GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE SECTION B

Evenings Out

n The Life, television's only continuing series devoted to les life, returns this fall with an all-new entertaining and lively half-hour p spotlighting comedy, music, politic and a full range of gay and lesbian

"Increasingly and happily, America is waking up to the fact that gays and lesbians are part of the fabric of life in this country," notes John Scagliotti, creator and executive producer of In The Life. "In the new season we want viewers to see that the community has many facets-and many faces—and that they're all playing a part in helping to shape mainstream styles, attitudes, arts, and politics. We continue to be extremely grateful for the grassroots financial support our series receives from individual In The Life members nationwide.” The series' new season, featuring eight new episodes, will include wideranging magazine formats as well as shows devoted to one topic or idea. While keeping its entertaining mix of music and mirth (last season featured Liza Minnelli, Lily Tomlin, and Joel Grey), the series also takes on some of the vital issues and new ideas that are of concern to the gay and lesbian community.

October Program

The season opener, premiering in October on public television stations, celebrates "Gay Pride Great Performances," with a line-up of some of the best musical and comedy performances from gay pride celebrations held across the country this past summer. In Cleveland, the show will broadcast on WVIZ, Channel 25. at 11:30 pm on Sunday, October 17. No broadcast time has been announced for Columbus. Contact the station to request that they air the program.

Musical guests on the fast-paced show, which was taped everywhere from Seattle to San Francisco, and from New York to Northampton, include singersongwriter. Janis lan, who performs her hit "At Seventeen"; playwright Harvey Fierstein and jazz great Diane Schuur, performing Cole Porter songs with the Seattle Men's Chorus; the self-proclaimed "white trash countrygospel duo Y`All; and singer Jimmy Somerville, best known for his work with the British pop band Bronski Beat.

"Gay Pride Great Performances" is hosted by high-energy, "in-yourface" comic Lea Del arta, who serves as a roving reporter. capturing the color and excitement of gay pride parades and celebrations across the country: talking with people about what gay pride means to them; and visiting the site of "Stonewall" in New York's Greenwich Village, where gay and lesbian pride was born. DeLaria, who recently co-emceed the historic gay and lesbian March on Washington, broke new ground when she appeared last spring on the Arsenio Hall Show the first openly gay comic on a late-night talk show.

November Program

November's In The Life offering is "School's OUT! Lesbian and Gay Youth," an overview of the challenges facing gay and lesbian teenagers and emerging special programs available to them. Performer Karen Williams hosts the program, which features interviews at New York City's Hetrick-Martin Institute (which created the historic Harvey Milk School for gay and lesbian teens) with administrators who talk about bashings and harassment young gays receive and the ground-breaking recreational programs and counseling now available to them.

Also featured are "peer educators" who work with high-schoolers on issues of homophobia: a gay teacher who speaks of the dilemmas facing gay educators when they see gay and lesbian kids in need of emotional and spiritual support: performances and reminiscences by the gay music duo Romanovsky and Phillips; and excerpts from films, videos, and theater pieces addressing the concerns of young gays and lesbians and their parents.

"School's OUT! Lesbian & Gay Youth" also provides a new element of In The Life programs the "Fact File" with news for viewers relevant to the show topic. Among statistics revealed in the program:

● Half of all lesbian-gay youth interviewed (in "Male Homosexuality: The Adolescent's Perspective") report that their parents rejected them due to their sexual orientation.

There are more than 170 organizations nationwide dealing with lesbian, gay and bisexual youth (per Hetrick-Martin Institute).

45 percent of gay males and 20 percent of lesbians experience verbal or physical assault in high school; 28 percent of these youths are forced to drop out because of anti-gay harassment (from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force "Anti Gay-Lesbian Victimization" study). ▼

Lea DeLaria

PHOTO:J.M. Flaherty