New video project counters anti-Gay propaganda by Tom Flint New Gay-positive videos are available for widespread distribution throughout the state to counter anti-Gay propaganda currently being circulated by supporters of Initiative 608 and 610. The videos are designed to be aired on public access television stations or other mass communication outlets. Fundamentalists have created havoc in recent years with their sophisticated exploitation of videos and electronic media to spread anti-Gay propaganda and misinformation, while human rights groups have largely failed to use video to their advantage. A new project by Olympia Pictures is producing a series of videos designed to give accurate information about Gay/Lesbian lives and neutralize the negative stereotypes in such videos as the Gay Agenda. During the 80s, Fundamentalists ministers known as "televangelists" pioneered a new form of media outreach using videos, cable television, and satellite dish to spread their message. Rev Pat Robertson arose as the head of a vast media empire spanning more than seventy five countries. His show "The 700 Club" is viewed by 7 million people weekly in the United States. He is also founder and chairman of The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) and the International Family Entertainment Incorporated, which produces "pro-family" films and videos. The video assault against Gays and Lesbians escalated in the past to years with The Gay Agenda, Gay Rights - Special Rights and a host of videos featuring distorted coverage of the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. As the anti-Gay initiative campaign escalates in Washington state, propaganda videos will be widely distributed and aired on local television stations. Already public access stations in Kitsap and Thurston counties have begun airing The Gay Agenda and similar videos. Human rights advocates are far behind in using videos and electronic media to spread their message, and few quality videos are available to counter the negative stereotypes being promoted by the right wing. When The Gay Agenda began airing in Thurston County, station managers approached Marilyn Freeman, a local producer in Olympia, seeking suggestions for videos that might offer a more balanced view of Gays and Lesbians. Freeman could offer no suggestions and decided she would have to produce her own videos to fill the vacuum. Thus was the birth of the American Values video series, by Olympia Pictures, a group in Olympia, Washington. The films series will eventually include 12 half-hour installments focusing on Gay/Lesbian civil rights from various angles, available to local public access cable stations. Hands Off Washington Thurston county is acting as an advisory group to the project. The American Values series will cover a wide range of human rights issues related to Gays and Lesbians. In one episode Holocaust survivors will discuss the parallels between anti- semitism and anti-Gay bigotry, and the logical conclusions of hate campaigns. Another episode will focus on Gay youth, the challenges they face. The American Values series began production last week with the first instalment focusing ont he families of Gays and Lesbians, and how the families are affected by the anti-Gay bias in society. Ministers from welcoming congregations will provide a counter- point to those who attack Gays and Lesbians because of religious doctrine in an episode. Other topics to be discussed during the series includes violence against Gay people, discrimination in the work place, shock therapies and other attempts to 'cure' gay people, and legal analysis of the constitutional issues raised by the anti-Gay initiatives. One video will feature straight people discussing their process of overcoming their homophobia. The series will be produced along an interview format with Rieko Callner hosting. Callner, a woman of Japanese/Jewish- Lithuanian descent, is a human rights advocate and prosecuting attorney for the City of Olympia. For more information about ways to have the videos aired in your local public access stateion contact: Olympia Pictures, POB 341, Olympia Washington, 98507-0341; telephone 206-438-0341.