sequence was filmed the evening of Oct. 19. "We were lied to," said Rene Durazzo, the media coordinator of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.

Earlier in the day, NBC had issued a statement in Burbank stating, "This episode of Midnight Caller has a storyline which is clearly inherently sensitive. As a function of NBC's broadcast standards for such programming, steps were specifically taken to ensure that the portrayal of this storyline be handled responsibly. To that end, medical consultants were utilized. Additionally the program standards policy executives reviewed the script and did ask for and receive changes from the producers. Therefore, it is likely that some of the concerns being raised at this point in time are actually moot because they have already been addressed."

They refused however to identify the medical consultants or give any other information to the press.

That night ACT UP/SF was ready to act and they did. When they reached the Jones and Broadway location they found almost a full block of trucks and equipment. Tracks were laid on the street to carry cameras. There were dozens of technicians and actors. They also saw the facsimile of a dead body lying on a gurney.

At 8:15 p.m. they made their move. One person dashed across the

street and quickly reached for a sound cable. With a flick of the wrist the sound was disconnected. From another area a person ran to another connection and several lights went out. Then almost 50 ACT UP supporters descended on the set.

With whistles blaring and voices screaming, they yelled, "Hell no, Midnight Caller, has got to go." The chants and the screaming continued for almost an hour.

They completely stopped production of the television show. No one could remember anything similar. Motion pictures have not been shut down because of protest actions.

The next day, Oct. 21, Bob Singer, the executive of the series confirmed that the person with the AIDS virus "dies violently, He is shot." He then said, "In our view, the horror is best message against it." Singer explained that this was similar to seeing Jews die in the Holocaust. "When you see that you have to say, 'never again"," he said. "I believe we have a good positive, tough episode. I believe we have done the right thing."

Singer said a change had been made at the conclusion of the show that should appease the show's critics. The change has the Midnight Caller saying, "AIDS is a litmus test for us all. A measure of our decency and our compassion at a time when too much pain has gone around. When there's so

Britt president of S.F. Board

by Lisa M. Keen

San Francisco's only openly gay city supervisor, Harry Britt, was the top vote-getter in that city's Board of Supervisors race. This victory not only puts Britt back on the Board for a third four-year term, but makes him president of the 11-member legislative body.

Britt, who was appointed to the Board in 1978 after Supervisor Harvey Milk was assassinated, won 102,681 votes to come in first in a field of 24 candidates vying for six seats. In his last re-election bid, Britt came in

fourth out of 29 candidates running for six seats.

And, as icing on the cake for Britt's victory, which San Francisco activists consider a landmark, city voters easily defeated a referendum sought by conservatives to limit the supervisors to two terms. Had the measure passed, Britt would have had to resign his newly acquired title and seat next year. ▼

Reprinted with permission from The Washington Blade.

Pro-gay senator defeated

by Lisa M. Keen

Sen. Lowell Weicker (RConn) was defeated November 8 by Connecticut Attorney General Joe Lieberman, a Democrat, by a 10,000 vote margin out of more than 1.3 million votes.

The three-term senator has been an outspoken defender of the gay community on a Senate floor that has become increasingly hostile to gays in recent months. He is one of only two Republican senators to co-sponsor the gay rights bill and one of only two members of Congress to earn a perfect mark from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force for his votes on issues of interest to gays.

"In the minds of the rank and file Republicans," said Human Rights Campaign Fund spokesman Robert Bray, "he was just too progressive." HRCF pumped the legal maximum, $10,000, into Weicker's re-election campaign and considered his race the

key contest in this election because, as Bray put it, "Weicker is irreplaceable to the gay community."

Bray, noting that other progressive Republicans who are supportive of gay issues won re-election, said he believes Weicker's loss is due more to overall progressive stand on a range of issues rather than specifically for his support on gay and AIDSrelated matters.

Jeff Levi, NGLTF executive director, said he believes Weicker's successor will vote "the right way" on AIDS issues. But, like Bray, Levi stressed that the gay community has "lost an incredible advocate and leader" in the Senate.

"I can't see anyone taking his place," said Levi.

The 73 other co-sponsors of the federal gay-rights bill in the House and Senate were re-elected.▼

Excerpted with permission from The Washington Blade.

December, 1988

much good still to be done. Sometimes we lose sight of that truth. Those times when we blame AIDS on one man, or condemn a whole community for past sins and the transgressions of a handful of its citizens."

The next Monday, Oct. 24, the producers went to court and were suc cessful in obtaining a restraining order which would prohibit demonstrators from getting within 100 feet of the filming of the show. Attorney John Wahl, who represents the two people who were served, said that there were some serious questions whether the restraining order would be valid as issued. At the same time, he said that the order, as stated, might be sufficient for the police to act and possibly arrest any person who demonstrated.

There are estimates that shutting down production of the film may have cost the producers over $100,000 for just one night.

On Oct. 25 a conference call was held between gay and lesbian activists across the country and representatives from both NBC and Lorimar Pictures. Following that call, Lorimar Pictures issued a statement. "Today, after a great deal of thought, many internal discussions and a lot of soul searching, we have decided to rewrite the ending... The fundamental change will be that the antagonist will not be shot and killed. It was never our intention to visit pain or discomfort on any group."

But that statement clearly did not satisfy activists.

"I think that we have to be highly suspect at this point, in terms of what they are going to do," Rene Durazzo, media coordinator of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. "We can't be naive to think that by making agreements with us they are necessarily

GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

Page 7

going to follow them. I think at this point we have to be skeptical of what they agree to."

William Gersten with ACT UP/SF agreed. "They told us they weren't going to film the murder scene, then they film the murder scene. They said the guy isn't going to be killed, and then he's wrapped up on a gurney like a corpse. Now we don't know whether to believe them or not because they have lied to us before."

In Los Angeles, ACT UP/LA member Connie Norman said that the episode still has the person as a "hopeless, lost, depressed and lonely individual." She said that ACT/UP is still not satisfied.

That evening a rally was held on the steps of San Francisco's City Hall. From there, over 200 people went to the Midnight Caller set where production had resumed and shut them down again.

It appears that the activists' continued skepticism of the show's content may be justified.

A person involved with the production, who spoke only under condition of anonymity said on Oct. 26, that the changes thus far are only "cosmetic." The source said that the basic premise has not changed, the man is still a bisexual knowingly spreading the virus and appears to deserve to get murdered.

Many of those protesting the episode by Lorimar were aware that eight years ago the company generated a great deal of controversy when they released the anti-gay film, "Cruising," starring Al Pacino.

Further protest actions across the country are being planned against NBC and Lorimar.

Reprinted with permission of The News, Los Angeles.

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