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New GLAAD report maps long road to full LGBT acceptance, despite historic legal advances
With 37 states having legal marriage for same-sex couples, the Supreme Court may be on the verge of recognizing a constitutional right to marriage equality nationwide. But beneath this progress lies a layer of uneasiness and discomfort. So, in late 2014, GLAAD commissioned Harris Poll to measure attitudes toward LGBT Americans. The surveys were conducted in August and November, 2014 among over 2,000 U.S. adults (aged 18+) each – of whom over 1,700 per survey indicated being straight, cisgender (referred to here as “non-LGBT Americans”). “Closing the gap to full acceptance of LGBT people will not come from legislation or judicial decisions alone, but from a deeper understanding and empathy from Americans themselves,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, the CEO and President of GLAAD. GLAAD gave New York Times op-ed columnist Frank Bruni a first look at the results, which were published in his piece "Do Gays Unsettle You?" in the paper's Sunday Review section. Read the report here.
GLAAD launches #GotYourBack campaign
GLAAD launched a new campaign entitled #GotYourBack to provide a place for LGBT people and their allies to affirm that they are friends to the LGBT community. The #GotYourBack campaign allows people to sign a pledge and share their stories. Take a stand and sign up here!
GLAAD leads diverse institutes at Creating Change
GLAAD was all over Creating Change, an annual conference run by the National LGBTQ Task Force that holds over 350 workshops and various events for the 3,500 attendees within the LGBT and ally community. If you were there in Denver, Colorado, you might have seen GLAAD staff leading daylong institutes like Ross Murray and Dani Heffernan leading the Digital Strategy Training Institute, Monica Trasandes and Janet Quezada leading the Latino Institute, and Tiq Milan leading the Transgender Institute. You also might have seen GLAAD workshops like "LGBT Voices of Faith in the Media – YOURS" or "Debunking Anti-LGBT Myths." GLAAD staff met with local, statewide, and national LGBT partners, and even took some time out to visit the Azucar Bakery and hear about the anti-LGBT activist who tried to make the baker bake a cake with profanity and anti-LGBT slurs. GLAAD's leadership at the event insured that attendees would learn how to accurately portray various communities in their work to instill fair coverage for the LGBT community. Read more here.
Newlyweds Lance Bass & Michael Turchin talk to GLAAD
GLAAD Video and News Strategist, Claire Pires, interviewed former *NSYNC band member and radio host, Lance Bass, and his husband, pop visual artist, Michael Turchin, about their E! special Lance Loves Michael: The Lance Bass Wedding and how it feels to be newlyweds. The interview was for GLAAD's video series, GLAAD: All Access. "Once you're able to say 'husband,' it just means so much more," Bass said. The interview was published on Towleroad, Bustle, Queerty, San Diego Gay & Lesbian News, and Gay & Lesbian Nation. Watch the interview here.
LGBT undocumented immigrant shares brave story
GLAAD Director of Spanish-Language Media, Monica Trasandes, and Strategist Janet Quezada worked with Carlos Padilla, project coordinator for the Queer Undocumented Immigrant Project within the nonprofit United We Dream, to edit his speech from Creating Change into an op-ed. Padilla shares his story of being undocumented and reuniting with his mother after five years. He provides a list of how far the undocumented community has come and what steps still need to be taken for the LGBT undocumented community. Read more here.
Unique returns to 'Glee' with 200-person transgender choir to support Coach Beiste
This Friday’s new Glee episode, “Transitioning,” will see the return of New Directions transgender alumna Unique (Alex Newell) who sings “I Know Where I’ve Been” from Hairspray with a 200-person transgender choir in a show of support for Coach Beiste. GLAAD helped Glee recruit the 200 trans extras from across the country to come to Los Angeles and participate in the episode. "This really is the face of America and you hope that when people see this episode they'll recognize, 'Hey, they look just like me,’” said Glee executive producer Dante DiLoreto. Watch the clip and see personal pictures from GLAAD Director of Communications & Special Projects Nick Adams, who was on set for the filming.
LGBT immigrants reveal horrific experiences in detention
GLAAD Director of Spanish-Language Media, Monica Trasandes, and Strategist Janet Quezada met with local reporters and producers at Univision in Denver, Colorado to discuss issues surrounding LGBT immigrants. Reporter Samuel Rivera then produced a story on LGBT immigrants and their often horrific experiences in detention. Rivera also interviewed Karolina Lopez, a transgender woman also from Arizona who was in detention for three years, much of that time housed with men. The team's efforts to meet with the subjects of these pieces and producers ensured that the pieces aired were reported accurately and fairly to debunk stereotypes. Watch the interviews here.
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