DECEMBER 22, 1995 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE 21

ON THE AIR OFF THE PRESS

P-FLAG, kept off TV, takes its message to print

by John Graves

It was recently reported that anti-gay televangelist Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcast Network has threatened to sue any television station that would air two ads from Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays which link anti-gay rhetoric to antigay violence.

The ads were rejected or pulled early from a number of outlets, including Cable News Network, following a threat from the Christian Broadcasting Network to sue. Robertson, who owns CBN, appears in both ads making anti-gay statements on his 700 Club show.

In response to CBN's coercion, P-FLAG ran a half page ad in USA Today under the headline, "Pat Robertson doesn't want you to hear these hateful words on TV." Under the headline are photos of Robertson, Falwell and Helms accompanied by some of their anti-gay comments. In the ad P-FLAG said that, "Apparently, Robertson and Falwell and their friends see nothing wrong with broadcasting their discriminatory language on their own programs. But they threaten legal action when their words are linked to the climate of intolerance they help create."

The ad concluded by saying, “But the lives of our sons and daughters are at stake, and we will not be silenced. We need to show them that, in America today, their politics of hate hasn't got a prayer. The ad asked readers to call CBN at 804-579-7000 and tell them that they reject their message of intolerance and division. /

P-FLAG also is asking people to support the organization's Project Open Mind, which placed the paid TV and newspaper ads. To find out how you or, especially, your family and friends can help, write to P-FLAG, P.O. Box 96519, Washington, D.C. 20090-6519.

Justine Miceli, who portrays Detective

Adreienne Lesniak, who is just coming out as a lesbian on the ABC police drama NYPD Blue (10 pm Tuesdays), talked about the new focus on her previously background character to USA Today's openly gay TV columnist Matt Roush.

"There's a lot of self-discovery going on and I don't know where the journey is going," Miceli said. "What plays so well is we don't reveal everything at once. At this point, this is what she has told Martinez and Greg. We'll see what happens from there."

Miceli went on to say that she was baffled by the very idea of controversy over the notion of being gay. “It's amazing to me how much an issue it still is. As long as you don't hurt other people, who is anyone to pass judgement?” Miceli said she would just like to see Adrienne happy.

Jessica Hecht, the straight actress who portrays Susan, the lesbian lover of Ross' exwife on the NBC sitcom Friends, was profiled in the December 1 edition of Entertainment Weekly. The article discusses Hecht's worries about how gay viewers would respond to her portrayal of Susan. She was relieved when GLAAD and other gay and lesbian activist groups praised her and costar Jane Sibbett for their positive portrayal of the lesbian couple. Hecht said that, "The producers were extremely clear that no stereotypes should be indicated."

CBS has abruptly cancelled their new courtroom drama Courthouse so, unfortunately, it looks like we'll never see the promised kiss between the lesbian judge and her lover. There was a tender moment, however, when the judge chose not to leave her lover alone in a hotel room when her parents were visiting in order to preserve her closet.

A few weeks ago, it seemed that yet another recurring character in a network sitcom had come out of the closet. It happened on

ABC's Grace Under Fire, Tuesdays at 9 pm. While traveling on vacation together, Grace and her boyfriend accidentally wind up in a gay sports bar they thought was straight. After Grace forces her boyfriend to confront his homophobia, in walks Emmett, Grace's former father-in-law, with his boyfriend.

Emmett reveals that his feelings about men never went away, even after 25 years of marriage, and that in spite of his being gay and in a committed 15-year relationship with his boyfriend, he was not planning to leave his wife whom he still loves. The episode ended in a manner that leaves the viewer with the impression that the storyline will be continued.

To my knowledge, this is the first network series to deal with lesbian or gay people committed to both their straight marriage partners and their same-sex partners. But the producers ended the storyline by having Emmett die of a heart attack a few weeks later, then get outed by a friend at the funeral.

Still no word on when Cleveland's WVIZ Channel 25 will air the gay history miniseries A Question of Equality. Channel 25's Bob Olive said that the series will be broadcast sometime in 1996. I suggested he consider June, to coincide with Pride celebrations around the country, or October, to coincide with National Coming Out Day and National Gay and Lesbian History Month.

J. Edgar Hoover, the late and extremely closeted gay former FBI director who was infamous for his anti-gay public positions, is portrayed as very actively gay in the upcoming film Nixon. In the film, Hoover leers at every young man he sees and, in one scene, uses his teeth to pull a slice of melon from the mouth of a handsome servant. When actor Bob Hoskins, who portrays Hoover, was asked if he thought audiences would be surprised at the portrayal, he replied, "No, not if you know anything

about J. Edgar Hoover. I was going to play him in a pink tutu."

The December 8 edition of People magazine once again honored people in the entertainment industry lost to AIDS. This year, 120 people are honored with pictures and profiles in the article "1995: The Faces of AIDS." A second article, "No Negatives," focuses on Proof Positive, the first modeling agency in the country devoted exclusively to people Living with HIV and AIDS.

There was a very nice, and extensive, series of articles about Angels in America in the Sunday, Dec. 9 Cleveland Plain Dealer. And thanks also to the Plain Dealer and freelance writer Catherine Gilfether for her article on gay parents and families, featuring Cleveland activist Brynna Fish and her son, who had the courage to be interviewed for the article.

The Indigo Girls have just released a new music video, Watershed: 10 Years of Underground Video, now available in video stores. Watershed is a compilation of music videos and concert footage that spans the entire career of the lesbian singing duo.

Lesbian tennis star Martina Navratilova is interviewed in the feature article in the December 12 edition of the Advocate. Other articles focus on openly lesbian polar explorer Ann Bancroft, who was recently inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, New York. Bancroft is one of the athletes profiled in "Women of Adventure," a recent episode of the ESPN sports documentary series Passion to Play.

Hole drummer Patty Schemel is the feature interview in the November-December edition of Deneuve. Singer Jill Sobule, whose song and video "I Kissed a Girl" rose to the top of the charts this year, and Desert of the Heart author Jane Rule are featured in other articles.

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