 9, 2601 Mariposa St., San Francisco, CA 94110, tel, 415-864-2000; Danny L. McGuire, KTEH Channel 54, 100 Skyport Drive, San Jose, CA 95110-1301, tel. 408-437-5454; David Hosley, KCSM Channel 60, 1700 W. Hillsdale Blvd., San Mateo, CA 94402, tel. 415-574-6586, fax. 415-574-6299; Senator Barbara Boxer, 100 Montgomery St., Suite 240, San Francisco, CA 94111, tel. 415-403-0100; Senator Dianne Feinstein, 1700 Montgomery St., Suite 305, San Francisco, CA 94111, tel. 415-249-4777. For more information of the study itself, call the FAIR office (tel. 212-633-6700). TV Repair Manual Paper Tiger Television, a grassroots media activism organization, has published The Paper Tiger Guide to TV Repair. This informative and entertaining booklet offers practical tips for "repairing" the "distorted images" that fill your television set. The introduction to the booklet declares: "With the metaphor of the repair guide, The Paper Tiger Television Collective extends its tradition of smashing the myths of the imformation age.... More importantly, Paper Tiger has demonstrated how people with limited resources can stand up to the powerful forces seeking to manipulate and control them." For more information, contact Paper Tiger Television/West Collective, P.O. Box 411271, San Francisco, CA 94141-1271. The only way to cure homophobia is to confront it! To notify the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation/San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of defamations, or to request GLAAD membership information, call our office at 415-861-4588; South Bay Hotline 408-235-0229; East Bay Hotline 510-273-9146; fax 415-861-4893. Our mailing address is GLAAD/SFBA, 514 Castro St., Suite B, San Francisco, CA 94114. Items for this report should be sent to the attention of Al Kielwasser at GLAAD/SFBA. GLAAD/Atlanta's Carl Lange and GLAAD/NY's Tom Treia contributed to this week's report.