Tag: GLAAD

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Madonna presents Anderson Cooper with the GLAAD Vito Russo Award

Madonna, dressed in a Boy Scouts uniform, presented Anderson Cooper with the Vito Russo Award at the GLAAD Awards last night. Above is her entire 12 minute introduction speech.

The Vito Russo Award is presented to an openly LGBT media professional who has made a significant difference in promoting equality.

From Anderson’s acceptance speech:

As a gay person, it’s important for me to remember that all of us come from a community whose stories have for too long been forgotten and ignored, a community whose lives have for too long been ridiculed or misrepresented, a community that in spite of all that has found ways to love and to laugh and to care about one another, a community that has found ways to stand tall and stand up and make ourselves visible.

I know that I’m only able to be on this stage because of generations of gay people who have come before and some of their names are known, but so many have lived and died in silence… There lives never even acknowledged, their love hidden in the shadows, hands furtively held in the dark…

I’ve had many blessings in my life and being gay is certainly one of the greatest blessings. It has allowed me to love and be loved; it has allowed me to open my head and open my heart in ways that I never could have predicted. The ability to love one another, The ability to love another person is one of God’s greatest gifts and I thank God every day for enabling me to give and share love with people in my life, with my family, my friends, and my partner Benjamin.

Boy Culture’s Matthew Rettenmund shot video of Anderson Cooper accepting the award.

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Lady Gaga’s “Little Monsters” – Madonna is a “major reason” for AIDS

Well, how hideous is this?

Lady Gaga’s fans feel that Madonna should NOT be presenting Anderson Cooper with his GLAAD Vito Russo Award. So much so that they have sent letters and started petitions saying Madonna is, in part, responsible for the AIDS epidemic.

Dear GLAAD:

It has come to the attention to Little Monsters everywhere that you are letting Madonna give an award to Anderson Cooper. Not only is this an insult to a true gay rights activist like Lady Gaga, but it insults every gay man and woman on this planet.

Madonna is one of the major reasons for AIDS. Back in the 1980’s, she encouraged gay men to have unprotected sex. While she certainly didn’t start the disease, she and her lack of morals helped it spread.

Please rethink your choice of having Madonna as a presenter. If you don’t, we Little Monsters will strike back in a way you won’t like.

Sincerely,
Lady Gaga’s Little Monsters

This is seriously HIDEOUS behavior on the part of Gaga fans. I can’t imagine that Lady Gaga would support such outrageous statements.

Just ugly.  Madonna has been at the forefront of promoting safe sex for decades.

I’ll just stop, actually.  I won’t defend anything.  The facts are facts.  And Lady Gaga’s fans are a sorry lot to throw such crap out there thanks to their “competition” they have in their heads between the two superstars.

Sad.

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2013 GLAAD Media Award nominees announced

Nominees for the 24th Annual GLAAD Media Awards were announced this morning. 120 nominees in 25 English-language categories, and 33 Spanish-language nominees in 8 categories have been named. View the full list of nominees here. The GLAAD Media Awards ceremonies will be held in New York on March 16, 2013 at the New York Marriott Marquis; in Los Angeles on April 20 at the JW Marriott; and in San Francisco on May 11 at the Hilton San Francisco – Union Square, according to GLAAD. They add, “The GLAAD Media Awards recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives. The GLAAD Media Awards also fund GLAAD’s work to amplify stories from the LGBT community and issues that build support for equality.”

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GLAAD: More LGBT characters on TV this year

LGBT representation on the five TV networks has risen from last year’s 2.9% to 4.4% according to GLAAD’s “Where We Are on TV” report.

ABC had the most LGBT characters on network TV while Showtime had the most on cable TV.

“This year’s increase of LGBT characters on television reflects a cultural change in the way gay and lesbian people are seen in our society,” said GLAAD president Herndon Graddick in the report. “More and more Americans have come to accept their LGBT family members, friends, coworkers, and peers, and as audiences tune into their favorite programs, they expect to see the same diversity of people they encounter in their daily lives.”

Read the whole report at GLAAD.

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TV Networks ranked on LGBT Inclusiveness

GLAAD recently released it’s annual report that scores the inclusiveness of what was available last season in its annual report — the Network Responsibility Index.

From GLAAD: “The sixth annual GLAAD Network Responsibility Index (NRI) is an evaluation of the quantity and quality of images of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people during the 2011-2012 television season. GLAAD researched primetime programming on ABC, CBS, The CW, Fox, NBC and 10 cable networks from June 1, 2011 to May 31, 2012. The report is intended to serve as a road map toward increasing fair, accurate, and inclusive LGBT media representations.”

None of the networks received an “Excellent” score, though Showtime came the closest with 46% of its original programming being LGBT-inclusive. GLAAD also tracked the cable networks that it said were viewed as consistently conservative — TLC and the History Channel. See how those two networks fared on page 6 and get a look at the major networks on the following pages.

Head over to GLAAD to check out the report.

(h/t JoeMyGod)

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Ketel One Walk of Change at the 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards

Hudson Taylor

While attending the 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards, celebrities and supporters stopped by the Ketel One Vodka “Walk of Change” to make their mark and for every handprint left, Ketel One donated $1000 to GLAAD.

Participants included Hudson Taylor, Trevor Donovan, Wendie Malick, Chaz Bono, GLEE’s Max Adler and many more.

Just a few notes from the evening:

• Dancing with the Stars alumnus,Chaz Bono, attended the GLAAD Media Awards to graciously accept the Stephen F. Kolzak award. Surprise guest, Cher arrived right before the award and was beaming with pride as she presented her son with the notable honor.

• Always popular, Betty White was greeted with a roaring applause from the event’s audience. The Hot in Cleveland star, who arrived fashionably late, dined with her cast members, Wendy Malik and Jane Leeves, and toasted to their GLAAD Media Award.

• Hunger Games star, Josh Hutcherson, accepted the Van Guard Award at the Los Angeles GLAAD Media Awards. The young actor, who was greeted with a bear hug from Benecio Del Toro, came to support the LGBT community and noted that the cause was close to his heart.

• Glee stars Max Adler and Grant Gustin showed there support for the LGBT community and gave back to GLAAD leaving their handprints in the Ketel One Walk of Change.

• Not surprisingly dressed in their best, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Kyle Richards and Lisa Vanderpump, arrived in full-length gowns to strut their stuff on the red carpet. To many attendees’ disappointment, Jiggy was not in attendance.

Check out the pics below, plus more here.

Trevor Donovan
Wendie Malick
Chaz Bono
Max Adler
Col. Victor Fehrenbach

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GLAAD Awards: Josh Hutcherson on the red carpet

Josh Hutcherson, star of “The Hunger Games” on the Red Carpet for the GLAAD Awards in Los Angeles where he will be honored as the youngest ever recipient of the Vanguard Award.

Hutcherson will receive the Vanguard Award, which is presented to media professionals who, through their work, have increased the visibility and understanding of the LGBT community. Hutcherson leads the next generation in the movement for LGBT equality.

In 2010, Hutcherson starred as the son of a lesbian couple in the critically acclaimed film “The Kids Are All Right,” which received a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film Wide Release, two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. Hutcherson currently stars as Peeta Mellark in the blockbuster film “The Hunger Games.”

Hutcherson is one of the founders of the LGBT ally organization Straight But Not Narrow (SBNN), and has remained outspoken about why equality for LGBT people is important.

In an interview with SamaritanMag.com, Hutcherson said, “We just launched [SBNN], and it’s a very exciting time for us and it hits close to home for me. I have a lot of gay friends in Los Angeles. My roommate’s gay and I lost two uncles when I was young to AIDS, so it’s an important cause in my family.”

Earlier this year, Hutcherson and fellow SBNN co-founder, actor Avan Jogia, met with Gay-Straight Alliance leaders at the GSA Network to film a video discussing the importance of GSA clubs in schools. In March, Hutcherson made a surprise appearance at a high school in Los Angeles where he spoke to GSA members about about the importance of being an ally for LGBT young people.

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GLAAD Names New President: Herndon Graddick

Herndon Graddick, current VP of Programs and Communications has been named as GLAAD’s new President

The media-watchdog organization laid off 11 staffers early this year, and has been restructuring since the departure of former president Jarrett Barrios, but insiders are pleased with the choice.

Via press release: The National Board of Directors of GLAAD announced that they have named Herndon Graddick as GLAAD’s new President. Herndon is currently serving as the organization’s Vice President of Programs and Communications. Sheri Fults, National Co-Chair of the Board of Directors, said: “Herndon is already a well-respected leader within the LGBT movement, and we believe will be a visionary and strategic leader for GLAAD’s culture-changing work.” Herndon said: “Right now GLAAD and our partners in the LGBT movement are making a significant difference at a time when a difference needs to be made. I look forward to working with our dedicated staff to create a culture where there is a welcoming and respected space for LGBT Americans. GLAAD’s work with the media to inspire Americans to speak out against anti-LGBT actions and support equality is needed today more than ever.”

Two recent projects credited to Graddick are the Stand Up For Ellen project and GLAAD’s Commentator Accountability Project. Observers pointed to both campaigns as heralding a more aggressive GLAAD.

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Zach Wahls speaks at GLAAD Media Awards NYC 2012

Last night writer & LGBT advocate Zach Wahls took the stage at the GLAAD Media Awards in New York to share anecdotes from his personal journey following his speech in front of the Iowa House of Representatives which was the most-watched political clip of 2011 according to Youtube.

He talked about the impact of his video, including changing the mind of a soldier on marriage equality and building confidence in a lesbian woman to become a mother. He also spoke jokingly about questions he gets asked about growing up with two mothers. Zach was particularly funny in offering his answer to one question about his moms – “which one is the man” – by saying “that’s like looking at chop sticks and asking ‘which one is the fork?'”

“Since that speech went viral back in February of 2011, I’ve been all over the country, from California to New York, down to Florida, continuing to share my story and have this conversation about gay marriage or as I like to call it, marriage,” said Zach Wahls.

I think this guy rocks. Amazing to think he’s so young and yet so articulate.

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GLAAD Media Award winners NYC 2012 – complete list

 

The following is a list of all award recipients announced at the 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York:

• Craig Zadan & Neil Meron received the prestigious Vito Russo Award
• Katy Butler, who has been lobbying the Motion Picture Association of America to lower the rating for the documentary Bully, so younger people may view it
• Outstanding feature film: “Pariah”
• Outstanding reality television program: Dancing With The Stars
• Outstanding TV Journalism Segment: “Battle Against Bullying” ABC World News with Diane Sawyer (ABC) [accepted by: reporter Josh Elliott]
• Outstanding Magazine Article: TIE: “15th Anniversary of the Passage of the Defense of Marriage Act” (series) by Chris Geidner (Metro Weekly) [accepted by: Chris Geidner] and “Black & Gay in Corporate America” by Carolyn M. Brown (Black Enterprise) [accepted by: Carolyn M. Brown]
• Outstanding TV Movie Or Mini Series: Cinema Verite (HBO)
• Outstanding Talk Show Episode: “Coming Out on the Oprah Show: 25 Years of Unforgettable Guests” The Oprah Winfrey Show (syndicated)
• Outstanding TV Journalism – Newsmagazine: “The ‘Sissy Boy’ Experiments” Anderson Cooper 360 (CNN)
• Outstanding Newspaper Article: “Led by the Child Who Simply Knew” by Bella English (The Boston Globe)
• Outstanding Newspaper Columnist: Frank Bruni (The New York Times)
• Outstanding Newspaper Overall Coverage: The New York Times
• Outstanding Magazine Overall Coverage: The Advocate/Out
• Outstanding Digital Journalism-Multimedia: “Injustice at Every Turn” (ITLMedia.org)
• Outstanding Blog: Towleroad and Mombian
• Outstanding Music Artist: Lady Gaga, Born This Way (Interscope Records)
• Outstanding Comic Book: Batwoman by J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman (DC Comics)
• Outstanding Los Angeles Theatre: No Word in Guyanese for Me by Wendy Graf
• Outstanding New York Theatre: Broadway & Off Broadway: The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures by Tony Kushner
• Outstanding New York Theatre: Off-Off Broadway: Southern Comfort book and lyrics by Dan Collins, music by Julianne Wick Davis

SPANISH-LANGUAGE

• Outstanding Daytime Talk Show Episode: “Lesbianas celebran 10 años” Caso Cerrado (Telemundo)
• Outstanding Talk Show Interview: “Entrevista con Raquel Gómez y Mony Ruiz Velasco” Al Punto (Univision)
• Outstanding TV Journalism – Newsmagazine: “Asesino” Primer Impacto (Univision)
• Outstanding TV Journalism Segment: “Ángeles del cambio” Noticiero 34 (KMEX TV-34 [Los Angeles, Calif.])
• Outstanding Newspaper Article: TIE: “Casamiento e hijos biológicos para pareja gay hispana de EEUU” by Claudia Torrens ( Associated Press) and “Madre hay una sola, no necesariamente” by Virginia Gaglianone (La Opinión)
• Outstanding Magazine Article: “Nueva York la igualdad” by Michelle Oyola (People en Español)
• Outstanding Digital Journalism Article: “Las 7 señales de un niño transgénero” by Paula Andalo (Univision.com)
• Outstanding Music Artist: Ricky Martin, Música + Alma + Sexo (Sony Music Latin)
• Special Recognition: El Diario la Prensa

Additional categories will be presented at the GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles on April 21 and in San Francisco on June 2.