MAY 1, 1998 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

EVENINGS OUT

A straight woman, a gay man and a baby-the old way

by Harriet L. Schwartz

Hollywood will have finally arrived when the story of two gay men and a baby hits the big screen. While that day is not today, cable's Lifetime channel takes viewers one step closer with Labor of Love, a made for television movie about a single heterosexual woman and a single gay man who decide to have a baby together.

First airing May 4 at 9 pm, Labor of Love tells the story of Annie Pines (Marcia Gay Harden) and Mickey Wister (David Marshall Grant), the most unconventional couple this side of the networks. At age 36, Annie wants desperately to have a child, though she still hasn't met the man of her dreams. Mickey is coming off a difficult break-up and the disap-

pointment of being prohibited, as a gay man, from adopting a child. Best friends since art school, Annie and Mickey decide to have a baby together.

Grant, who fans will remember from the hit TV show thirtysomething, co-starred with Harden in the Broadway run of Tony Kushner's Pulitzer prize winning play, Angels in America. He believes the movie will send an important message to the gay and lesbian community.

"I hope it encourages gay men and women to continue their search for families," says Grant, who is openly gay. "As we've watched gayness become more and more incorporated into our society as a whole over the years, I think we've kind of reached an important threshold and that is whether or not

Kate Winslet may play a lesbian in new film

The National Enquirer reported recently that Titanic star Kate Winslet is taking a serious look at a script that would have her starring as a lesbian. The script, written by biographer Martyn Shallcross, is based on the real-life 1930s lesbian love affair between Rebecca author Daphne Du Maurier and actress Gertrude Lawrence.

Shallcross, who has already staged a theater production of the story, said, “I have spoken to Kate about it and she's very interested. She was surprisingly knowledgeable about Daphne and especially impressed by her ability to attract immense audiences." He added, "The love scenes between Daphne and Gertrude will be very tastefully handled." Never too young to accessorize

Teletubbies, the British imported television show for toddlers that made its debut on PBS in April, is the last place most people would look for any challenges of gender norms. But, as the Miami Herald reported April 12, "there's a mini revolution contained in the kiddie show."

Each cute, unintelligible character on theshow has a favorite item: Laa-Laa has her ball, Po has her scooter, Dipsy has his hat, and Tinky Winkywell, he has his red patent-leather purse. No wonder some conservative groups are worried about the show.

"There isn't a boy on the planet who hasn't picked up his grandma's purse and carried it around," itsy bitsy Entertainment president Kenn Viselman told the Herald. (Itsy bitsy produces Teletubbies)."It's saying, 'It's okay to carry a bag. The idea is to break down stereotypes."

Village Voice columnist Michael Musto called Tinky Winky's fashion statement "the next step after [Sesame Street's allegedly gay couple] Bert and Ernie."

"Tinky Winky is out and proud," Musto said. "It's a great message to kids-not only that it's okay to be gay, but the importance of being well accessorized."

Ellen finale set for May 15

After months of speculation, ABC announced April 23 that they will not bring the sitcom Ellen back for another season. That` announcement followed an April 15 statement from ABC in which they said they will not air two of the three newly taped episodes remaining from this season. The network will, however, air the star-studded season finale. The final, hour-long show will air on Wednesday, May 13.

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, who for months has worked to with ABC to get them to stand behind the show, expressed shock at the network's decision.

"For months ABC has claimed that they stand behind the show," said GLAAD executive director Joan M. Garry. "If this is how they support their programming, it is certainly a unique approach.'

"Ellen has served as a lifeline for our community, especially for the nation's gay and lesbian youth," Garry added. "[The show] will be sorely missed."

ABC said the decision not to air the two episodes is a result of the ratings success of Ellen's midseason replacement, Two Guys, A Girl, and a Pizza Place. The new show has consistently outperformed Ellen's average in the 9:30 pm time slot, and has been able to hold on to more of Drew Carey's 9 pm viewers, many of them men. Ellen DeGeneres expressed disappointment about the cancellation to Daily Variety but said: "Look for me in my new sitcom, 'Two Girls, a Horse and Some Wine Coolers.'

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ABC added that they may decide to show the two unaired episodes sometime during the

summer re-run season.

Compiled from wire reports by Doreen Cudnik.

CITY GARDENER

& FLORIST

gay men and women can legitimately lay claim to the notion of family."

"Family is a God-given right, a God-given need," Grant continued. "I think we as individuals long for family, long for connection and I think that society has done everything in its power to deny gay men and women that luxury, that right."

While Labor of Love may challenge the beliefs of some viewers opposed to gay men and lesbians parenting children, the film may also challenge some in the queer community.

LIFETIME

Marcia Gay Harden and David Marshall Grant portray a straight woman and a gay man who decide to have a child together.

Grant's character decides he wants to conceive the baby naturally, rather than through artificial insemination. Mickey says he wants to "be there" for the entire process of having the baby. Some viewers will be touched by Mickey's commitment, others may struggle with his decision to have sex with a woman. Grant says that reaction wouldn't surprise him, yet he would find it ironic. "Gay men and women have been, in our history, so labeled, so stigmatized, so stereotyped, so limited by definition, that it seems to me astonishing that anyone in the community would want to stereotype or -limit their own,” he said. “Sexuality is a spectrum and the idea that if you're a gay man, that there might be something potentially politically-incorrect about sleeping with a woman-I just don't understand that. For a gay person to judge another gay

person's sexual behavior, is for me astonishingly illogical. We're sitting here trying to make society more tolerant of different ways of loving."

Annie and Mickey's decision to conceive the baby the conventional way provides Labor of Love with one of several twists that gives the film depth and complexity while helping it to avoid becoming preachy. While some viewers would be pleased with a neat and clean happy ending, Labor of Love does not conclude so simply. Unresolved questions remain, leaving the viewer to consider her or his own assumptions about parenting, friendship, love, and commitment.

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