Date: Wed, 17 Sep 1997 10:21:27 -0700 From: Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Subject: LESBIAN & GAY HISTORY MONTH KICKS OFF WITH SPECIAL VIRTUAL TOWN MEETING SPECIAL GUEST RODNEY WILSON JOINS GLSEN AND GLAAD FOR VIRTUAL TOWN MEETING: LIVE FORUM ON GAY.COM CALENDAR LISTING FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SEPTEMBER 17, 1997 Media Contact: Liz Tracey (212) 807-1700 pager: (800) 946-4646, pin #1423527 e-mail: tracey@glaad.org LESBIAN & GAY HISTORY MONTH KICKS OFF WITH SPECIAL VIRTUAL TOWN MEETING SPECIAL GUEST RODNEY WILSON JOINS GLSEN AND GLAAD FOR VIRTUAL TOWN MEETING: LIVE FORUM ON GAY.COM WHAT: The Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), in honor of Lesbian & Gay History Month, hold global Town Meeting on gay.com. WHO: Special Guest Rodney Wilson, founder of Lesbian & Gay History Month, is our featured guest. WHEN: MONDAY, OCTOBER 1st, 1997 at 10pm Est/ 7pm Pac WHERE: http://www.gay.com/pages/glaad.html (gay.com) or http://www.glaad.org/glaad/history-month/chat.html WHY: During Lesbian & Gay History Month, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community examines its political struggle, cultural achievements and collective creativity. In January 1994, Rodney Wilson, a high school teacher in Missouri, appalled by the exclusion of lesbian and gay history from textbooks, set out to make a change. Wilson organized teachers and community leaders to educate the public about lesbians and gay men past and present. They formed a national grassroots network to create a celebration and education campaign that continues today. MORE: With over sixty chapters, and a membership of over five thousand teachers, parents, and concerned citizens, GLSEN is the only national organization working to ensure that schools are places where all people are valued and respected, regardless of sexual orientation. GLAAD is a national organization that promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation of individuals and events in the media as a means of combating homophobia and all forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. Gay.com's mission is to provide an online community for gays and lesbians to come-out, socialize, learn, and have fun. Attracting over 750,000 visitors each month, gay.com (http://www.gay.com) is free and supported through corporate sponsorships. -30- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) glaad@glaad.org TO REPORT DEFAMATION IN THE MEDIA - Call GLAAD's Alertline at 1.800.GAY.MEDIA or go to the GLAAD Web Site at www.glaad.org and report through our Alertline Online. TO JOIN GLAAD AND RECEIVE GLAAD's DISPATCH AND QUARTERLY IMAGES MAGAZINE, call 1.800.GAY.MEDIA or join on the Web today at www.glaad.org/glaad/join/join-about.html TO SUBSCRIBE TO GLAAD-Net, GLAAD's electronic mailing list, send e-mail to majordomo@vector.casti.com with the message "Subscribe GLAAD-Net" TO UNSUBSCRIBE, send e-mail to majordomo@vector.casti.com with the message "Unsubscribe GLAAD-Net" GLAAD is a national organization that promotes fair, accurate and inclusive representation as a means of challenging discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" are registered trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, Inc.