GLAAD ALERT

Weekly Action Bulletin of Gay Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation

GLAADAlert Today
January 25, 2002


'CSI' SENSATIONALIZES TRANSGENDER LIVES

The Jan. 17 episode of CBS' "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," 
entitled "Identity Crisis," featured the return of Paul Millander, a 
vicious serial killer who has outsmarted the CSI team since the 
series' first episode.  A child when he witnessed his father's brutal 
murder, Millander now ritualistically murders his own victims in the 
same way his father was killed thirty years before.  In this episode, 
the investigators discover that "Paul" was "Pauline" when he saw his 
father killed, and this deranged
serial killer is in fact a female-to-male transsexual.

In a belated attempt to explain why the boy "Paul" testified at his 
father's murder trial, the script includes a line about Paul/Pauline 
being born with an "endocrinic [sic] ambiguity," causing his parents 
to raise him as a girl inside the house but as a boy outside the 
house.  This vague and confused reference to an intersex condition is 
quickly glossed over as Paul goes on to relate his experience of 
going "to the clinic" for his sex change.  In his confession Paul 
says,  "A boy could have saved his father... I cut off my hair, 
started wearing big shirts, big boots.  If I got tough enough, no one 
would ever hurt me."  The episode ends with Paul returning to his 
childhood home, murdering his mother, and then killing himself.

With this episode, "CSI" continues a long-standing Hollywood 
tradition of portraying sexual minorities as dangerous criminals and 
homicidal maniacs. While images of gays and lesbians are becoming 
more fair, accurate, and reflective of real gay and lesbian lives, 
transgender characters have now become the easy choice when Hollywood 
needs a lurid storyline or an easily demonized villain.  Transgender 
lives are routinely exploited for sensationalistic shock value (or 
crude humor) in popular entertainment.

Female-to-male people are almost entirely invisible in mainstream 
culture (in fact, this is only the second female-to-male transgender 
character ever to appear on television -- the first having been 
featured on a 1999 episode of "L.A. Doctors").  To have the second 
female-to-male character presented as a vicious, matricidal serial 
killer is profoundly disturbing and deeply offensive.

For the LGBT community, every transgender and intersex character that 
appears on television represents an important opportunity to combat 
long-held stereotypes and prejudices.  It is extremely disappointing 
that "CSI" would choose instead to exploit and reinforce 
stereotypical attitudes and fears about this largely invisible 
community.

Please contact "CSI's" producer and writer to express your concern at 
their use of a transgender (and intersex) character as the "killer of 
the week." Also, please ask CBS Entertainment to avoid this type of 
exploitation in the future.



CONTACT:
"CSI: Crime Scene Investigation"
Carol Mendelsohn, executive producer
Ann Donahue, executive producer/co-writer of "Identity Crisis"
25135 Anza Dr., Stage 6
Santa Clarita, CA  91355
Fax: 661-294-4925
E-mail: mdube@csiprod.com


CBS Entertainment
Web Feedback form:
http://www.cbs.com/info/user_services/fb_global_form.shtml
-- 


GLAAD's Los Angeles office has relocated.  Our new address, phone 
number and fax number are:

5455 Wilshire Blvd.
Suite 1500
Los Angeles, CA 90036-4201
Phone: (323) 933-2240
Fax: (323) 933-2241




GLAAD News Pop
December 14, 2001


FLORIDA MURDER PROMPTS CALL FOR HATE CRIME INVESTIGATION

Equality Florida, along with other organizations, is voicing concerns 
that the Dec. 12 murder of Jacksonville, Fla., transexual activist 
Terrianne Summers may have been a hate crime.

Summers, 51, was found shot to death late Wednesday in the driveway 
of her Jacksonville home.  She apparently was shot in the back of the 
head but was not robbed. Local investigators have not identified any 
suspects.  Summers is survived by her spouse and two children.

Equality Florida, a statewide education and advocacy organization 
dedicated to eliminating discrimination based on sexual orientation, 
race, gender and class, has called on law enforcement agencies to 
fully investigate the possibility that Summers' murder was a 
bias-motivated attack.

"Terrianne was a human rights activist who worked closely with local 
and state human rights organizations and who helped to organize and 
empower the transgender community in the Jacksonville area," said 
Jessica Archer of Equality Florida. "A Navy veteran with 22 years of 
service, her sudden and violent death is a great loss for her family 
and friends as well as for the transgender community long ravaged by 
hate-based violence."

Equality Florida and the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation 
(GLAAD) are working with local and regional reporters to ensure fair 
and accurate coverage of Summers' gender identity.  "Reporters 
covering breaking news of this kind should be mindful that their 
depictions accurately represent the victim's life and do not further 
sensationalize the crime" said GLAAD Southern Regional Media Manager 
Hallie Whittaker. "We encourage journalists to contact Equality 
Florida or GLAAD for resources that will help them cover this tragic 
story in a fair, accurate and inclusive manner."


FOR MORE INFORMATION:

******************************************************
Equality Florida
Jessica Archer
(813) 870-3735, ext. 203
http://www.eqfl.org/

GLAAD
Hallie Whittaker
(404) 614-3700
whittaker@glaad.org
http://www.glaad.org

*******************************************************
Jacksonville Times-Union, December 14, 2001
Law & Disorder: Transgender activist found shot to death at Westside home
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/121401/met_8090907.html
--
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against 
Defamation (GLAAD) is dedicated to 
promoting and ensuring fair, accurate 
and inclusive representation of 
individuals and events in all media as a 
means of eliminating homophobia and 
discrimination based on gender identity 
and sexual orientation.

To report defamation in the media, to 
report breaking new of interest to the 
LGBT community, or to join GLAAD and 
receive the quarterly GLAAD Notes, 
contact GLAAD at 800-GAY-MEDIA, 
glaad@glaad.org or www.glaad.org.

"GLAAD" and "Gay & Lesbian Alliance 
Against Defamation" are registered 
trademarks of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance 
Against Defamation, Inc.  This publication 
may be freely distributed and reprinted in 
all forms of media under the condition 
that any text used carries the full 
attribution of "Gay & Lesbian Alliance 
Against Defamation (GLAAD)."


MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Scott Seomin
Entertainment Media Director
(323) 658-6775, ext. 14
seomin@glaad.org


GLAAD ANNOUNCES NOMINEES FOR 13th ANNUAL MEDIA AWARDS PRESENTED BY ABSOLUT VODKA

"HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH," "ER," "RESURRECTION BLVD.," "SCOUT'S HONOR," "ALL MY CHILDREN," "NEWSWEEK," "USA TODAY," "THE NEWSHOUR WITH JIM LEHRER" AMONG NOMINEES


LOS ANGELES, MONDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2001 - The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) today announced the nominees for its 13th Annual GLAAD Media Awards presented by ABSOLUT VODKA.  The awards will take place in three ceremonies to be held in New York City on April 1, 2002 at the New York Marriott Marquis; in Los Angeles on April 13 at the Kodak Theater at Hollywood & Highland; and in San Francisco on June 1 at the Westin St. Francis.

The GLAAD Media Awards were created to honor individuals and projects in the media and entertainment industries for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives.  Nominees were published, released or broadcast between Jan. 1 and Nov. 30, 2001.  Nearly 1,000 projects were considered in 26 categories.

This year, GLAAD expects more than 6,000 to attend the three ceremonies, raising more than $2.5 million for the organization's work.  Founded in 1985, GLAAD is a national organization with a staff of 32, an annual budget of $5.3 million, and offices in Atlanta, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

Presenting Sponsor ABSOLUT VODKA is celebrating its 13th year with the GLAAD Media Awards and its 21st year in the LGBT community.  More than 100 other corporate sponsors are showing their support, including the David Bohnett Foundation and the Michael Palm Foundation as Platinum Underwriters.  American Airlines (GLAAD's official airline), Terry K. Watanabe Charitable Trust and Wells Fargo Bank join the Media Awards as the event's Underwriters.  AT&T is also a major sponsor of the event.  Additional sponsors include Jehan Agrama and Dwora Fried; American Movie Classics; Bloomberg News; Carsey Werner Mandabach; Eddie Bauer; Hansen, Jacobsen, Teller, Hoberman, Newman & Warren/Hertz & Goldring, LLP; Harmony Gold; Michael Huffington; Miramax; Polo Ralph Lauren; Prime Access; Sundance Channel; and Andrew Tobias & Charles Nolan.

For further information and to purchase tickets please contact Levy, Pazanti & Associates at (888) 655-6529 or (310) 201-5033.  General event and ticket information can also be found at GLAAD Online, www.glaad.org.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate, and inclusive representation of individuals and events in all media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.


13TH ANNUAL GLAAD MEDIA AWARDS NOMINATIONS LIST

OUTSTANDING FILM  - LIMITED RELEASE
Big Eden (Jour de Fete Films)
Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Fine Line Features)
Nico and Dani (Avatar Films)
Punks (Urbanworld Films)
Songcatcher (Lions Gate Films)

OUTSTANDING FILM  - WIDE RELEASE
The Mexican (DreamWorks Pictures)

OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
The Ellen Show (CBS)
Sex and the City (HBO)
Some of My Best Friends (CBS)
Will & Grace (NBC)

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (UPN)
The Education of Max Bickford (CBS)
ER (NBC)
Queer As Folk (Showtime)
Six Feet Under (HBO)

OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL EPISODE
      (IN A SERIES WITHOUT A REGULAR GAY CHARACTER)
"Between the Wanting and the Getting" Judging Amy (CBS)
"Gay Divorcee" Family Law (CBS)
"The Men from the Boys" The Guardian (CBS)
"Phobia" Law & Order (NBC)
"Saliendo" Resurrection Blvd. (Showtime)

OUTSTANDING TELEVISION MOVIE
Anatomy of a Hate Crime (MTV)
Armistead Maupin's Further Tales of the City (Showtime)
A Glimpse of Hell (FX)
Stranger Inside (HBO)
What Makes a Family (Lifetime)

OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY
5 Girls (PBS)
American High (PBS)
Keep the River on Your Right: A Modern Cannibal Tale (IFC Films)
Paragraph 175 (HBO)
Scout's Honor (PBS)

OUTSTANDING DAILY DRAMA
All My Children (ABC)

OUTSTANDING TV JOURNALISM
"The Children Speak" 20/20  (ABC)
"The Face of AIDS" The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer (PBS)
"Hate in the Hallways" Criminal  (MTV)
"Mark Bingham" Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (HBO)
"The Matthew Shepard Story" American Justice  (A&E)

OUTSTANDING NEWSPAPER ARTICLE
"Gay Indians Had a Place in Tribe" by Gwen Florio (The Denver Post)
"In and Out in Roanoke" by Liza Mundy (Washington Post)
"The Outsiders" by Sara Steffens (Contra Costa Times)
"Positive Love" by Jennifer Mathieu (The Houston Press)
"Two Men and a Baby" by Louis Bayard (Washington Post)

OUTSTANDING NEWSPAPER COLUMNIST
Richard Goldstein (The Village Voice)
Leonard Pitts, Jr.  (The Miami Herald)
Deb Price (The Detroit News)
Neil Steinberg (Chicago Sun-Times)
Debbie Woodell (Philadelphia Daily News)

OUTSTANDING NEWSPAPER OVERALL COVERAGE
Cortez Journal
Newsday
The Roanoke Times
USA Today
The Village Voice

OUTSTANDING MAGAZINE ARTICLE
"Backlash" by Michael Riley  (American Journalism Review)
"Does a Sex Change Mean the End of the Relationship?" by Sara Corbett  (The New York Times Magazine)
"The Firemen's Friar" by Jennifer Senior (New York Magazine)
"Growing Up Gay" by Matthew T. Everett (Metro Pulse)
"A Question of Identity" by Malcolm Venable (Vibe)

OUTSTANDING MAGAZINE OVERALL COVERAGE
AsianWeek
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Newsweek
The New York Times Magazine

OUTSTANDING DIGITAL JOURNALISM ARTICLE
"20 Years of Tears and Evolution" by Bryan Robinson, ABCNEWS.com
"The Crying Game" by Nina Siegal, Salon.com
"Gay and Gray" by Sarah Pihl, WNYC.org
"Sports World Still a Struggle for Gays" by Bill Konigsberg, ESPN.com
"Straight Talk" by Patrice Wingert, Newsweek.MSNBC.com

OUTSTANDING DIGITAL JOURNALISM OVERALL COVERAGE
ABCNEWS.com
Newsweek.MSNBC.com
Salon.com

OUTSTANDING ADVERTISING - ELECTRONIC
"Class of '76" John Hancock Financial Services (TV)
"Switcheroo" Miller Lite (TV)

OUTSTANDING ADVERTISING - PRINT
"Absolut GLAAD" Absolut Vodka
"Not Really His Girlfriend" Mercedes-Benz
"Proposal" Skyy Vodka
"Puppy" Chandon

OUTSTANDING MUSIC ALBUM
Play It Cool, Lea DeLaria (Warner Bros. Records)
Poses, Rufus Wainwright (DreamWorks Records)
Secret Music: A Songbook, David Del Tredici (Composers Recordings, Inc.)
Skin, Melissa Etheridge (Island)
That's Not What I Heard, The Gossip (Kill Rock Stars)

OUTSTANDING COMIC BOOK
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Dark Horse Comics)
Green Lantern (DC Comics)
Strangers in Paradise (Abstract Studio)
Top 10 (America's Best Comics/WildStorm)
User (Vertigo/DC Comics)

OUTSTANDING COMIC STRIP
Doonesbury
For Better or For Worse

OUTSTANDING L.A. THEATER PRODUCTION
The Breakup Notebook
Glorious Wounds...She's Damaged
The Lady Who Loved
The Laramie Project
Looking for Normal

OUTSTANDING N.Y. THEATER PRODUCTION
   BROADWAY & OFF-BROADWAY:
Dogeaters
Dragapella! Starring the Kinsey Sicks
Four
The Invention of Love
Resident Alien

OUTSTANDING N.Y. THEATER PRODUCTION
   OFF-OFF-BROADWAY:
Dirty Stuff
Go-Go Reál
In On It
Shequida's Opera for Dummies
Up Your Ass

To ensure accuracy, the certified public accounting firm of Leslie Accountancy graciously distributes and tabulates all GLAAD Media Awards ballots.



Press Release
International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission


South African Court Mandates Government to Stop Mother to Child Transmission of HIV
Decision Could Impact 70,000 Babies Each Year in AIDS-Ravaged South Africa

For Immediate Release: December 14, 2001

For additional information, contact:
Sydney Levy (IGLHRC), +1-415-255-8680 (office), +1-415-577-8680 (cell), sydney@iglhrc.org

SAN FRANCISCO - The Pretoria High Court issued a ruling today ordering the South African government to offer treatment to pregnant women with HIV/AIDS in order to avoid mother-to-child-transmission (MTCT).

"This is a tremendous victory for HIV-positive women in South Africa and for a new generation of South Africans who will be given the opportunity to live free of the disease," said Karyn Kaplan, HIV/AIDS Program Officer at the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC).

Scott Long, IGLHRC's Program Director who attended the first court hearing in this case, commented:  "Treatment activists all over the world should pay attention to what happened today, the court established unequivocally the right to health care and the responsibility of the State to provide it."

In his decision, Judge Chris Botha declared that "about one thing there must be no misunderstanding: a countrywide MTCT prevention programme is an ineluctable obligation of the State." The court ordered the government to provide a comprehensive national MTCT roll-out plan by 31 March 2002.  The Judge added that the current policy of the government to deny MTCT treatment for HIV-positive mothers in the public sector is "not reasonable" and "an unjustifiable barrier to the progressive realization of the right to health care."

"We call on the South African government to respect the South African Constitution and the decision of the Court; we ask them not to appeal this important ruling and to start implementing its recommendations right away," said Sydney Levy. IGLHRC's Communications Director. "Any delays will only cause more infections and deaths."

According to legal experts, the government has 15 working days to appeal the decision of the High Court.

Legal action on this case started August 21, 2001, when the Treatment Action Campaign, together with the Children's Rights Center and pediatricians represented by Dr. Haroon Saloojee served legal papers on the South African Minister of Health and nine provincial Health Ministers seeking relief from the High court for two demands, both of which were granted by the High Court today. 

First, that the medicine Nevirapine, which is of undisputed safety and efficacy in reducing the risk of HIV transmission during delivery and for a period afterwards, be made available for prescription by doctors and other medical professionals who work in the public health sector to pregnant women with HIV. And second, that the government provide, or be ordered to provide, a comprehensive national plan that aims to prevent mother-to-child infections.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic has reached catastrophic proportions in South Africa. According to the South African Department of Health, by the end of 2000 it was estimated that there would be 4,7 million South Africans infected with HIV.  This represents a figure of 1 in 9 South Africans. One of the most common methods of transmission of HIV is from mother to child at or around birth.    This results in approximately 70,000 babies being infected each year.

MTCT can be effectively and substantially reduced by a single dose to the mother and child of a drug known as Nevirapine.  The drug is registered in South Africa and it has been offered to the South African government free of charge by the manufacturer for five years for use in the public health sector. To date the South African government has not yet accepted this offer.

The South African Department of Health restricts the use of Nevirapine to two limited delivery points per province in the public health sector; the drug is available without restriction in the private health sector.  The lawsuit and accompanying court decision will make Nevirapine universally available around the country.

For more information, including court submissions and excerpts from today's ruling, see the Treatment Action Campaign's website at http://www.tac.org.za/.

IGLHRC is a US-based non-profit, non-governmental organization that works  to protect and advance the human rights of all people and communities subject to discrimination or abuse on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or HIV status.

###

International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission
1360 Mission Street, Suite 200 o San Francisco, CA  94103 USA 
T: 1.415.255.8680
F: 1.415.255.8662
E: iglhrc@iglhrc.org http://www.iglhrc.org

###    


=================================================================== 
Sydney Levy --  Director of Communications
International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC)
1360 Mission St, Ste 200 * San Francisco, CA  94103 * USA

Work Phone: +1-415-255-8680 * Cell Phone: +1-415-577-8680 * Fax: +1-415-255-8662
sydney@iglhrc.org * http://www.iglhrc.org/

IGLHRC is a US-based non-profit, non-governmental organization whose mission is to protect and advance the human rights of all people and communities subject to discrimination or abuse on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or HIV status. Our overarching commitment is to defend the rights of people worldwide to define their own sexualities and gender identities.  We support the efforts of individuals and groups to organize to create societies free from heterosexism and homophobia.

=================================================================== 

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