16 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE APRIL 2, 1999

EVENINGS OUT

TV show takes a look at gay and lesbian travel

by John Catania

In its April-May episode, In the Life, America's bimonthly gay and lesbian newsmagazine series, takes an in-depth look at gay and lesbian travel, a group of lesbian homebuilders, and what it's like to be both gay and hearing-impaired.

The first segment in this episode, titled "Not in our port!" examines one of the fastest growing parts of the booming gay travel industry, the cruise ship holiday.

tory incidents in the Bahamas and Costa Rica.

In response, the International Lesbian and Gay Travel Association-which associates with most major cruise lines, airlines, and rental car companies has begun an effort with the Human Rights Campaign and the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association to raise awareness about anti-gay sentiment at certain travel destinations. This story is an update on the gay travel industry which finds itself at a cross-

JOHNNY SIMMONS

Margarita Suarez, left, and Amanda Centeno work to rebuild women's hurricane-destroyed homes in Nicarauga.

Last year the industry hit some rough waters when an Atlantis ship was denied access to a dock at the Cayman Islands solely because the passengers were gay. This was followed by similar discrimina-

roads where pleasure

meets politics.

on

The next segment, "Bali-Paradise Earth," takes a look at a destination that gay men and lesbians are traveling to with greater frequency-Bali, a mostly Hindu island and the cultural jewel of Indonesia.

Some players in Bali's travel industry, reeling from bad press due to political upheaval in Indonesia that has been mostly confined to other islands, want to make sure that gay and lesbian travelers keep on coming.

In March of last year a group of gay journalists were invited by the Four Seasons Hotels in Bali and Cathay Pacific Airlines to hear why gays and lesbians will not only love, but feel completely at ease with their gayness in Bali.

In "Up, up, and away or awry?,” In the Life examines the airline industry.

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IN THE LIFE

Robert Rourke, left, and Edward Aldrich live as a couple in both deaf and hearing worlds: Rourke is hearing impaired while Aldrich is not. Both of their Dalmatians are deaf.

Millions of airline trips are taken by gay travelers every year and, as far as treatment of gay people at 35,000 feet, it seems that most of those trips go on without incident. But a question that has been brewing is whether the gay traveler should take note of an airlines policies beyond the usual concerns of price and general service.

From a heated court case in San Francisco involving 23 airlines to one mans complaint in Atlanta, gay organizations, newspapers, and individuals are asking the gay the lesbian community to take note of the internal policies of America's largest airlines. Can the gay consumer sort all this out, and is it fair to the airline industry?

"On the High Seas" looks at Rock the Boat, a new documentary about ten HIVpositive men (plus one filmmaker) who sailed a racing sloop 2,200 miles in the 1997 Trans-Pacific Yacht Race, known as TransPac.

This true tale, shot largely at sea by Bobby Houston and Robert Hudson, is a thrilling and inspiring chronicle of the voy-. age of the sloop Survivor. The names of loved ones lost to AIDS were painted on the hull of the boat, both as a remembrance and as a calling for their spirits to watch over the crew's safety.

"I believe this race was keeping people alive," Hudson says in the segment. “You've got to want to live to live."

"The Condega Homemakers Project" is a feature about this grass-roots women's group which is helping rebuild women-owned houses in Condega, Nicaragua, a city devastated by Hurricane Mitch. The project assists single, divorced or widowed women who might not otherwise qualify for housing relief aid.

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Both in the U.S. and in Nicaragua, the leaders of this effort of women helping women rebuild their lives are lesbian. This segment highlights activists like Margarita Suarez in the U.S. and Amanda Centeno in TELL THE TRUTH PICTURES

Mike Burelle, at the wheel, with Dennis Boecker aboard the Survivor.

Nicaragua who are making a difference.

"To be gay and hearing impaired” introduces viewers to two couples who know the challenges of being both gay and hearing impaired. In one couple, both partners are deaf. In the other, one is deaf and one is hearing. What they all have to say about the many worlds they inhabit-the hearing, the deaf, and the gay communities—may surprise us.

Through Candace McCullough and her partner Sharon Dechesneau, and Robert Rourke and his partner Edward Aldrich, this segment explores issues such as parenting, prejudice and identity through the eyes and insight of those who are hearing impaired. We also meet the two dalmatians of one couple, both of which are deaf and respond to sign language.

In the Life will air on Tuesday, April 6 at midnight on WNEO-WEAO channels 45 and 49 in Akron, Youngstown and Alliance, which is also seen on most Cleveland area cable systems. WPTD channel 16 in Dayton airs the show Saturday, April 3 at 11 pm, and WQLN channel 54 in Erie, Pa. will air the show month later, at midnight on Sunday, May 9. A complete list of airdates and more information can be found on the Internet at www.inthelifetv.org.

John Catania is the director of communications for In the Life.