Subject: Transexual Menace Calls Off Picketing of NBC
From: [email-masked]
Date: 11 Mar 96 18:38:02 GMT

MENACE CALLS OFF PICKETING NBC 
 
[NEW YORK CITY - March 10. 1996] 
Following a week of intensive discussions with NBC officials, the Menace NYC
has decided to forgo a planned picketing of Saturday Night Live, which
resumed production here at 30 Rockefeller Plaza this past Saturday, March 10.
 Members of  Menace LA are reportedly still split over whether to proceed
with a planned demonstration outside the offices of NBC Entertainment,
located on the west coast. 
 
The threatened action in NYC followed a particularly tasteless joke aired 3
weeks ago on SNL's Weekend Update "news" segment by staff regular Norm
MacDonald. Referring to the recent death sentence given John Lotter for the
murder of transexual man Brandon Teena and 2 friends, it asserted "I believe
everyone involved in this story should die." 
 
Officials at NBC Office of Standards & Practices originally stated they were
unaware of Mr. MacDonald's comments.  Upon review of the SNL show, they
agreed the "joke" was inappropriate and ill-considered.   
 
After several days of negotiation, NBC officials in Standards & Practices and
Community Relations agreed to hand-deliver a packet on the Teena case to Mr.
MacDonald and SNL staff.  The packet included particulars of the gruesome
rape and execution-style murder of Mr. Teena, and beginning with several
full-color pictures of the young man and his friends. 
 
Privately, Menace representatives were assured that Mr. MacDonald agreed the
lines were in poor taste, and should never have aired.  They were further
assured that NBC would not be doing any more jokes of a similar nature in the
future.  To date, NBC has refused to air a public apology for the incident,
stating that it is their corporate practice not to do so. 

Said Riki Anne Wilchins of the NYC Menace, "While we are pleased with NBC's
responsiveness, it is unconscionable that anyone could find the murder of
this beautiful young man, much less the death-sentence of his murderer,
occassions for humor.  Sometimes, you just wonder where people's head are at.

"As transpeople increase our visibility, the fight over public perception is
shifting to mass media.  Every minority group goes through this process, and
now it's our turn to be portrayed as strange, bizarre, and unknown.  It's
going to get a lot worse, before it gets any better. 
 
"As making fun of gays slowly becomes unfashionable, a lot of closet
homophobia is going to be expressed on transpeople: still considered
legitimate, and powerless, targets.  One can only hope national queer groups
make this connection." 
[END]