LOS ANGELES : U.S. to Deny Arts Grant for Gay Film, Video Festival

The National Endowment for the Arts will reject a grant request by the Los Angeles International Gay and Lesbian Film and Video Festival and similar festivals in New York and Pittsburgh, an NEA source confirmed Thursday.

The Gay & Lesbian Media Coalition of Los Angeles, sponsor of the local festival, had requested $15,000 to support last July’s 10th annual festival. It had received a recommendation from an NEA review panel for an $8,500 grant, but later the coalition was told that Anne-Imelda Radice, NEA acting chairwoman, wanted the request rewritten. But the coalition refused.

“They wanted us to give the impression that the money would be used for educational purposes, not for a gay film festival. It smelled like government coercion to us,” said Larry Horne, the coalition’s executive director.

An NEA official who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed that Radice had decided to reject the grants and that a letter relaying the decision was expected to go out today.