APRIL 2, 1999 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

ON THE AIR OFF THE PRESS

Not much reaction to Dawson's Creek teen coming out

by John Graves

Last month, Jack McFee come out as a gay teen on Dawson's Creek, and so did Kevin Williamson, the show's creator and executive director. Williamson says however, that although the show itself is autobiographical, his own experience on coming out to his parents was different from Jack's. Williamson says that when he told his parents he was gay they welcomed him with loving acceptance. Williamson, who didn't come out to the public until last month, said that he hadn't been hiding his sexual orientation but that no one asked him before.

"It's like, who cares?" Williamson said. "I'm a storyteller, and the minute people start reading about my personal life, I think that takes the power away from my storytelling. Whatever help I can bring to the gay evolution I think is best done through my storytelling."

Although a continuing story line about a teenager going through the coming-out process was potentially more controversial than the Ellen show, little has been heard from the anti-gay religious right except for about 30 conservative teens who picketed the studio last month.

Mark Honig, executive director of the conservative media watchdog group, the Parents Television Council, didn't even sound an alarm about the story line saying, “To bring up the fact that there are homosexuals in society is not something to rant and rave about at this time."

A good look at 'ex-gays'

Barry Yeoman takes a critical look at the so-called "ex-gay" movement and the largely discredited "reparative therapy" still practiced by what he terms a "breakaway group of Christian and secular therapists" in the March-April 1999 edition of Psychology Today. His story, "Gay No More?" examines current research and theory about sexual orientation, and the experiences of several people who underwent "reparative therapy" or religious conversion.

Although some of the people interviewed report they are now in heterosexual relationships or no longer experience sex with the same sex, none of them said that attraction toward the same sex was entirely eliminated. In fact, a number found the “reparative therapy" harmful and eventually came to terms with their orientation.

One of the latter, Jallen Rix, a Christian music singer who used to sing for conservative churches, worries about others who feel

DANGERS TOT

DAY

pressured into conformity and denial of their sexual orientation.

"When people say they're happy being married, they're really saying, 'I am acceptable to myself and the people around me. Rix said. "I don't think they'll feel that way in the long run.”

Good advice from a surprising source

A man in just such a situation wrote to "Dear Meg," the advice columnist for the Star supermarket tabloid recently.

"I am a 46-year-old man who has denied his homosexuality for years and has tried to lead an honest, straight life," he wrote. "I'm married to a beautiful loving wife and we have two teenage children. I've been in the closet since, at the age of 20, I realized I was gay.

"Everything was going pretty well until I hit 40, when I began to have thoughts about changing my life. But the guilt I felt at the thought of admitting everything to my wife and family stopped me. Now I'm so miserable it's hell getting through each day. Although I haven't had a boyfriend since college, I now yearn for a relationship with a man.

"My question is: Should I continue in this painful role-playing or follow my heart, confess everything and wreck my family in order to start the life I crave?"

After telling the man she strongly believes he should tell his family the truth, Dear Meg says, "The real tragedy in your story is that so many men your age who are in denial over their sexual orientation tried to make a go of the straight life, only to end up destroying their family in order to start over.

"Today, fortunately, the stigma relating to homosexuality is fading and I pray that one day no gay person will feel obligated to try to lead a life so unnatural to him or her."

Academy Award pre-show

Even though the Academy Awards results were disappointing, Comedy Central gave us our first really gay Oscar pre-show, Frank DeCaro's "Out at the Movies" Fabulous Big 'O' Buffet. DeCaro appears regularly on Comedy Central as the film critic on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

One gay Oscar

Gods and Monsters, this year's gay film in the Academy Awards, won a single Oscar, for Best Adapted Screenplay (from Christopher Bram's novel Father of Frankenstein).

In his acceptance speech, writer-director Bill Condon noted the controversy around

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the Academy's award to director Elia Kazan because of his involvement in Sen. Joe McCarthy's anti-Communist witchhunt in the 1950s. Condon said that Gods and Monsters was also about allowing people to live their lives freely-but he did not say the "G" word. The film's lead character, Frankenstein director James Whale, fell out of favor with Hollywood in the late 1930s and '40s because he refused to hide his homosexuality. Condon, Bram and the film's star, Ian McKellen, are also openly gay.

Monsters wins big at indie awards

Gods and Monsters and its stars lan McKellen and Lynn Redgrave did win big, however, at the Independent Spirit Awards, a ceremony held to honor films produced by independent filmmakers. It was voted Best Picture, and McKellen Best Lead Actor. Redgrave won Best Supporting Ac-

tress.

The awards, hosted by Queen Latifah with a keynote address by gay filmmaker John Waters, also named Ally Sheedy Best Lead Actress.for her portrayal of a lesbian in High Art, by lesbian filmmaker Lisa Cholodenko.

This past Sunday, Sheedy joined Ru Paul, Matt Lauer and other stars for the Tenth Annual Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Media Awards in New York.

By the way, Lynn Redgrave's oldest daughter Kelly, the only one of her three children to go into show business, came out as a lesbian in 1996 and is now expecting twins.

Ellen working on new TV show

Access Hollywood interviewed Ellen DeGeneres and Anne Heche, who were celebrating their second anniversary together at the same place they met and fell in love, the Vanity Fair Academy Awards afterparty. America watched as Ellen lovingly caressed Anne's tummy throughout the interview.

Ellen confirmed she is working a new TV program of her own to air on NBC but says she is leaving the controversy (at ABC) behind.

Besides the just released film EDtv, look for DeGeneres in Goodbye, Lover; due out in April and another upcoming movie, The Love Letter. Ellen is also co-producing the third installment of HBO's If These Walls Could Talk, which will focus on the lives of lesbians. Look for Anne Heche in the upcoming films Trixie and The Third Miracle.

FOR ONE NIGHT EVERY WEEK WE HAD A PLACE TO CALL OUR OWN... WE THE ALTERNATIVES,

UPON ARRIVING I WOULD MOST LY STAND AND WATCH, ARMED WITH A BOTTLE AND A CIGARETTE. MY FRIEND, SHE USUALLY JUMPED OUT THERE RIGHT AWAY. I NEEDED A LITTLE MORE TIME.

Lesbians and gays in showbiz

For a comprehensive review of out lesbians and gays in the entertainment industry and a gay look at the Oscars, pick up the March 30 edition of the Advocate, featuring the E! Channel's entertainment news anchorman Steve Kmetko on the cover.

A good day at work

Sarah Michelle Gellar's Kathryn and Selma Blair's Cecile share what is described as a "long wet kiss" in Cruel Intentions, a 1999 update of film classics Dangerous Liaisons and Valmont.

Actress Selma Blair, talking on-line about the kissing scene which had to be shot three times said, "I'll just say it was one good day at work."

Help them go power mad

Finally, WRUW 91.1 FM, home of Cleveland's Gaywaves radio show, is holding its annual Radiothon fund drive next week. Funds raised help the station buy new equipment to improve broadcast quality, and contributors get valuable premiums in return. Please call the station at 216368-2208 during the week of April 5 to 11. Your pledge will help the non-profit station buy the new equipment needed for an FCCapproved power increase, which will bring Gaywaves to listeners, who have problems receiving us now.

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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