0laad notes
by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance
Against Defamation
RuPaul turns 100
RuPaul, the fierce drag diva of late-night talk
TV, soon will conclude the current season of
The RuPaul Show on VHl, marking 100 epi
sodes of the often outrageous and funny gabfest.
As of now, VHl has not renewed the show for
another year. Since premiering Oct. 12, 1996,
the show has welcomed an eclectic mix of
guests, including Cher, Dennis Rodman,
Charo, Whoopi Goldberg, Joan Rivers, Nell
Carter, Sandra Bernhard and k.d. lang.
Throughout the past two years. The RuPaul
Show has seen the host reveal his more fabu
lous side, with the biting humor of a drag
queen, his open expression of his sexual orien
tation and a strong sense of camp. But, com
passion also has been displayed in episodes, in
cluding one entitled “The Family Show,” in
which Ru featured footage from'his family’s
reunion and interviewed his three sisters. That
episode was nominated for a 1998 GLAAD
Media Award. By continuing to produce and
air The RuPaul Show,lVH 1 has demonstrated a
commitment to the GLBT community and has
sent a message saying that its issues are to be
openly celebrated and explored. Through its
efforts, television has become more educational,
engaging and entertaining.
Tell VHl how much you value The RuPaul
Show and encourage the network to renew the
show. Contact: John Sykes, President, VHl,
1515 Broadway, New York, NY 10036; fax:
(212) 258-7955; e-mail: shows@vhl.com
(write “The RuPaul Show” in the subject line).
Whose family?
What, precisely, is a “typical American fam
ily — and how do you get its members to
watch television together? According to the St.
Petersburg Times’ Eric Deggans, the answer
could spell the difference between success and
failure for two new multi-million-dollar TV
networks. The new networks are Pax TV and
Fox Family Channel, both of which began
broadcasting last month. Pax TV is the $500
million creation of Christian media mogul and
Home Shopping Network founder Lowell
“Bud” Paxson; the Fox venture used to be Pat
Robertson’s Family Channel. Pax TV — origi
nally called Pax Net — encountered contro
versy when it ran an ad in some national pub
lications stating, “Some so-called creative people
seem to be using what was once the family view
ing hour to peddle every kind of alternative lan-
gq^ge and lifestyle to our kids.” In addition,
Deggan writes that Pax TV promotional con
sultant Steve Sohmer said in regard to the phrase
“alternative lifestyle” meaning “gay,” “I did not
know...that those words together were a buzz
word.” The San Francisco Chronicle reported
that Sohmer had said, “When I wrote that, I
was thinking about the subject of casual sex.
That’s exactly what I was writing about.”
But “many critics didn’t buy his explana
tion,” states Deggans. Pax TV’s schedule “re
veals series that seem overwhelmingly devoted
to the old-style, Eurocentric definition of a
nuclear family — leaving open the question of
whether interracial families, gay families, mi
nority families and immigrant families will find
their values reflected in Pax TV’s vision of
American family values.” According to Pax TV’s
website, its line-up does include a number of
historically lesbian- and gay-inclusive programs,
including Touched by an Angel and Dr. ^inn,
Medicine Woman, which have each featured
episodes which include gay male characters.
Deggans lasers in on concerns about the new
network’s inclusiveness. He questions whether
Pax TV will present a bleached and constricted
image of the American family to the public.
Gonvey to the St. Petersburg Times the im
portance of Deggans’ thorough reporting and
his identification of potential concerns. Con
tact: Neil Brown, Managing Editor, St. Peters
burg Times, PO Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL
33731; fax: (813) 893-8675; e-mail:
letters@sptimes.com.
Mother love
Knight-Ridder and Miami Herald colum
nist Leonard Pitts, Jr. devoted his Aug. 29 col
umn to responding to a NC mother of a gay
son. She had written complaining that Pitts’
recent criticism of extremists’ “recruit and cure”
ad campaign made it “easier for my son to con
vince himself even more [that] he is gay. My
son is a very confused young man who has al
lowed Satan to rule his life right now.” Pitts’
reply: “It sounds like you did a great job of rais
ing him. I imagine that you kissed a lot of
skinned knees and tended more than one fever
— and loved him helplessly. Now there’s this.
And you’re frightened. But you know what?
Your son probably is too. I don’t know about
‘confused,’ though. Indeed, this might be the
first time in his life that he isn’t con^sed.”
Pitts writes that although scientists have
reached no conclusive verdict on the origins of
homosexuality, “I don’t recall ‘choosing’ to be
heterosexual. Do you?” Addressing the mother’s
concerns about her son’s religious status, he
writes, “So many people claim to know the
mind of God, but the funny thing is, everyone
who invokes His name seems to be thinking of
something different.” He concludes, “We
choose the God we need. Mother. If I were you.
I’d choose the one that allowed me to meet my
child where he is and love him helplessly, still.”
Pitts’ column is a balm of compassion that
rinses away a mother’s seeming homophobia
to disclose the fear underneath — and suggests
a way of thinking and being that might help all
parents accept their children’s sexual orienta
tions.
Thank Leonard Pitts, Jr. for his words of
eloquence and common sense. Also, thank the
Miami Herald for running the column. Con
tact: Leonard Pitts, Jr., Social Issues Colum
nist, Knight-Ridder/Tribune Information Ser
vices, 790 National Press Building, Washing
ton, DC 20045-1701; fax: (202) 393-2460;
Brad Lehman, Editorial Page Editor, Miami
Herald, One Herald Plaza, Miami, FL 33132-
1693; fax: (305) 376-8950; e-mail:
HeraldEd@herald.com.
Biasbusters
Robert and Daniel were childhood best
friends in the dusty California farm town of
Ceres. That was before Robert, now 18, an
nounced two years ago that he’s gay. However,
in the October issue of Teen People magazine,
Daniel tells writer Suzanne Marmion, “I really
don’t like him that much.” Such reactions
prompted Robert and his close friend Jillian
Sutherlin to lobby and finally win school offi-
See GLAAD on page 21
Q-Notes T September 19, 1998 V PAGE 5
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