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PAGE 18 T Q-Notes T September 20, 1997 Available Rentals 2108 #8 East 7th Street, 1 br 1 bt Apartment $500 W Iklutts PROPERTY IlH MANAGEMENT 816 Hartford Ave., 3br 1.5bt House (Carport, Hardwood Floors) $850 5100 Summergate, 3br 2.5bt Duplex (Fireplace, W/D connections) $925 Delene Maybin 1433 Emerywood Dr., Office Space $1,075 Property Manager 5859 Amity Springs Dr., 3br 2bt Condo $1,150 (1-car Garage, Fireplace, Cathedral CIgs., Marble Foyer) 1433 Emerywood Drive 1300 South Blvd., Loft $1,275 Charlotte . NC . 28210 (Open Ceilings w/exposed beams, CA, Hdwd Floors) 704.554.8861 14100 Harlequin, 3br 2.5bt House $1,500 FAX.553.2256 (2-car Garage, Den, Deck, Fenced Yard) Mr. Right? or Air. V\lrong\ Learn how you relate to your mate COMPATABILITY CHARTS Packet of information includes: • How you deal with people • Your outlook on life • Your emotions, intellect, passion, luck, inhibitions, ineffective behavior. Please fortune and have both more!! birthdays, birth times & birthplaces ready Charlotte SinglesLine Listen to our alternative lifestyles voice ads and create your own ad FREE. 536-7222 FREE CALL 24 HOURS glaad notes by The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Hard Copy — “God vs. Gay” The August 20 edition of the tabloid TV news show Hard Copy featured a story on the so-called “ex-gay” group Exodus, entided “God or Gay?” The graphic for the introduction was a photo of Ellen DeGeneres and Anne Heche in the forefront and a picture of a cross in the background. “Now the separation of church and state has been debated for years,” the host says. “Tonight the question is, what role should religion play in sexual preferences? Jody Baskerville reports on the gay or God debate.” While several countering viewpoints are shown, including a psychologist who explains that with so-called “ex-gays,” behavior, not ori- entauon, changes. Hard sensationalizes the story and misleads viewers with the false di chotomy between “God” and “gay.” Painting Christian faith and homosexuality as mutually exclusive, the show fuels the propaganda of anti gay, radical religious groups and ignores the millions of gays and lesbians of faith in America, as well as the growing number of Christian denominations that welcome gay worshipers. Finally, Hard Copy's use of the misnomer “sexual preference” further clouds the issue. Let Hard Copy know that even in the realm of sensational journalism it should not allow itself to serve as a mouthpiece for a radical reli gious group’s anti-gay agenda. Contact: Lisa Gregorisch, Executive Producer, Hard Copy, 5555 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90038; fax: (213) 862-1940; e-mail: hard_copy@pde. paramount.com. Positive youth on TV On September 11, Fox premiered 413 Hope St., a new ensemble-cast drama in which one of the main characters is a black, gay, HIV-posi tive young man. The show revolves around an inner city teen crisis center in New York and, according to the press packet, “focuses on the power of strong relationships, the impact of positive role models and the struggles of mis guided youth, with a sometimes heart-tugging and other times heartwarming message of hope.” Melvin Todd (Karim Prince) is “a young gay man whose unique take on life puts a smile on everyone’s face.” Flamboyant, fierce and compassionate in the premiere episode, Melvin helps a homophobic and hostile HIV-positive young man, Quentin (Stephen Berra), come to terms with himself and the need for support. Show creator and executive producer Damon Wayans, who played one of the two snap queen characters on the “Men on Film” segment of Fox’s In Living Color and was in the abysmally homophobic movie Bulletproof, has managed to create a character that embodies the fabulousness of the “Men on Film” charac ters, but with a greater sense of dignity and humanity, moving far beyond stereotypes. Melvin promises to be one of the most engag ing gay characters on network TV this year. Commend Fox for developing Melvin as a strong and compelling character. Contact: Brett King, Program Director, Fox Broadcasting Company, PO Box 900, Beverly Hills, CA 90213; fax: (310) 369-1433; e-mail: askFox@Foxinc.com. Soap’s mysteiy gender-bender On August 20, a new potentially transgender character showed up on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. The character, Wendy Mer cury, is a bartender at the wild Club Indigo, which is co-owned by RJ Gannon who has “un derworld” ties. In Wendy’s first episode, RJ identifies the character as a man, but no one makes a big deal about Wendy’s female attire. Meanwhile, Wendy seems to potentially be ro mantically interested in district attorney Hank Gannon (RJ’s brother). Wendy is something of a gender enigma, both on the show and to spokespeople from ABC daytime. When GLAAD inquired as to whether Wendy was a transsexual, a transvestite or a drag queen, we found out the character is played by “gender illusionist” Shequida (aka Garry Hall), who performs at Lucky Chang’s in New York. The spokesperson for ABC Daytime was unsure whether “Wendy” was a drag name for a male character or if Wendy was always Wendy, even when not working at the nightclub. When asked, the spokesperson said no decisions had .’been made about Wendy’s sexual orientation. Whatever the case, the fea that daytime tele vision now features a recurring charaaer played by a “gender illusionist” of color is noteworthy and One Life to Live has taken a bold move by choosing to include Wendy without sensation alizing the character. Commend One Life to Live for introducing a trans-character of color and encourage ABC Daytime to develop both Wendy’s gender and sexual identity. Contact: Pat Filikrushel, Presi dent, ABC Daytime, 77 W. 66th Street, New York, NY 10023-6201; fax: (212) 456-2381; e-mail: daytime@abc.com. LA Times tackles gay cruising The August 27 issue of the Los Angeles Times featured an intelligent and thorough article on cruising and public sex between men that could well serve as a model for other media outlets seeking to cover this thorny issue. In “Neigh bors Tackle Gay Cruising,” Bettina Boxall notes that in the Silver Lake community of Los An geles, “Weary of seeing more than they cared to in the shrubbery, of being propositioned on the street, of having to clean up used condoms, residents demanded something be done. A po lice crackdown ensued, largely quieting the scene — but also stirring dissension and com plaints that authorities overreacted.” Boxall notes that residents were harassed by police “in various ways, none of them pleasant,” regard less of what they were doing. “Once again, com plaints were voiced about enforcement of lewd conduct laws, an issue with a long history,” she says. “And beyond that, the controversy spot lighted the centuries-old culture of gay men who are drawn to sexual adventure outside the bedroom.” Rational and objective, Boxall interviewed historians, anthropologists, long-time gay ac tivists, lawyers, neighborhood people, and po lice to flesh out a comprehensive and engaging story about a topic normally highly sensation alized. In doing so, she brings discussion of the issue to public light and articulates that there are many complex factors leading to why pub lic sex exists, why public sex between men is more criticized and attacked by our society, and some of the challenges facing law enforcement in trying to address public sex and cruising. Commend the Los Angeles Times for a truly feir, accurate and inclusive article on a challeng ing topic. Contact: Shelby Coffey, Editor-In- Chief, Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, CA 90053; fax: (213) 237-4712; e-mail: lctters@latimes .com. Hateful commercialism The staunchly anti-gay American Family Association (AFA) recently issued the latest of its quanerly reports on the “Top Sponsors of Pro-Homosexual Primetime Network TV Pro grams.” The group’s current results are based on television programs monitored between March 1 and May 31. Advertisers are ranked according to the number of times they pur chased 30-second commercials during pro grams with any lesbian, gay or bisexual theme. On the basis of this “research,” the AFA has launched a national postcard campaign, target ing the top three “pro-homosexual” sponsors: Unilever, General Motors and Warner-Lambert. The organization has distributed thousands of pre-printed cards, addressed to the heads of each company. For every sponsor, the message is the same: “I was disappointed to see Unilever (GM, Warner Lambert) as a leading advertiser on pro homosexual programs from March 1 - May 31, 1997.1 will consider this the next time I shop.” “Homosexual behavior is immoral and un natural, and often leads to disease and broken lives,” the postcards conclude. “I implore you to carefully choose on what programs you place your advertisements.” Send your own comments to these compa nies and counter the AFA’s misguided cam paign. Contact; Richard Goldstein, President, Unilever United States Inc., 390 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10022-4698; John F. Smith, Chairperson, General Motors Corporation, 3044 W. General Motors Blvd., Detroit, MI 48202-3080; Melvin Goodes, Chairperson, Warner-Lambert Company, 201 Tabor Road, Morris Plains, NJ 07950-2693. The ins and outs of Hlmdom Paramount’s comedy In dr Out began show ing September 19 in movie houses across the country. For those who have yet to see the film, the story begins when a femous actor (Matt Dillon) wins an Oscar and inadvertently outs See GLAAD on page 25
Q-notes (Charlotte, N.C.)
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