|
Patrick Guerriero, executive director of the
Log Cabin Republicans, will speak this Thursday. |
Minority
in the majority
by
Jason Cecil
On Thursday,
April 17, Patrick Guerriero will be AEN's speaker. Mr.
Guerriero, a former mayor, state representative, and lieutenant
governor from Massachusetts, has devoted his career to public
service. As a Republican, Guerriero has championed issues such
as lower taxes, smaller government, improved public schools, safer
neighborhoods and equal rights. In addition, he has advocated
for anti-hate crime legislation and AIDS funding, as well as an
expansion of domestic partnership benefits.
In November
2002, the Log Cabin Republicans announced that Mr. Guerriero would
replace Rich Tafel, a former AEN speaker, who served as executive
director for over a decade. Guerriero also serves as president
of Liberty Education Forum, a non-partisan research and education
think tank. The Log Cabin Republicans are the nation's largest
and most influential LGBT Republican organization.
In his speech,
Mr. Guerriero will discuss his vision for the Log Cabin Republicans
in an era where the Republican Party controls the White House
and the U.S. House and Senate. He will also discuss the challenges
and issues of being a minority in the political majority.
The doors open
at the Sheraton Colony Square Hotel at 5:45 p.m. with the program
beginning at 6:45 p.m.
Members: $10, Guests: $20, Students: Free
Web site:
lcr.org
Executive
director search
AEN has begun
a search to hire an executive director to lead our organization
to a new level of excellence in networking. If
you, or someone you know, is interested, please check out the
description of this new position.
AEN.org:
Executive director job description
Spring social
 Back
by popular demand!
AEN's Spring Social will be held on
Thursday, April 24.
The
party starts at 6:30 p.m.
Park Tavern at Monroe Drive and 10th Street
Sponsored by In the Life
Atlanta, Georgia
Hispanic Network, and AEN
|
Michael
Wilke
|
'The Commercial
Closet'
by Jason
Cecil
Michael Wilke
has charted the emergence of gay marketing and advertising since
1992. He is credited with coining the popular term "gay vague"
-- which appeared in articles he wrote for Advertising Age from
1994-1998. His presentation before AEN was a collection of commercials
from the early 1970s through today that have LGBT themes.
He has traveled
frequently with The Commercial Closet video presentation, which
first appeared at the New York Lesbian & Gay Film Festival
in 1997 and has since been seen across the U.S. and overseas in
countries including Brazil, Italy and Switzerland. The themes
of the commercials were wide-ranging from straight men in drag
to a beer special to a luxurious wedding featuring two women.
Many of the ads poked fun at LGBT stereotypes while others unashamedly
showed same-sex couples in everyday situations.
Loosely arranged
in "gay vague", positive, negative, and neutral categories,
the commercials covered a wide range of topics. Ads in the negative
section may be funny to some, but they often use fear of same-sex
attraction or "inappropriate" gender behavior -- accompanied
by a horrific reaction by someone straight -- as their source
of humor. Many ads that would already be funny purposely choose
a "gay punchline" to heighten the joke. Gay or transgendered
people are also shown here as queens, predators, pornographers,
murderers, pedophiles and greeted with fear, shock, repulsion
and occasional violence. While some in the gay community now accept
classic gay stereotypes like queens and leathermen as "diversity"
-- others do not. Transgender persons are often shown with the
time-worn cliché of "Surprise -- she's a he!"
Ads in the neutral
section gayness or being transgendered are treated as a non-issue.
Like people of color are now often shown, gays are included in
vignettes and sometimes in the mix of a larger campaign. Wilke
pointed out that this may be what the future of gays in commercials
will look like: part of a larger whole.
Positive ads
include kisses and affectionate displays by same-sex couples in
the imagery, transgendered persons are a non-issue, Gay Pride
is celebrated and some commercials even seem to sell the idea
of being "gay" more than the product. The final category,
invented by Mr. Wilke himself, is gay vague. These ads covertly
seem to imply gayness -- an intention often denied by the advertiser.
Other ads have simply been adopted by a largely invisible gay
community as "theirs" to unconsciously feel represented.
Funny and informative,
Wilke's presentation on homosexuality in commercials was well-enjoyed.
Web site:
commercialcloset.org
Postcard Opt-Out
 In
an effort to reduce our impact on the environment and our expenses,
we're offering members the ability to opt-out of our postcard
mailings. If you do opt-out, we'll continue to keep you updated
with our e-mail list.
Click here to opt-out of the postcard mailing
Next speaker
 May
15
Billy Bean
Former Major League Baseball Player and author
Announcements
|
>
In this issue
•
Minority in the majority
• Executive director search
• Spring social
• YouthPride training
• 'The Commercial Closet'
• Postcard opt-out
• Next speaker
• Announcements
>
April meeting
»
Thursday,
April 17
Patrick Guerriero
Log Cabin Republicans
Sheraton Colony Square
Doors open 5:45 p.m.
Program begins 6:45 p.m.
>
Luncheons
Reservations
»
»
Wednesday,
April 23
Jamie Ensley & Decatur City Commissioner Kecia Cunningham
Carpe Diem
Noon
»
Wednesday, April 23
Allen Jones
Houlihan's
11:55 a.m.
»
Friday, April 25
David Payne & Ronald Moore
Chequer's
Noon
»
Tuesday, May 6
Allen Jones
Houlihan's
11:55 a.m.
AEN's
mission is to:
•
Promote business contacts and friendships through networking;
•
Advocate equality for lesbians, gays, bi-sexuals, and transgenders;
•
Promote diversity in the business community;
•
Foster leadership in business, government and the arts.
Board
members
David
Payne
President
Bonnie Barton
Vice President
Jamie Ensley
Treasurer
Margie Archer
Secretary
Drew Barton
Communications Chair
Dana Brown-Owings
Diversity, Pride Chair
Don George
Nominations Chair
Patrick Greco
Luncheons Chair
Joe Guthridge
Sandy Hoke
Steve Koval
Past President
Carl Lange
Programming Chair
Dan Lax
Membership Chair
Ann McAllister
Newsletter
Editor
Jason Cecil
|
