j u s t o u t ▼ July 7 . I M S ▼ 20
T elevision
on
S ex
On June 1, the ABC television network broad
cast In a New Light: Sex Unplugged. Through
fast-paced edits and celebrity sound bites, the
prime-time special targeted young viewers with
information about safer sex.
In a breakthrough for network television, Sex
Unplugged examined teenage sexuality with a
tone more positive than pedantic. The program
went beyond the usual rhetoric of abstinence,
which has consistently failed to educate or em
power youth.
The program’s hosts, Rosie Perez and Ed
Love, were supported by a large celebrity cast that
included Greg Louganis and Melissa Etheridge in
brief appearances. One segment of Sex Unplugged
was devoted exclusively to gay concerns.
The lesbian-and-gay-youth segment opened
with an apt lament from C. Everett Koop. The
former surgeon general noted, “Nobody is paying
much attention to homosexual teenagers.” From
there, the youth took over the dialogue and ex
plained some of the (literally) lethal consequences
of homophobia.
In addition, Sex Unplugged addressed the of
ten-overlooked role that self-esteem plays in HIV
prevention. This issue is particularly pertinent for
lesbian, gay and bisexual youth, who are relent
lessly deprived of
affirmation at all
levels of society.
As one youth
asked, “If no one
wants to talk to
me about what it
means to be gay,
how are we ever
going to get to a
place where it’s
OK to talk about
safer sex for
young gay men?”
Unfortu
nately, the diver
sity that charac
terized other seg- . .
„ , .,
„ r r T, Melissa Etheridge
ments of Sex Un-
6
plugged evaporated when it came to the gay
segment. No lesbians or bisexuals were included,
and not one of the young gay men was a person of
color.
Despite that serious drawback, Sex Unplugged
managed to provide a few precious minutes of
sex-positive education in an otherwise barren
media landscape. O f course, even those few min
utes are certain to raise the hackles of right-wing
censors. The postcard campaigns— demanding
that ABC stop “promoting homosexuality” and
“corrupting family values”— probably began even
before the show aired.
Counter the critics and encourage ABC to
move even farther ahead, producing more diverse
and long-overdue prime-time programming that
is focused on lesbian, gay and bisexual youth.
Sendfeedback to TedHarbert, President. ABC
Entertainment, 2040 Avenue o f the Stars, Los
Angeles, CA 90067, (310) 557-7777, fa x :
(310) 557-7170, comment line: (212) 456-7477,
e-mail: abcaudr@ccabc.com; and to Joseph F.
Lovett, Executive Producer, Sex Unplugged,
Lovett Productions, 19 Van Dam St., New York,
N Y 10013, (212) 242-8999, fax: (212) 242-7347,
e-mail: 74757.721@compuserve.com.
H arper ’ s : a G ood B i
A significant contribution to bisexual visibil
ity has been made by one of the nation’s oldest
fashion magazines. The June 1995 issue of
Harper’s Bazaar (in publication since 1867) fea
tures two articles on bisexuality.
In the first article, Lynn Darling explores
bisexuality as it is focused through the lens of
popular culture. Examining the relationship be
tween media images and social values, Darling
Same Day or Next
Day Service On
Most F^s
argues for the recognition of bisexuality as an
orientation that is both valid and worthy of valida
tion.
The second article was written by Rachel
Cohen, a young bisexual woman. Cohen offers a
personal perspective on the myths, fears and igno
rance that bisexuals confront—in both the hetero
sexual and lesbian and gay communities.
Send supportive feedback to Elizabeth Tilberis,
Editor-In-Chief, Harper’s Bazaar, 1700 Broad
way, New York, NY 10019.
A rresting L anguage
Mike Royko, a longtime Chicago Tribune
columnist, was arrested for drunk driving (and a
related traffic accident) in December of last year.
Recently, a copy of the police report on that
incident was made public. In the report, a litany of
homophobic and racist slurs are attributed to
Royko.
Among other things, Royko is quoted as say
ing “jag off, queer” and “flick you, fag” to the
arresting officer. To the ambulance crew, he re
portedly said: “What are you, fags? Why are you
wearing those fag gloves...?” And while being
processed, Royko is said to have asked, “You
fucking loser, what’s your ethnicity, you fag?”
Meanwhile, in his newspaper columns, Royko
stands up for “traditional family values” and
"Christian ethics.” He regularly attacks homo
sexuality as that “lifestyle” that is crude and
degraded.
Of course, police reports are hardly exemplars
of truth or accuracy. But the comments attributed
to Royko are consistent with his own writings.
Actually, those comments are the logical exten
sions of the more “refined” homophobia found in
Royko’s columns. But it should come as no sur
prise that the “articulate” columnists and “well-
mannered” politicians who publicly say they are
“simply opposed” to “special rights for gays” or
“quotas for lesbians” are, in fact, the same people
who say “fuck you, fag” behind closed doors.
Questions and comments can be sent to Mike
Royko, Columnist, and Howard Tyner, Editor,
Chicago Tribune, 435 NMichigan Ave., Chicago,
1L 60611, (312) 222-3232, fax: (312) 222-3143.
I n S hort
Look Who’s Talking: HBO Sports has hired
tennis superstar M artina N avratilova as a
Wimbledon commentator. Unless they are clos
eted, lesbian and gay athletes aren’t offered very
many high-profile positions in sports journalism.
Support for HBO’s hiring decision can be di
rected to Ross Greenburg, Executive Producer,
HBO Sports, Home Box Office, 1100 Avenue of
the Americas, New York, NY, (212) 512-1000.
▼ ▼ ▼
Submit: Cine Acción is seeking entries for a
festival of film and video works that reflect the
dignity and diversity of Latino/a, Latin American
and Caribbean communities. Organizers are par
ticularly interested in works that treat such sub
jects as migration/immigration, youth issues, and
the Latin American response to oppression and
injustice. Deadline for entries is June 12, 1995.
For details, contact Cine Acción, 346 Ninth St.,
2nd F loor, San F ran cisco , CA 94103,
(415) 553-8135, fax: (415) 863-7428.
▼
▼
▼
Rewarding Experience: The National Les
bian and Gay Journalists Association is seeking
nominations for its Electronic Media Awards,
“rewarding excellence in electronic journalism
on issues concerning the lesbian and gay commu
nity.” All works submitted must have been broad
cast between July 1, 1994, and June 30, 1995.
Deadline for submissions is Aug. 15, 1995. For
details, contact contest coordinator Darrel Adams
at (612) 825-9932 or (612) 642-4284, or write to
NLGJA National Office, 874 Gravenstein High
way South, Suite 4, Sebastopol, CA 95472.
Compiled by Al Kielwasser o f the Gay and
Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, San
Francisco Bay Area chapter.
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