Prop. 8 Panel Discussion at LA Press Club

Prop. 8 Panel Discussion @ the Los Angeles Press Club

L.A. Press Club Board Member, Cal State LA Professor and Award-winning KPCC Guess Host, Jon Beaupré, is moderating

Hollywood, CA. The Los Angeles Press Club is hosting another great panel discussion at the Steve Allen Theater . It is co-sponsored by the Media Image Coalition and the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations, and GLAAD.

WHO – Moderator: Jon Beaupre, Award-winning guest host on KPCC Radio’s “AirTalk” and “Talk of the City”

Panelists:

• Robin Tyler, Original Plaintiff in the CA Supreme Court Lawsuit, Tyler v. County of LA, with her wife, Diane Olson, they became the first lesbian couple to sue for marriage equality in California in 2004. Robin and Diane are also petitioners in the recent CA Supreme Court Case to overturn Proposition 8 (Tyler et al. v. State of California ).
• Willis Edwards, Civil Rights Pioneer and NAACP National Board member
• Jessica Garrison, Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times
• Monica Trasandes, Director of Spanish Language Media, GLAAD
• Karen Ocamb, News Editor, Frontiers IN LA
• Marshall Wong, LA County Human Relations Commission; responsible for compiling LGBT Hate Crimes Statistics

WHAT – Prop. 8 Panel Discussion

WHEN – Thursday, April 23, 2009; Food & Beverages @ 6:30 p.m. Program begins @ 7 p.m.

WHERE – The Steve Allen Theater at the LA Press Club; 4773 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, 90027; Plenty of free parking behind the building (enter off of Berendo Street); Click here for a map; Metro: Red line, Sunset/Vermont station

WHY – Against the backdrop of the CA Supreme Court hearing on the legality of Proposition 8 and its passage, we will examine what impact the entire Prop 8 debate has had on the coverage of LGBT issues, and its impact on the LGBT community as a whole. What role did religion play in the debate? Were newsroom reporters encouraged or able to cover non-Prop 8 stories within this community? Did the media pit one minority group off of another? Did the "Prop H8" platform lead to an increase in hate crimes against the LGBT community?

FYI: This event is free and open to everyone (bring a friend!). Refreshments and snacks will be provided. RSVP: panelrsvp@aftra.com

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The Los Angeles Press Club stands as an organization devoted to improving the spirit of journalism and journalists, raising the industry’s standards, strengthening its integrity and improving its reputation all for the benefit of the community at large. For more information, go to www.LAPressclub.org.

The Media Image Coalition, established in 1989 by the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations, represents the first multiracial, multicultural, inter-religious media advocacy and education organization in the US . MIC promotes increased visibility, diversity and balanced imagery of all groups that it determines to be subjects of discrimination or unfair treatment in media and the arts. For more information, go to www.LAHumanRelations.org/programs/mic/mic.htm.

The Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations is dedicated to promoting positive race and human relations in an increasingly complex and multicultural county by developing programs that proactively address racism, homophobia, religious prejudice, linguistic bias, anti-immigrant sentiment, and other divisive attitudes that can lead to inter-cultural tension, hate crimes and related violence. For more information, go to www.LAHumanRelations.org.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of people and events in the media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. For more information, go to www.glaad.org.

Headington Media Group is a full-service communications firm dedicated to promoting public affairs in Southern California , specializing in image management, branding and public relations. For more information, go to www.HeadingtonMedia.com and/or visit www.HeadingtonMediaCenter.org.