Wonder what we’re up to at GLAAD?
Be sure to check out GLAAD's Blog each week for updates about our latest work to build support for LGBT equality through news, entertainment, and online media.
The 25th Annual GLAAD Media Awards - Los Angeles were held on Saturday at the Beverly Hilton. Jennifer Lopez, Laverne Cox, Norman Lear, and Russian advocate Manny de Guerre were among those honored that night. Celebrities such as Lupita Nyong'o, Ellen Page, Rita Moreno, Naomi Campbell, Ross Mathews, Alex Newell, Carmen Carrera, Maria Menuonos, and many more were present. The show has been covered by Newsweek, Insider, CNN Entertainment, Elixer, and E!, just to name a few. Additional awards will be presented in New York City on May 3 at the Waldorf Astoria New York, tickets are available now. The 25th Annual GLAAD Media Awards are presented nationally by Ketel One Vodka, Wells Fargo, and Hilton Worldwide. The Los Angeles event is presented locally by Delta Air Lines and Bud Light. See photos and videos from the LA event at glaad.org/mediaawards/recap.
This past weekend, GLAAD Senior Media Strategist Tiq Milan and Media Strategist Dani Heffernan led a Transgender Advocates Media Training at the 2014 Transgender Leadership Summit in California. The training looked at the modern media landscape and its relationship with the transgender community, and discussed practices for effectively communicating messages through journalists to a prospective audience.
On Sunday, Carl Siciliano, a Roman Catholic and former monk who runs NYC's LGBT homeless youth center, The Ali Forney Center, and Faith In America, an organization that educates the public about the harm caused by religion-based stigma and hostility placed an open letter to Pope Francis in a full page ad in The New York Times. The letter calls for the Pope to end Church teachings that categorize 'gay conduct' as a sin and to educate Pope Francis and the public about how the Church negatively influences parents of LGBT youth, as well as the devastating harms that such parental rejection can have on LGBT youth. GLAAD worked with Siciliano and Faith in America to prepare the ad, as well as the media attention it has receieved in outlets like the National Catholic Reporter, Red Letter Christians, and The Advocate, as well as Italian and French publications. Read more here.
Logo announced this week that, starting next season, RuPaul's Drag Race will no longer use the phrase "You've Got She-Mail." Immediately following the premiere of the "Female or She-male'' episode, GLAAD spoke directly to the producers of RuPaul's Drag Race about the segment. GLAAD has since been in frequent contact with Logo and MTV Networks. Read more here.
GLAAD is working with Andraya Williams, a transgender woman of color and student at Central Piedmont Community College in North Carolina, to help bring greater media attention to her story. Andraya was interrogated by campus security at CPCC after leaving the women's restroom, and is now calling for an apology and substantial policy changes from the school. GLAAD worked with Andraya to prepare her and then helped place her on HuffPost Live's QueerView.
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