I also will not initiate my own version of "he said/she said" because such point-by-point rebuttals usually make both parties appear to be petty and defensive. And usually the original point becomes lost in a wash of recrimination and indignation. But here I will address something else: the spirit of criticism within our community.

I'll start with irony. John and I just returned from the annual conference of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association. What I heard there was a call for all of us to go forth and foster fair and accurate coverage of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.

Now, less than 36 hours later, I read in a mass e-mail John's accusations about GLAAD, me, and some of my colleagues. I didn't hear the comments when I saw him in San Francisco, didn't hear them on the phone, didn't read them in a letter or a personal e-mail to me - but in a public e-mail.

Criticism will and should always have a place in our community. By our natures and our histories, we all have developed ways to cope with opposition. But when criticism "for the good of the cause" isn't, the criticism can just become rancorous and self-serving.

As for John's accusations, some are conjured up from reports of conversations supposedly overheard in hallways, some are based on opinions about what GLAAD ought to have done, and some seem to come from an anger that we don't see things the same way.

For our movement to have different dimensions, I don't believe we all should see and do things the same way. Working to combat Schlessinger has taught me that there is room here and a need for a variety of tactics and objectives.

To illustrate that point, let's look at the topic of organized rallies on the day "Dr. Laura" debuted. For our part, GLAAD has been intentional in its strategy to not participate in rallies as we closed in on Schlessinger's launch date.

The advantage of the summer activity was its timing--well in advance of the launch of "Dr. Laura." At the same time, GLAAD was aggressively reaching out to media that would influence advertisers' decisions.

We did this in many ways including placing a "Counterpoint" column in Time, arranging coalition ads to broaden the base of non-gay allies against Schlessinger and raising funds to place the ads in key publications, encouraging editorials which ran in ad trades and columns, appearing on a number of television programs viewed by ad decision makers, and contacting corporate LGBT employee groups. We attended the national Television Critics Association convention so we could meet with more than 40 TV critics and writers to educate them about Schlessinger. And we initiated "Local Laura Activism: Step by Step" on our Web site, a blueprint to give anyone anywhere the tools to help lead grassroots actions in their own communities.

Since then, our media strategy has been to participate in media stories already in the works so that the opposing side does not go unchallenged.

But we did not actively reach out to the media or participate in any public rallies on launch day because we did not want to drive curious viewers (and subsequent day ratings) to a show we want to die quickly. John sees it differently and has acted accordingly. That is his prerogative and, frankly, his responsibility if that is his belief.

Throughout this Schlessinger battle, many people and groups have participated, sometimes leading and sometimes supporting. Like most, GLAAD has agreed with some things and disagreed with others. But surely we can criticize each other directly and accurately when we think it's warranted without pernicious attempts to scorch the earth beneath all of our feet.

Putting criticism aside for a moment, let us all recognize that our collective efforts have demonstrated the power of our community in bringing defamation into the national conscience, mobilizing the community, and educating media about our concerns.

GLAAD's mission is to stop defamation. John's ardor is to stop Dr. Laura. These are compatible goals. The routes to arrive there may differ, but so do the challenges to be met. GLAAD will continue to be the media watchdog our community expects regarding Schlessinger. And we will do this as we have done this while working on several other issues and needs.

For example, we've also been focusing public attention--especially parents and youth--on the hate-mongering lyrics of Eminem, changing the way the Associated Press reports on our community, meeting with political editors at major daily newspapers about Campaign 2000, writing and distributing a "pride guide" to educate mainstream press about reporting on Pride Month, going to Grant Town, W.V., to help turn around homophobic media coverage of a vicious hate crime, and on-going behind-the-scenes work on many entertainment projects from CBS' Survivor to Showtime specials, films in production and homophobia in advertising.

Three key words in GLAAD's mission are "fair, accurate, and inclusive." My hope is that we can all apply those to each other.

One last comment: John's especially virulent and personal accusations about Scott Seomin, GLAAD's entertainment media director, must draw my direct response. Scott's contributions to the media's representations of our community are many and multi-faceted. The documentation of how he routinely educates and enlightens those who shape media images of lesbians and gays to do a better job is voluminous. John's public comments about him were unnecessary and unkind.

Joan M. Garry
Executive Director
Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation

The walkout by advertisers from the "Dr. Laura" TV show became a full parade today as 12 more companies announced they would no longer be associated with the program. Meanwhile, an annual ranking of the most powerful executives of the information age has cited the "Dr. Laura" TV show as a negative mark against the heads of the companies that offer the program. For one advertiser, Schlessinger's anti-gay rhetoric hit close to home. When ads for the Los Angeles law firm Jacoby & Meyers appeared during the "Dr. Laura" show, the firm's vice president took quick action. "My daughter is gay," the firm's vice president, Mindy Gandin, told Variety. "I'm just as upset as anyone that our ads ran during 'Dr. Laura'."

Related Stories from the GayToday Archive: Is GLAAD Endorsing Dr. Laura? Activists Want to Know GLAAD Explains Its Slowed Approach to Dr. Laura Dr. Laura's Debut Gets Bad Reviews from Coast to Coast Related Sites: Stop Dr. Laura.com GLAAD GayToday does not endorse related sites.

Long John Silver's informed StopDrLaura.com that "this program was identified by our company in planning as a show to avoid." Stonestreet Capital told its ad agency to "stop all advertising on the Dr. Laura program." Luxor in Las Vegas said the hotel would "stop our ads from running in that particular show in the future," and added that the hotel "does not condone in any way discrimination on any basis." Conair, Brink's, GEICO, International House of Pancakes, Ontel, Volvo of Brentwood, CA and Closet World in Los Angeles also pulled their advertising.

Meanwhile, the release of a much-anticipated ranking of the most powerful media executives said that "Dr. Laura" was a negative mark against the chiefs at Paramount and Viacom.

"The New Establishment 2000," Vanity Fair magazine's annual ranking of the top fifty leaders of the information age, directly cited "Dr. Laura" as a "Big Loss" in its ranking of Sherry Lansing, Chairman of Paramount and Jonathan L. Dolgen, Chairman of Viacom Entertainment Group.

Lansing and Dolgen share Vanity Fair's 41st spot among the top 50, up three spots from last year -- but not without a warning about "Dr. Laura." "In terms of enduring P.R. unpleasantness, Paramount took its biggest hit courtesy of Dr. Laura Schlessinger, the popular radio talk-show windbag who has described gays as 'deviant'," Vanity Fair wrote. "...the most recent talk show produced by Paramount Television; if Dr. Laura is the model, let's hope it's the last."

Executives at both Paramount and Viacom have been largely silent in the face of the ongoing controversy over Schlessinger's anti-gay comments. The "Dr. Laura" TV show debuted Monday to poor reviews, light advertising and low ratings.

www.StopDrLaura.com