GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE December 10, 1999

on the airoff the press

Former TV Guide CEO is now co-chair of GLAAD

by John Graves

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation has elected current board member David H. Steward, former president and chief executive officer of TV Guide, as cochair of its board of directors.

Steward guided TV Guide through its transition from a digest-sized magazine to a multi-format entertainment information source. He joins Gene Falk, a GLAAD cochair since 1997, and replaces outgoing cochair Steven J. Weissman, who will remain on GLAAD's board for another two-year term.

Falk, who has served on GLAAD's national board since its inception in 1994, is a senior vice president at Showtime. Previously, he held senior marketing and sales positions at Showtime's direct-to-home and pay-per-view units and at HBO, and has been an advocate for lesbian and gay issues in the workplace.

"David's experience not only in gay and lesbian issues but also with print media will be a perfect match with Gene Falk's background and electronic media interests as board co-chairs," said GLAAD executive director Joan M. Garry. "David and Gene will pro-

called the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at the time, they were told that the paper had not found any factual basis for the rumors.

According to Dan Green; teen editor of "Next," the Cleveland Plain Dealer's weekly section for teenagers; Roda began his on-air homophobic attack of Stewart right after the

female audience now and wanted to attract more women to the show.

She did so by personally autographing show posters featuring her picture, and having them distributed at lesbian bars throughout New York City.

Browns' November 14 victory over PittsWorkplace diversity magazine debuts

burgh.

Green said that Korda told listeners, "Maybe Kordell was distracted by the Browns linemen" and began to repeatedly say Stewart's name in a mocking, high-pitched voice which was picked up by some of the callers to his show.

In his "Sports Spin" column in Next, Green commented, "The Road Man has been a vital and well-respected cog in Cleveland sports talk for much of the '90s. It's a shame to see someone with such a potent voice spitting out lame, derogatory drivel and fueling homophobic fires. Memo to Roda: Stewart did play a putrid game, but come on, lay off the guy's personal life. Save the vulgar ‘smack' for gum flappers like Howard Stern-you're better than that."

Way to go Dan, I wish more people would stand up to homophobia like that.

Look for the new American Diversity magazine wherever you pick up free publications. Published in Columbus, the tabloid-sized magazine says it is a bi-weekly publication that highlights employment opportunities around the state, along with news and information on career development.

The magazine says that it is "committed to promoting diversity in the workplace with articles on successful companies building diversity, and individuals from diverse backgrounds having a positive impact in business."

American Diversity's November 29 issue featured a three-page World AIDS Day roundup, including a piece on Avert, a British AIDS educational and research trust, a full page review of the film Boys Don't Cry. and a story about Graham Van Keuren, an openly gay New Jersey man who was ruled to be eligible to become a minister by a

vide vision and leadership for GLAAD's Sheedy brings women to B'way show governing synod of the Presbyterian Church

ongoing strategic planning.”

Trash talking on the air

Kenny Roda, better known as the "Road Man" on his sports talk show on WKNR 1220 AM in Cleveland, has been making homophobic comments about Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kordell Stewart recently.

Rumors about Stewart's sexual orientation were bandied about in Pittsburgh last year, but when my editorial assistants and friends Dave Haskell and Jim McGrattan

Bisexual actress Ally Sheedy talks about her lesbian mom, her critically acclaimed role in the tragic lesbian love story High Art and her current role as a transsexual in the Broadway play Hedwig and the Angry Inch in the December 7 issue of the Advocate.

In the article, Sheedy talks about how she "changed the sexual orientation of the audience" of Hedwig, which heretofore had been heavily gay male, "in one run.” Sheedy, who broke new ground by replacing a male actor in the role, says she is really in tune with a

(USA).

Another article talked about Columbus mom Marge Montgomery, who set up the Michaelhouse Christmas Foundation Fund to support agencies that address AIDS-related causes in honor of her son, Michael Edward Pryor, gifted, young AfricanAmerican pianist who died from AIDS complications in 1997.

If you can't find American Diversity, look for it on the Internet at www.american diversity.com.

CAMEL LIGHTS

Ten celebs share the joy of being out

Ten openly lesbian and gay celebrities talk of the peace, happiness and success they found after coming out to the world in the December-January issue of Teen People magazine. The eight-page story, “Out of the Dark," featured the Indigo Girls, Dan Pinatauro, Kevin Williamson, Rudy Galindo, Wilson Cruz, Stephen Gately, Rupert Everett, Anne Heche and Chastity Bono.

Seven young people living with AIDS talk about how they cope with the disease in their lives in "The Faces of AIDS," another article featured on the magazine's cover.

I'll have to start checking this magazine more often: the "Write On!" page contained a letter from Katy Bigam of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio praising Teen People for "Happy Together," an October article on lesbigay couples, and the results of the magazine's online survey on homophobia.

Of the nearly 1,500 people who logged on to respond to the survey, 74% believe that attitudes in the home influence a person's feeling on homosexuality. An overwhelming 90% believe that being gay has absolutely no impact on a person's ability to be a good Boy Scout, but only 10% felt their schools were open and tolerant toward LGBT youth.

Thirty-three percent said that it would make no difference if a best friend came out to them, while 41% said they would be supportive, but they wouldn't feel comfortable around that friend anymore.

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, and at http://radio.cwru.edu. Dave Haskell, Jim McGrattan and Kim Jones also contribute to this column.

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