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GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE MARCH 20, 1998
ON THE AIR OFF THE PRESS
In 75 years of history, no 'Time' for gays and lesbians
by John Graves and Doreen Cudnik Apparently, the struggle of gays and lesbians to achieve equal rights and the global AIDS pandemic, which has left millions dead and countless others living with HIV, were not significant enough to warrant even a mention in the 75th anniversary special issue of Time magazine. The March 9 issue claims to tell the story of the last three-quarters of a century of history.
No coverage was given to the Stonewall Riots, recognized as the symbolic kick-off of the modern gay and lesbian civil rights movement-not surprising, though, since Time and other media outlets gave little if any coverage to gay issues in those years. More disturbing is the way Time deals with recent years, when gay, lesbian and AIDS issues have certainly shared the spotlight.
In the section titled "Comeback" covering the years 1980-1989, neither gay issues nor AIDS is ever mentioned in any of the sections from "Nation" to "World." In a section titled "Milestones," Elizabeth Taylor's divorces are mentioned, while the death of actor Rock Hudson considered a historical marker in the country's understanding of AIDS—goes ignored.
The section titled "Transformation" covering the years 1989-1998 again ignores the impact of AIDS on millions of people as well as the advent of protease inhibitors. Yet the Heaven's Gate cult story about the suicide of 39 people gets space. "Seinfeld Calls it Quits" gets a mention, but Ellen DeGeneres and her "Yep,I'm Gay" Time cover gets hardly a mention, with the exception of being listed as the tenth "heaviest reader mail" generated in Time's history. While DeGeneres is mentioned in a footnote as one of nine "female cover subjects in 1997," the issue did not appear among the 92 past covers which make up the cover of the anniversary issue.
Joan Garry of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance
GAR PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE
Against Defamation said that the media watchdog organization is dismayed by Time's "skewed perspective on history" in particular their silence on AIDS.
"This disease has transformed the world in countless ways during the 1980s and 1990s," Garry said. "We urge Time to publicly account for these glaring omissions. We expect more from one of the most important news magazines of the century."
Gay activist Larry Kramer expressed his disgust with the snub in a letter to the editor of Time.
Kramer wrote: "It's a pretty good trick to publish a 200-page anniversary issue, covering seventy-five years, and to not once include any of the following words: gay, homosexual, lesbian, AIDS. Congratulations on yet again not representing the real world."
Good cop, bad lieutenant
The saga of the gay cop continues on Brooklyn South as a viciously homophobic Internal Affairs lieutenant has returned to harass the precinct, which he thinks is morally bankrupt and overrun with gays and gay sympathizers. Lately, the lieutenant has been trying to frame the desk sergeant because the sergeant, and most of the precinct staff, had stood up for their gay colleague. Brooklyn South airs on CBS Monday nights at 10 pm.
Who gets to play Sappho?
According to a report in TV Guide, Xena: Warrior Princess star Lucy Lawless, aware of the show's devoted lesbian following, is thrilled that lesbian singing star k.d. lang wants to guest star in an upcoming episode. Lang, however, will not play Sappho, the famous lesbian poet of ancient Greek history. It seems Sappho is already in an upcoming episode where she gets a crush on Gabrielle. Who does play Sappho? Why, none other than Lucy Lawless herself-of course!
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Crush on Cruise
Promising young actor Johnathon Schreck, star of the film Hush, said something surprising to Rosie O'Donnell when he was a guest on her show recently. Noting O'Donnell's very public attraction to actor Tom Cruise, Schreck remarked, "So you have a crush on Tom Cruise. Well, so do lever since I was a small boy."
Rosie, of course, immediately dumped this into her all-encompassing closet and showed absolutely no reaction to Schreck's
announcement.
Buck Harris has new show
Buck Harris; the host of The Gay '90s, a live, gay call-in show on Cleveland's WERE1300 AM Sundays at 7 pm has brand-new, entertainment review show, The Buck Stops Here. Listeners can hear Harris' new show on WERE, Thursdays from 3 to 4 pm.
One of the hosts of The Direct Source, a talk show airing on the same station immediately after Harris's new show, has a really bad case of homophobia. Listener Dave Haskell called the show when the discussion turned to a New Jersey court's ruling against the Boy Scouts' ban on gays. When Haskell offered an opinion favorable of the ruling, Direct Source co-host Erica Stephens went ballistic with an ignorant, over-emotional negative reaction to the idea of gays as Scout leaders and teachers.
"She lost it and seemed irrationally fearful of the idea, and finally cut off all discussion of the topic," Haskell said. He added that the show's other hosts are definitely not homophobic.
Jodie Foster is expecting
Two-time Oscar winner Jodie Foster is expecting a baby in September, according to a March 5 report by syndicated gossip columnist Liz Smith.
Smith said that the 35-year-old actress broke the news to her at a celebrity-studded dinner celebrating Time magazine's 75th anniversary, held March 3.
Foster told the columnist, "Yes, I'm pregnant. I couldn't be happier," but declined to discuss "the father, the method or anything of that nature." The actress also said she plans to be a single mom.
Rumors that Foster is a lesbian have swirled around the actress for years. In an unautho-
rized biography published last year, Foster's brother wrote of his assumption that his sister was gay, but closeted for professional reasons, and of their childhood being raised by their mother and her female partner.
Lesbian-obsessed radio shock-jock Howard Stern, accepting an award at the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards March 10, joked that he was the father of Foster's baby.
Foster is currently busy producing a movie titled The Baby Dance.
Heche's co-star is supportive
Ellen DeGeneres' partner Anne Heche talks about her relationship with DeGeneres in a sensitive interview in the March edition of Life magazine. The interview is accompanied by Heche's favorite picture of America's most visible lesbigay couple.
Also, in a recent interview in USA Today, Heche talked about how supportive her 6 Days, 7 Nights co-star Harrison Ford has been since she came out days after she was cast for the film.
"He was a champion, saying, 'I don't care what her sexuality is. This is who I want; she's the best for the role'." Heche said. I think after he said that, everyone else said, 'We think that too'."
The film's director, Ivan Reitman, has apparently overcome his nervousness at having an openly lesbian actress in a heterosexual leading role. Reitman now said, "The footage between the two of them is spectacular. There's a heat between them-I see it and they feel it. You can't fake that kind of chemistry. I think Anne will be a revelation."
Lead singer is doing better
Holly Johnson, the openly gay and HIVpositive lead singer of the pop group Frankie Goes to Hollywood, recently told Entertainment Weekly that his health has improved 100% in the past 18 months thanks to new AIDS treatments. According to the article, Johnson is currently working on Soulstream, a retrospective solo album he is recording in the studio in the London home he shares with Wolfgang Kuhle, his manager and partner of 13 years.
John Graves is the producer and host of Gaywaves, a lesbian-gay public affairs show on Cleveland's WRUW 91.1 FM Fridays at 7 pm. Dave Haskell, Jim McGrattan and Kim Jones also contributed to this column.
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