Date: Mon, 28 Feb 1994 07:37:31 -0500 (EST) From: David Casti Subject: ACTION ALERT: GLAAD/SFBA's Media Watch (2/25/94) Submitted by: Bonnie Haley GLAAD/SFBA MEDIA WATCH February 25,1994 ALICE IN CENSOR-LAND The right-wing (i.e., racist, sexist, homophobic) California Board of Education has effectively banned a short story by Pulitzer Prize-winning African American author Alice Walker. Walker's "Roselily" had been included in a 10th-grade English test given to the State's public school students, but was removed after the Traditional Values Coalition (TVC) complained the story was "anti-religious." The deeply-homophobic TVC objected to "Roselily" because it contains the phrase "the wrong God" and the sentence "She thinks of ropes, chains, handcuffs, his religion." After a meeting with the TVC's Beverly Sheldon, the State Department of Education's testing director, Dale Carlson, agreed to cut Walker's story and also to strike from the English test any references to "feelings." Sheldon had told Carlson that public school children shouldn't be taught about such dangerous things as "feelings." So far, acting Superintendent of Public Instruction William Dawson has offered nothing but a "no comment" in response to this debacle. Meanwhile, Sheldon has already announced plans to follow-up on this "victory" by seeking out more "objectionable" stories to censor. The Board of Education intends to deprive children of cultural diversity and literary excellence rather than offend the TVC, an organization that has done nothing but promote hatred and ignorance in California (not coincidentally, the Board's President is an avowed creationist who has "problems" with teaching evolutionary theory). TVC hate mongers must not be allowed to dictate the State's educational policy! Demand that the Board of Education schedule a special hearing on the censorship of Walker's story -- a meeting to which members of the general public are invited, not just the professional hate mongers. Also, insist that Superintendent Dawson do his duty and take a stand against this attack on public instruction. Call and write Joseph Stein, President, & All Members, California Board of Education (tel. 916-657-5478, fax 916-657-5101) and William D. Dawson, Superintendent of Public Instruction (tel. 916-657-3043), P.O. Box 944272, Sacramento CA 94244-2720. BANNED IN KEY WEST Television station WEYS in Key West, Florida, has banned Network Q (a national lesbian/gay video-magazine show) and The Open Closet (a locally-produced talk show). The programs were pulled from the station's line-up after Trinity Broadcasting Network (a fundamentalist Christian media operation) threatened to cancel its contract with WEYS unless station owner David Druker refused to air lesbian/gay programming. When WEYS station manger David Soloman objected to this gross censorship, Druker fired him. WEYS had been the first commercial TV station in the nation to include the lesbian/gay audience in its programming schedule, which also features Spanish-language and religious programs. In Key West, an estimated 60% of the WEYS viewing audience is lesbian, gay and bisexual. By banning queer television programs, WEYS is hardly fulfilling the standards of its FCC license, which requires the broadcaster to serve the public interest, convenience, and necessity. Calls, faxes and letters should be directed to David Drucker, WEYS Channel 22, 527 Southland St., Key West, FL 33040, tel. 305-296-4969, fax 305-296-1669. Copy correspondence to the Federal Communications Commission, Attn. Complaints and Investigations, Room 8219, 1919 "M" Street, NW, Washington DC 20544. SHAME ON TWO Most of the mainstream media provided fairly good coverage the "Reverend" Fred Phelps and his hasty and hateful demonstration at Randy Shilts' funeral. However, television station KTVU (Channel 2) offered up a rather poor performance. On the day of Shilts' funeral (Feb. 22), the station's Mornings On 2 newscast invited Fred Phelps, Jr. in for a chat. Phelps was interviewed by host Ross McGowan, who's questions were well-intentioned but not very informed, experienced or incisive. While Mornings on 2 later featured commentary from the ever-eloquent Cecil Williams, no lesbian, gay or bisexual persons were interviewed. Certainly, television stations should report on the activities of Phelps and other homophobes; in this way, these stations can make visible the face of hatred that many Americans would prefer to ignore. However, Channel 2 provided (essentially uncontested) air time for homophobia while completely failing to include the voices of lesbians and gay men who suffer first-hand from that hatred. Complaints can be sent to Fred Zehnder, News Director, and Rosemarie Thomas, Producer, Mornings On 2, KTVU-Channel 2, P.O. Box 22222, Oakland, CA 94623, tel. 510/834-1212, fax 510/451-2610. MEDIA BRIEFS Announced as "a monumental step for the gay media" Our World Television: The Global Gay & Lesbian Cable Network has entered the world cable market. The network, which offers several programs and currently reaches 320,000 homes, is planning to expand to a 24 hours a day operation. For more information, contact Our World Television, 3976 Park Blvd., San Diego, CA 92103, tel/fax 619-688-0643. And don't forget to ask your local cable system to pick up this and other lesbian/gay program services! The premiere issue of Doi Dien, a national Vietnamese gay/lesbian quarterly, has just been published. For more information, contact Doi Dien, P.O. Box 730305, San Jose, CA 95173. A progressive and pro-lesbian/gay/bisexual sex education booklet, Just Say Yes!, is available from the Coalition for Positive Sexuality, 3712 N. Broadway, Box 191, Chicago, Ill. 60613, tel. 312-604-1654. Coalition members visit high schools and distribute condoms along with the booklet, which is available in English and Spanish. WE MUST CONFRONT HOMOPHOBIA IN ORDER TO CURE IT! TO NOTIFY THE GAY & LESBIAN ALLIANCE AGAINST DEFAMATION OF ANY DEFAMATORY MEDIA COVERAGE, OR TO REQUEST MORE INFORMATION ABOUT GLAAD, CONTACT GLAAD/SFBA, 514 CASTRO STREET, SUITE B, SF, CA 94114, TEL. 415-861-4588, FAX 415-861-4893, E-MAIL BONNIE@OUTRIGHT.COM.