DATE: Sunday, May 18, 1997                  TAG: 9705170077

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E2   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY STEVE STONE, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   78 lines

WHRO DEBUT OF SHOW ON GAYS PLEASES PRODUCER

MOVE OVER El(lesbian)en.

``In the Life,'' the hourlong, bimonthly television show chronicling the people and events of the gay and lesbian community is coming to Hampton Roads.

And for the show's executive producer, Charles D. Ignacio, it marks a double milestone. Now his family can see his work from the comfort of their Norfolk home.

``I'm very, very happy,'' Ignacio, 32, said Friday. ``I never thought it would come this soon to Norfolk. Especially with Pat Robertson and the Christian Coalition in the back yard, I didn't think `In The Life' had a chance to be on PBS there.''

Ignacio's parents and his brother have lived in Norfolk for five years, while the producer makes his home in New York. ``But I love visiting there, and now I'm really looking forward to coming back,'' he said.

He'll be here tonight when the show begins at midnight.

Ignacio has been with ``In the Life,'' from the beginning. He produced the pilot episode in 1992 that aired on just five public broadcasting stations. To his admitted surprise, it now airs on more than 100 - about one-third of the PBS network.

It's funded through donations and grants - but no tax dollars and no money from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The program is produced in the time-tested ``newsmagazine'' format, but it is more relaxed and conversational than its mainstream counterparts, relying more often on its subjects to tell their stories.

``We are good, valuable, educational and informative programming,'' intended not just for gay men and lesbians, Ignacio emphasizes, ``but for everyone.''

The intent is to counter negative stereotypes, Ignacio said, adding, ``Our mission is to present positive portrayals of lesbian and gay people - in all their diversity and richness - and present their contributions to American society.''

Ignacio welcomes such portrayals in any television programming, such as the much-heralded coming out of Ellen DeGeneres on her ABC show.

``In a humorous way, Ellen is bringing these issues to a wider audience,'' he said. ``But Ellen remains a fictional character on a sitcom. We focus on real people in real situations . . . clergy, politicians, artists, physicians, teachers, working people, students.''

The episode to air tonight has six segments:

While many corporations have extended benefits to the partners of gay employees, many more business still do not even protect homosexual employees from job loss based on their sexuality. At Chrysler Corp., the battle over whether to extend workplace protections is being waged by a group of gay employees.

The Walt Disney Co., headquartered in Los Angeles, has many gays and lesbians among its work force, making their mark on the screen and off.

While many gays and lesbians make their home in hustle and bustle of America's urban centers, there are others who prefer the country. A visit to Wisconsin finds some of them.

Andy Warhol may often have been seen as asexual, but the record - including his own art at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh - shows the truth of a man who kept his private life private.

Everyone loves a circus, including the ringmaster for Ringling Brothers, the high-flying trapeze artists of Air Male and the bearded woman who founded Circus Amok, all of whom are gay.

Sabrina Sojourner of Washington, D.C., has a busy life representing the nation's capital at the Capitol. Her average day is filled with meetings, constituent work, visits within her district and a little time for her lesbian partner.

Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays now numbers more than 400 chapters - including two in Hampton Roads that have worked to get ``Life'' aired locally - providing a source of support, understanding and information for those coming to terms with a loved one's being homosexual.

The final segment has a local flavor as it looks at PFLAG's battle to air paid advertisements last year that included clips of Pat Robertson denouncing homosexuals. CBN threatened to sue any television stations airing the ads. MEMO: Viewers can reach ``In the Life'' on the Internet at

www.inthelifetv.org ILLUSTRATION: Photo

Charles Ignacio

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