Gay, Lesbian Alliance Honors Image Makers : Awards: TV’s ‘Roseanne,’ ‘L.A. Law’ and ‘Roc’ and film’s ‘Frankie and Johnny’ and ‘Fried Green Tomatoes’ are recipients for presenting positive portrayals of homosexuals.
More than 600 people packed a Beverly Hilton ballroom Saturday night for the presentation of awards by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation for positive portrayals of gays and lesbians in the media.
Winners of the GLAAD honors included the ABC-TV series “Roseanne,†for its inclusion of a recurring gay character played by Martin Mull, “L.A. Law,†for its episode depicting a lesbian fighting for custody of her children, and “Roc,†for an episode portraying a marriage between two gay men.
Also taking awards in the third annual event were the films “Frankie and Johnny,†for its portrayal of a sensitive character who happens to be gay, and “Fried Green Tomatoes,†for its rendering of intimacy between women, although there was no overt sex.
“All people are the same, and I just try to portray them as human beings,†said Garry Marshall, director of “Frankie and Johnny.â€
Richard Roundtree, who played a gay man on “Roc,†said he was glad to have the opportunity to “show another human being making a choice.†Writer Jeffrey Duteil added that many actors turned down the role because it was a gay man.
The ceremony also included the presentation of GAG Awards (GLAAD anti-gay) “for the most notable homophobes of 1991†to Gov. Pete Wilson, who vetoed AB 101, the bill that would have prohibited job discrimination against gays and lesbians; Republican presidential contender Pat Buchanan, for his campaign against homosexual art and film; and actor Mel Gibson, who has made highly publicized anti-homosexual comments.
The event was hosted by actress Judith Light of the ABC sitcom “Who’s the Boss?†Presenters included James Woods, Ted Danson and Susan Ruttan. Tickets went for $175 and $250 a seat.
“All lesbians, check your ice picks at the door,†joked GLAAD co-President Jehan Agrama at the beginning of the ceremony. Ice picks were the fodder for jokes and comments throughout the evening, in reference to the film “Basic Instinct,†which has caused protests in the gay and lesbian community for its portrayal of a murderous lesbian.
GLAAD co-founder Richard Jennings said in an interview that progress has been made against discrimination in Hollywood, and that a number of studios have enlisted the services of “Hollywood Supports,†a GLAAD and AIDS Project Los Angeles-sponsored group that works to dispel AIDS fear and homophobia through studio training and seminars.
“Studios now acknowledge we have a voice, and they are paying us for our input, whereas in the past we were outside the door,†he said.
Other honorees are:
* Bill Press of KCOP Channel 13 for his commentary on Wilson’s veto of AB 101.
* KTTV Channel 11 for its series on gay and lesbian teens.
* L.A. Reader for its coverage of gay and lesbian issues.
* Phranc, a lesbian recording artist.
* The Gay and Lesbian Media Coalition, producers of the annual Los Angeles International Gay & Lesbian Film/Video Festival.
* Lillian Faderman, author of “Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth Century America.â€
* Paul Monette, author of “Borrowed Time,†which chronicles a man’s struggle with AIDS.
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