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Gay Pride Month
With Lisa Keen
Chief Political Correspondent, The Washington Blade
Friday, June 8, 2001; 3 p.m. EDT

Lisa Keen, executive editor of The Washington Blade, will be online Friday, June 8, at 3 p.m. EDT, to talk about gay civil rights issues and the community.

Keen joined The Washington Blade in 1981 and became executive editor in 1983. She has covered national politics, the federal courts, the media and AIDS.

A transcript follows.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

Lisa Keen: Hi, this is Lisa Keen. I didn't know what to expect with my first online exchange, but I see there are a bunch of interesting questions cued up already. I'll dive right in...

New York, N.Y.: Hi Lisa--
I'm a former D.C. resident who used to read the Washington Blade on a regular basis. Now I'm in NYC and I'm reading the New York Blade faithfully. I was concerned to hear about the recent sale of the paper and was wondering how you felt about that. I understand the new owner wants to initiate an editorial page. Does this mean the paper will be taking more of an active role in voicing editorial opinions? Will there be an opportunity for op-ed features? The larger question is do you see a lot of lesbian/gay media ownership consolidation? Is this a good or a bad thing? Thanks.

Lisa Keen: Thanks for being a faithful Blade reader --you're our favorite sort. And not to worry --I think the consolidation of the Washington Blade and New York Blade with the Southern Voice in Atlanta and the Houston Voice are a good thing. I've read quite a lot about those who worry that consolidations like this might lead to a situation where only a handful of people control the limited number of venues for communication within the community, and that could be a problem anytime those who own the news vehicles deliberately limit who can speak through them. But that's not happening with this consolidation. What I haven't read much about is how such arrangements can greatly improve the ability of each of these newspapers to serve gay readers and to serve a larger number of gay readers. And with all media --gay and general circulation-- struggling with the sluggish economy, the ability to share resources will help in many others ways, too.

Arlington, Va.: I support the Bush administration's push for traditional family values. I have listened to the arguments about why gays and lesbians should be a protected class, but so far nothing has truly convinced me.

I DO NOT support gay bashing or hurting anyone because they say they are gay, but I find giving gays special status based on sexuality is dubious at best.

I, and many of my heterosexual friends, are upset that workplaces are affording gays benefits for their domestic partners when we cannot get help with care for our aging parents, many of whom are on expensive medications.

What does your group say to those of us who are discriminated against because we ARE NOT gay? I think that is inherently unfair.

Lisa Keen: Well, I'm not sure what you mean by my "group," but I'll assume it means the group of "nice people" I belong to and we have this to say: We don't think people should be discriminated against regardless of whether they are gay or not gay. Just be nice to other people and, if there's any justice in the universe, they'll be nice to you.

Arlington, Va.: What do you think of the whole butch/femme business? I'm sick of being called a femme because I use hairspray and have red toenails. But I can benchpress more than a lot of the guys at my gym...

Lisa Keen: If you can benchpress more than a lot of the guys at your gym, you shouldn't let it worry you what people call you. But if you get really sick and tired of it, just pick 'em up and tell them that it hurts your feelings and you'd appreciate it if they'd just stop calling you that.

D.C.: You've been at the Blade for a long time ... what was it like when you first started as compared with now? Society has progressed a lot in its acceptance of gay people in the past 20 years, so I imagine it must have been tough to be a reporter from a gay people in the early 1980's. Did sources return your phone calls?

Lisa Keen: I have to say that, when I first joined the staff, I honestly wondered if we'd have enough gay-related news to fill the paper each week. Now that notion seems laughable. It surprises many people that most sources did return our phone calls way back in the early 1980s --not all of them. Sen. Jesse Helms didn't; but his staff did.

D.C.: Please explain to me why gay pride has to result in sexual and costume flamboyance? If a man loves a man, and a woman loves a woman, that's fine, but why do they need to dress like drag queens like it's a circus, or flash their breasts like it's a nude beach? I think if gays want to be taken seriously, then they shouldn't act like clowns.

Lisa Keen: You know, parades are not the kinds of events that attract the more low-key type people. Parades, by their very nature, are peopled by the colorful, flamboyant. That's what paradegoers want to see. They don't want to see a bunch of suits walking in unison --though I think that could be quite entertaining now that I think of it. Gays do want to be taken seriously and I think most of us look and act seriously in serious forums.

Boston, Mass.: Probably not the type of question you wanted, but I'm not sure who to ask. I have a good friend who is a lesbian. She came out to her mother about three years ago, yet her mother still constantly makes comments to the effect that being gay is simply a phase and she needs to "get over it." My friend gets upset every time she speaks with her mom, and I don't know what to do to help. Do you have any suggestions for what I can say or do to help my friend? Or advice about to get a parent to accept her child's sexual orientation?

Lisa Keen: I'd advise your friend to be who she is, accept herself, accept her mother as she is and to understand that her mother may be the one going through a phase. Give her time, hang in there with love, kindness, and patience.

Alexandria, Va.: What are your thoughts on the outing of former Asst. Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Pete Williams during the early 1990's?

Also, just curious ... is "Lisa Keen" a pen name or is that your real name?

Lisa Keen: Lisa Keen is my real name, but I sometimes think I should use my middle initial --because there are at least a dozen other people in the U.S. using the name Lisa Keen and I'm sure one or two of them might be a little upset should we be confused. As for Pete Williams --I don't recall all the details around his outing but at this point, my thoughts are: He's out, everybody knows it, and he's still got a great job (maybe even better now that he's with a network).

Round Hill, Virginia: Hi Lisa,
The loyal N.Y. reader asked about the Blade doing editorials now. How do you feel about that?

Lisa Keen: I initiated a policy of "no editorials" (and "no candidate endorsements") when I became editor of the Blade back in 1983. I felt like we needed to remain as neutral as possible. Many readers initially seemed to have a hard time accepting that. Sometimes, they wanted their local gay newspaper to tell them how to vote. But I think eventually, readers grew to accept it and, in Washington and New York, where readers are notorious political and news junkies, they didn't really need anybody to tell them what to think or how to vote. But good reasons can be made for newspaper's running editorials, so I feel OK about the new editor's decision to reinstate them.

Arlington: How are people assessing the Bush adminstration's record on gay issues so far?

Lisa Keen: I don't have any hard data on this one, but I'll venture that gay people are assessing the administration's record on gay issues pretty much the same way everybody else is. Those who have strong reasons to support him, stay focused on the good; those who have strong reasons to criticize him, stay focused on the negative. Most people's perceptions are based on the incomplete information they can glean from whatever news sources they tune into. At the risk of seeming too cautious, I'd say, personally, that it's too soon to judge.

22204: How do you respond to that argument that we don't need gay pride parades anymore? If we lived in Peoria or Richmond, maybe. But not in D.C. where it is easy to be open and happy.

Lisa Keen: I'd say: Some people in D.C. do need a gay pride parade because they don't feel as open and happy as you. Maybe it's because they're young, maybe because they've just moved to the area where they can be more safe and comfortable being 'out' in public --any number of reasons.

Va.: Hello. What's wrong with a Straight Pride Month? Or a T-shirt with "Proud to be Straight"?

Lisa Keen: Nothing's wrong with it --unless you're hoping to get a date with a person of the same gender. Then, I think you'll find that's an impediment.

Round Hill, Virgina: Lisa,
You have been reporting on the AIDS epidemic since the beginning. Is it still an important issue that we should be following? Why?

Lisa Keen: Yes, it's an important issue and we should be following it. If we don't, it will slip off people's radar and they might crash into that reality unsuspectingly some day --taking others down with them. Also, the news in the AIDS medical field alone is changing constantly. These are often very subtle changes, but important ones to people who have HIV and need the information.

Takoma Park, Md.: Hi Lisa, Thanks for doing this Live Online. What was the strangest/funniest story ever printed by the Blade? What is the story you're the most proud of?

Lisa Keen: There are toooooo many --strange and funny. I liked the story about the two lesbians who swung down on the British parliament like Tarzans (to underscore a political point, of course). I was also amazed by the story just last year (I think) about the Ex-Gay guy who served as a cover-boy for one of the top news magazines and then who patronized a D.C. gay bar. Most proud of: the 1985 series of articles I did of one of the city's earliest AIDS cases. Ray Engebretsen, a local attorney, allowed me to interview him --in depth and very personal-- from diagnosis to death. It was a profound experience for me and the community. We learned together, in a powerful way, what AIDS was.

Takoma Park, MD: Hey Lisa. Well, I've never done one of these on-line chats either, but I saw you were on, so here goes. First of all, I think you are one of the gay movement's all time treasures for your work in creating a gay paper of great integrity -- so thank you for that. My question -- what do you hope to do differently now that you're an (at-large?) political reporter? Do you think you'll be able to explore and say different things because you are no longer executive editor (or whatever your title was at the Blade).

Thanks!

A fan

Lisa Keen: Watch out! I'm going to do political commentary --the very thing I eschewed doing for all my years as Blade editor. I hope to tackle areas where I've been reporting a lot --national politics and law, for instance. But I don't plan to provide commentary for entertainment purposes. That's been a 'rub' with me for a long time. I think too many commentators are so preoccupied with entertaining readers --by taking one view and attacking another-- we can't count on them for well-reasoned, thoughtful discussions. Issues are often complex and so commentary can't always be so simple.

D.C.: Now that the Post and other major newspapers are covering gay stories, do you think there is still a need for gay newspapers?

Lisa Keen: Yes, and for the same reason we still "need" Sports Illustrated, the Wired, The New Yorker, and Essence. Some readers like news that goes deeper and spans further than a general circulation daily newspaper. We choose what publications we read based on where our interests lie and where we can get that additional information. The gay community needs more than just major news --it needs a calendar of events, coverage of inside gay national politics, etc.

Washington, D.C.: Hi Lisa:

Well sense it seems my question didn't get a respond earlier....I ask another.

Is there a gay community where if one has questions about being gay. For example..how do I explain to my son that kissing another boy is not acceptable? Do you understand what I am asking here?

I can't just walk up to a gay person on the street and ask that kind of question although it is a very important one.

Thank you.

Lisa Keen: Most professional counselors and clergy can help you find the right way to respond to your son. Every parent's response has to come from their heart, in the context of their lives and be appropriate to their child. Good luck, to you and your son.

Takoma Park, Md.: How do you think the change in ownership and staffing at the top levels of the Blade are affecting and will affect the current wonderful staff? What will your role be in the new arrangement? What are you looking forward to doing?

Lisa Keen: The ownership and staff are all professionals, and all are people who understand the importance of the newspaper to the community. I expect good things to continue in that regard. My role, as senior political correspondent, will be to provide commentary and news analysis on national politics affecting the gay community. I'm looking forward to that and to being able to write a lot more than I had time to as editor.

Bouffant Circle: I'm a 30-something female who plans on going to DC Pride day in hopes of meeting a significant other. Any fashion tips/advice?

Lisa Keen: Although I occasionally received mail at the Blade addressed to "Lisa Keen, Fashion Editor," I always presumed this was a mistake. You should presume the same --Just check the weather and have fun!

Lisa Keen: Our hour online went by so quickly --thanks to your interesting and challenging questions. Have a great weekend, whatever you're celebrating.

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