ju s t o u t ▼ Ja n u a ry 6, 1 0 0 5 ▼ 2 0
C hanging T im e s
The Nov. 20 national Sunday edition of The
New York Times includes a feature article, “Zelda’s
Unwavering Love Is No Longer Requited,” about
Sheila Kuehl. Kuehl— who starred as “Zelda
Gilroy” on the popular sitcom The Many Loves o f
Dobie Gillis (1959-1963)— has become the first
open gay man or lesbian to win election to the
California state legislature. She will represent
some 370,000 people in the State Assembly.
Written by David Dunlap, the Times feature
story begins: “Zelda Gilroy should only have
known, as she longed hopelessly more than 30
years ago for the indifferent Dobie Gillis, that the
boys who truly fancied her were legion. And so,
it turned out, were the girls.” The feature traces
Kuehl’s history, from the time she was expelled
from her sorority for being a lesbian to her recent
victory in California’s political arena.
Of particular interest to media watchers is
Kuehl’s explanation of her own political success,
which she attributes— in part—to the “Zelda Fac
tor.” According to Kuehl, her visibility as a tele
vision celebrity allowed some potentially phobic
voters to overcome their "aversion” to her lesbi
anism. Says Kuehl: “When people know gay
people personally, they tend to feel differently
about the whole community. And all of a sudden,
here’s a person that they know very well that they
found out was lesbian.”
Direct feedback to Arthur Ochs Sulzberger
Jr., publisher, The New York Times, 229 W43rd
St., New York, NY 10036, (212) 556-1234.
L ikable F ilm
The Columbia Pictures film ¡Like It Like That
explores the micro-culture of a Bronx neighbor
hood. Included amongst the cast of characters is
“A lexis”— who was born as “A lex.” The
transgendered character is developed without the
typical stains of exploitation or tragedy. Instead,
Alexis has been described by moviegoers as funny,
sensitive, believable and, yes, likable.
Send your comments to writer-director Darnell
Martin, I Like It Like That, c/o Bobbi Thompson,
William Morris Agency, 151 El Camino Drive,
Beverly Hills, CA 90212.
V a n it y U nfair
In the December 1994 issue of Vanity Fair,
you might be surprised to see a potentially
defamatory comment on page 178. In his “Vani
ties” column, writer George Wayne asks former
Oakland Raiders star Howie Long, “Do you think
there are any homos playing football?” Long
responds, “Well, I read an article once where they
said one out of every 10 individuals is homo
sexual. So I was sitting in the locker room one day,
and there were 55 guys there, so I go: ‘One, two,
three, four, five, six ...’ but I’ve never been ap
proached. Look, I told you before, I don’t care
what you do— if you can play defensive tackle,
please line up.”
Wayne then asks this vapid follow-up: “How
about tight end?” Howie Long, apparently taken
aback by this inquiry, replies, “Well you’re div
ing into a whole new area. I have no frame of
reference.”
Readers might be surprised to learn that Wayne
is gay. His baited questions do little to dispel the
stereotypes about gay men and sports. On the
other hand, Long is to be commended for dignify
ing Wayne’s questions with thoughtful, coura
geous and open-minded responses.
Send your comments to: George Wayne, and/
or Graydon Carter, editor-in-chief, Vanity Fair,
350 Madison Ave., Fourth Floor, New York, NY
10017, (212) 880-8800.
L ifesaving T elevision
The Dec. 22 episode of My So-Called Life
(ABC) included a story line in which teenager
Rickie Vasquez is forced from his family home
because of his sexual orientation.
Wilson Cruz, the 20-year-old actor who plays
Rickie, says that the story line was based on his
real life experiences—his father asked him to
leave home just before Christmas last year.
Cruz, who is gay, recently told a TV Guide
interviewer why he decided to come out. “In order
for my character to have any effect on people, 1
can’t live a hypocritical life,” he said. Asked if he
thought his character would find romance on the
show, Cruz replied, “When he’s ready.”
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Currently, My So-Called Life is the only net
work television program that features a recurring
(and potentially life-saving) role model for les
bian, gay and bisexual teens. Unfortunately, as
one critic put it, the program is “ratings starved.”
ABC has announced that, as of Jan. 26, the series
will be placed on hiatus and might not be renewed
next fall. Grass-roots efforts to save My So-Called
Life have sprung up around the country, and
supportive letters could make all the difference.
Write to Randi Cohen, ABC Productions, 2020
Avenue o f the Stars, Fifth Floor, Century City, CA
90067, (310) 557-6901, fa x (310) 557-6147; or
Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick, executive
producers, My So-Called Life, Bedford Fall Com
pany, 409 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica, CA
90401.
A nother G ood D a t e l in e
NBC’s newsmagazine show Dateline has once
again provided good coverage of a significant
lesbian and gay news item. The program’s Oct. 21
episode included the segment "Family Feud,”
produced by Joe Decola. The segment covered
the custody case being fought by Sharon Bottoms,
a lesbian mother whose son, Tyler, was taken
away from her by the Virginia courts. Sharon was
accused of engaging in “oral sex” (a felony in
Virginia) and “open displays of affection.”
The Dateline segment allowed ample time for
Sharon and her lover, April, to make the case for
their fitness as parents. Sharon’s mother— who
filed for custody of Tyler on the grounds that her
daughter is a lesbian—came across as the moron
she is. For example, when pressed to explain just
how, exactly, Tyler would suffer from living with
his lesbian mom, all Sharon’s mother could say
was, ‘T yler will be messed up.”
Significantly, Dateline did not drag out any
hysterical, Bible-thumping homophobes to con
demn all lesbians to hell. Instead, a university
researcher—and actual expert—was interviewed.
University of Virginia psychology professor Char
lotte Patterson explained that, after an exhaustive
review of the research literature, she could not
find a single shred of evidence to support the
notion that lesbian parents are harmful to a child’s
development and welfare.
Encourage Dateline to continue reporting
fairly and accurately on lesbian and gay subjects.
Send compliments to Joe Decola, Dateline, NBC
News, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, N Y 10021,
(212) 664-4444.
Compiledfrom "GLAAD Media Watch”
reports by Al Kielwasser and Tom di Maria
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