Date: Fri, 02 May 97 12:01:03 EDT From: "Phil Attey" Subject: MORE THAN 3,200 HRC `ELLEN' HOUSE PARTIES MARK HISTORIC BROA ________________________________________________________ NEWS from the Human Rights Campaign 1101 14th Street NW Washington, DC 20005 email: hrc@hrc.org WWW: http://www.hrc.org ________________________________________________________ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wednesday, April 30, 1997 MORE THAN 3,200 HRC `ELLEN' HOUSE PARTIES MARK HISTORIC BROADCAST HRC's Commercial on Workplace Bias Airs on 35 ABC Affiliates Nationwide Go to HRC's Online Action Center to See the Ad and Send Messages to Congress on Workplace Discrimination http://www.hrc.org WASHINGTON -- More than 3,200 Human Rights Campaign "Ellen" house parties were held tonight throughout the country during the historic coming out episode of the ABC sitcom and the airing of HRC's new job discrimination ad. "We're celebrating a milestone on the road to greater fairness and accuracy in media portrayals of gay people -- while shedding light on the problem of job discrimination, to which most lesbian and gay Americans remain legally vulnerable," said HRC Executive Director Elizabeth Birch. "I'm delighted at the tremendous response, because even as we share this historic episode and HRC's job discrimination ad, we still have an enormous amount of work to do to achieve equal rights." Birch attended Washington's largest "Ellen Coming Out Day" party, attended by more than 800 people and sponsored by HRC at the Capitol City Brewing Company. All the gatherings commemorated the landmark occasion when Ellen Morgan, the show's title character, played by Ellen DeGeneres, became the first lead on network television to honestly acknowledge being gay. The new HRC television ad aired during the episode on 35 ABC affiliates. It carried the message that job discrimination based on sexual orientation remains legal in 41 states. The ABC network turned down HRC's request to make a single nationwide purchase of air time, citing its policy against "controversial issue advertising." With 65 ABC affiliates willing to air the spot, HRC placed it in 35 markets across the country -- including Washington. Twelve network affiliates also declined the commercial, although one -- the Philadelphia ABC station -- has decided to run it as a public service announcement in the days following the "Ellen" broadcast. "While most Americans oppose job discrimination against gay people, most just don't know that it is completely legal in 41 states to fire people from their jobs simply because of their sexual orientation," Birch said. "The coming out episode of `Ellen' offered a unique opportunity for HRC to highlight this injustice through our ad and underscore the need for legal protection." The 30-second spot, entitled "Shoes," features a woman who has just been fired from her job because of her sexual orientation. A conversation between her co-workers reveals that the firing, while unfair, is not against the law -- a fact that one of her colleagues is shocked to learn. The spot then offers a toll-free phone number -- (888) 4HRC1997 -- for the Human Rights Campaign that viewers can call to get more information. The ad was created by the Semans Co., based in Alexandria, Va. HRC created "Ellen" house party kits to make it easy and fun for people to hold the events. The kits included a VHS copy of the HRC job discrimination ad, with a special videotaped message from Birch. Also in the kits were color HRC "Ellen Coming Out Day" posters; party invitations and planning tips; an entertaining "Ellen" trivia game, created by Ellen DeGeneres' many fans at HRC; and HRC membership information. The placement of the ad was made possible by a generous contribution from Jessica Stevens, chief executive officer of Telegen, a high-technology firm based in Redwood City, Calif. The Human Rights Campaign is the largest national lesbian and gay political organization, with members throughout the country. It effectively lobbies Congress, provides campaign support and educates the public to ensure that lesbian and gay Americans can be open, honest and safe at home, at work and in the community. - 30 -