on the air off the press

Hollywood has a 'gay power surge, magazine says

by John Graves

Did you catch the seven-article "Special Report: Gay Hollywood 2000" that ran for nearly 30 pages in the October 6 issue of Entertainment Weekly?

The report, an in-depth look at "Hollywood's Gay Power Surge," featured articles on the influence of gay-themed TV shows, the outcry against homophobic rap lyrics, a guide to what's next in gay entertainment and profiles of "101 (openly gay) movers and shakers" in the entertainment industry.

As you might expect, most of the "movers and shakers" are the industry's behind-thescenes power brokers and producers. The question is, why aren't more out lesbigay actors and entertainers being used?

No sudden change

The October 10 National Enquirer said that Hollywood was buzzing with speculation that Melissa Etheridge and Ellen DeGeneres were now an item, a rumor fueled no doubt, by the breakup of America's two most visible lesbian couples within weeks of each other.

That story was not picked up by the other tabloids, nor by the October 16 Us, which instead ran a story about how close Etheridge and her former partner Julie Cypher still are as friends. They appeared together, holding hands, at a September 28 tribute to David Crosby, the biological father of their children. He and his wife Jan were honored for their work on behalf of the Dream Founda tion, which grants final wishes to terminally ill adults,

Etheridge told Us that she and Cypher attended the tribute because "Julie's very involved in the foundation, and of course we're going to be here for David and Jan. We are a family."

Etheridge said that the hand-holding was not a sign the two were getting back together. Etheridge added that she and Cypher had been moving slowly toward separation for several weeks saying, "Nothing happened. There's no I-hate-you. We grew. We changed."

The two have bought separate homes with adjoining yards, to raise their children together.

Ellen has a new honey

As far as the other couple goes, the tabloid Star reported October 17 that Ellen's mom Betty DeGeneres confirmed that Ellen is seeing someone, but did not say who.

candidates during their October 5 debate, and the follow-up discussion of same-sex marriage in the second presidential debate on October 11.

If it weren't for USA Today and the Chronicle, nobody in Cleveland would have read about any of this. Is the PD deliberately avoiding any gay angle in the presidential campaign?

A quarter-century of Gaywaves

Finally, when I returned from vacation last month I was overjoyed and proud to learn that I will be receiving the Cleveland LesbianGay Center's "Rainbow Community Service Award" for my Gaywaves radio show at the center's annual meeting on October 22.

In my mind, this award is not just for me, but for all of those who came before me, spent large amounts of their own money and toiled in the studio into the wee hours of the morning to make sure the Cleveland LGBT community had a voice on the airwaves for the last 25 years. Also, those who helped in the background with research and support.

Thank you. You were my beacon when Gaywaves was my only contact with our community, and your dedication inspires me still.

John Graves is the producer and host of Gaywaves, an LGBT 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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taking things slowly," said the elder DeGeneres. "They met quite by accident. They say when you're not looking, that is when you meet someone."

The Star says that person is actress Alexandra Hedison, who costarred in the short-lived Fox series L.A. Firefighters.

The silent treatment

There were several feature articles profiling playwright Margaret Edson that appeared in the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the alternative weeklies Scene and Free Times, when her award-winning play Wit was in town last month. Did you notice that not one of them mentioned the fact that she is openly lesbian and still a well-respected kindergarten teacher?

The Plain Dealer also failed to cover the disrespect shown to openly gay Rep. Jim -Kolbe when he spoke at the GOP convention in August, and the impact that GOP vice presidential candidate Richard Cheney's lesbian daughter Mary might have on his position on gay issues, given his party's anti-gay platform.

This became really noticeable when they also didn't mention the lesbigay-supportive statements made by both vice presidential

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