LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
CAMP Briefs |
News and Breaking Stories about the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community |
ELLEN GOES ON HIATUS: ABC has announced that their history-making sitcom Ellen will be on hiatus for six weeks beginning March 11, and GLAAD hopes that this does not signal any intentions on ABCs part to cancel the landmark program. Sources at both ABC and Touchstone Television have indicated to GLAAD that the decision to cancel or renew Ellen could happen at any time, and GLAAD is working to ensure the survival of the groundbreaking show. During the hiatus, ABC will run a new comedy, Two Guys, A Girl and A Pizza Place. "During the hiatus, millions of viewers will miss what is undoubtedly the strongest lesbian or gay representation on network television," said GLAAD Interim Communications Director Cathy Renna. "Americans who have come to expect the high quality, diverse programming Ellen represents must let ABC know that we look forward to their renewal of the show for another season. It is time to save Ellen." For more information contact Cathy Renna (GLAAD Acting Media Director) at 212-807-1700. ARKANSAS SODOMY LAW CHALLENGED: Local Little Rock, Arkansas, organizations joined with the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund (LLDEF) on January 28 to announce a lawsuit on behalf of seven lesbians and gay men against the states sodomy ban. Currently, the statute makes certain sexual behaviors, including oral sex between two same-sex consenting adults a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. LLDEF is seeking that the law be declared unconstitutional, with the plaintiffs arguing that the statute violates their rights of equal treatment and privacy. "This law creates a second-class status for lesbians and gay men, criminalizing intimate, sexual behavior that is perfectly legal for non-gay people," said LLDEF Staff Attorney Suzanne B. Goldberg. Arkansas is one of six states that single out only same-sex sexual relations for criminalization. For more information contact Peg Byron (LLDEF) at 212- 809-8585, ext. 230. IN HEART OF BIBLE BELT, FAMILIES FLOCK TO DISNEY: In yet another indication that a call by leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention to boycott Disney is not being heeded by Baptists or anyone else, Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, has announced a record 17 million visitors in 1997, up a whopping 23 percent from 1996. The Southern Baptist leaders attempt to boycott was due in part to its inclusive employment practices and diverse entertainment media representations of gay people. Meanwhile, according to trade publication Amusement Business, the Tokyo Disneyland attracted 17.3 million visitors, becoming the most visited theme park in the world. "In 1997, people of faith worldwide clearly saw through the small-minded tactics of the handful of far-right leaders at the Southern Baptist Convention to recognize that Disney still offers the same family-oriented entertainment it always has," said GLAADs Cathy Renna. "Supporting equal treatment of gay people is just an extension of that philosophy." LEAVE YOUR STAMP ON HISTORY!: The U.S. Postal Service is planning an upcoming stamp collection commemorating the twentieth century, and there is a chance that lesbian and gay history could be includedwith your participation. For the "Celebrate the Century" campaign, stamps will be issued to commemorate each decade, and the public will get to vote on which ones will honor the 1950s-1990s. The nominations to be voted on by the public will be chosen by the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC). This committee needs to hear from lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and those concerned with honoring Americas lesbian and gay heritage, and GLAAD is spearheading a letter-writing campaign to ensure that Americans will be able to vote for a major lesbian and gay event in American history as a possible candidate for the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Please ask the CSAC to include the Stonewall Riots for the 1960s, slain civil rights leader and San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk for the 1970s, the 1987 display of the Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt in Washington, D.C. for the 1980s and the historic 1993 March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay and Bi Civil Rights and Liberation. Contact: Stamps Department, Attn.: Dr. Virginia Noelke, Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee, U.S. Postal Service, 475 LEnfant Plaza SW, RM 4474E, Washington, D.C. 20260-6753 DISCOVERING THE HYPOTHALAMUS: The February issue of Discover magazines "Science Classics" cartoon column discussed the nature/nurture debate of sexual orientation as it relates to the hypothalamus. One panels caption explains how "When a region of the human brain was found to be smaller in homosexual men than in heterosexual men, it was suggested that the brain difference might somehow cause the difference in sexual preference." The picture shows two men holding hands, with one asking, "Hey, hows your hypothalamus?" and the other responding, "Small!" The next panels caption reads, "But the brain isnt just an information processor...Its also an organ, and organs can change their size and shape." The picture has one of the men suddenly all buff, saying, "Like, look at what happened to my biceps since the last panel." After discussing a study about this theory, it concludes in one panel that, "Differences between brains may be the result, rather than the cause of differences in behavior [such as sexual orientation]." The boys say, "Oh well, who cares?" and "Um, I care about biceps now." Without moralizing about either nature or nurture, the cartoon explains the basic debate around the gay hypothalamus theory in a light-hearted, highly accessible way. Let Discover know that this fun approach to scientific theory around sexual orientation is valuable and engaging. Contact: Marc Zabludoff, Editor In Chief, Discover, 114 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10011, fax: 212-633-4817. Copyright 1998 by GLADD-The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. GLAADLINES News reprinted with permission. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 8, No. 1, February 6, 1998. |