New York Times Errs on Lesbian Parenting A New York Times story on lesbian childbearing, which ran on Jan. 30 and was me first story by a national paper on the subject, contained grave inaccuracies and bias. As a result of immediate protest by thhe NGLTF, the Lesbian Rights Project, the ACLU Gay and Lesbian Rights Project and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), the offensive para- graphs were retracted by the Times in an unprecedented “Editor’s Note” which ap- peared on Feb. 3. The article in the Times entitled “Les- bians Find the Means to be Parents” grew out of a January 9th meeting between NGLTF Media Director Urvashi Vaid and Times reporter Gina Kolata. The story Kolata submitted to her editors was not the story that finally appeared. Without notify- ing Kolata or securing her approval, editors at the Times wrote an entire paragraph which contained negative and biased state- ments about lesbians and children raised by lesbian families. The story was also rear- ranged to give prominence to the anti-gay views of a sociologist at a Catholic college and also misquoted another prominent psychiatrist. No quotes were contained in the story from psychologists whose re- search shows that there is no harm to chil- dren raised in gay and lesbian households. The most offensive paragraph in the story, a paragraph not written by Kolata, read: “Some clinicians, however, speculate thhat in the long term, girls might have difficulty in intimate relationships with men, and boys might be uncomfortable with their roles as males. If lesbian parents are openly hostile toward men, these diffi- 1. culties could be worsened.” The Editor’s Note acknowledged that r the comments cited above were “added in the editing process.” The Note continued: “lThe comments] did not fairly reflect a Spectrum of views among behavioral scien- lists and ethicists about possible effects of bemg reared by lesbian parents. In the absence of evidence that hostility toward men is common among lesbian parents, the reference to such hostility was unwar- “Wed. The article should have given les- 13“ Parents a chance to respond to con- « “ms raised by others.” The Note also addiessed the misquotation attributed to Psychiatrist Dr. Richard Green. NGLTF urges all readers to write to the New York Times and register their disap- I PT°Va1 with both the final story and the bias (Continued on page 10) . L $® Governor Madeleine Kunin Lieutenant Governor Howard Dean Attorney General Jeffrey Amestoy Olin Robison Ph.D President, Middle- bury College The Episcopal Church of Walden The Episcopal Church of Lyndonville Unitarian/Universalists Ministers Association of VT/NH St. J ohnsbury Friends Worship Meet- mg National Organization of Women - VT Chapter St. John the Baptist Episcopal Mission of Hardwick Spruce Mountain Inn Vermont Low Income Advocacy Council Onion River Coop Just of the Supporters of H.211 April 1989 as To add your organization's name to this list, write Vermont Coalition of Les- bian and Gay Men, POB 1 125, Montpelier VT 05602. As readers may or may not know H.2l 1, thesexual orientation anti—discrimi- nation bill was assigned to the House Judi- ciary Committee. The Committee has de- cided to hold a public hearing before it votes on the bill. This year's hearing will be held on April 11th, at 7pm at the Vermont Statehouse in Montpelier. All supporters and people testifying areasked to arrive early, these hearings tend to fill the house chambers quickly. For further information contact either Keith Goslant 454-8552 or Holly Perdue 229-0109. Your presence makes a difference at these hearings even if you are not testifying. (Stephen- 8: Burns Taft Corners Shopping Center Williston VT 05495 878-64 13 K hair and nail care -- cosmetics J «J7./cantata}/tea» DOG & CAT BOARDING OBEDIENCE CLASSES Fairfax’, Vt ANIMAL INN "Your Best Friend's Home Away From Home " -Modem indoomutdoor runs 0 Separate cat room -24 hour supervision by liscensed Animal Health Technician PROFESSIONAL ALL BREED DOG & CAT GROOMING -From Perfect Poodles to Marvelous Mutts -Consultations For Behavioral Problems nos roon & PET suppuas AVAILABLE 524-4574 , I. member »B|'Q American Boarding Kennel: Auocmtion > 9 ‘