It always feels good to announce the nominees for the GLAAD Media Awards, because they remind us of the great work being done every day by journalists, producers and writers in Spanish-Language media.
It is far from a perfect world but media representations have changed—in part because the world has changed. As more people come out of the closet and as Latinos become increasingly loud and proud supporters of their LGBT family members and friends, media should accurately reflect that reality.
Among the nominees are Titulares Telemundo’s interview with openly gay boxer boxer Orlando Cruz and CNN en Español’s Conclusiones’ hard-hitting interview ("Muerte Zamudio: ¿Nacerá una ley?") of a top Chilean government official and a leader in Chile’s most important LGBT advocacy organization after the brutal attack of Daniel Zamudio, a young gay man who was beaten who eventually died after falling into a coma as a result of the attack. Both are nominees in the Outstanding Talk Show Interview category.
The intersection between LGBT and immigration issues was the subject of daytime court show Caso Cerrado’s “Lesbiana deportada,” nominated for Outstanding Daytime Talk Show Episode. In the same category is Mega TV’s entertainment talk show Paparazzi Magazine, nominated for its full-hour of interviews about coming out, acceptance, and transgender issues.
Dallas Spanish-language weekly newspaper Al Día is a first-time nominee with its article "Promueven tolerancia y respeto a estudiantes gay" by Anna Macías, nominated for Outstanding Newspaper Article.
In the Outstanding TV Journalism – Newsmagazine category, nominees include Univision newsmagazine Primer Impacto’s “Respeto a la diversidad,” which highlighted Transgender Day of Remembrance and educated viewers around transgender people and issues; as well as Univision daily morning show Despierta América’s two-part series, which told the heartbreaking story of a teenager who was the victim of anti-gay bullying, and who became paraplegic after attempting suicide.
Noticias MundoFox was nominated for Outstanding TV Journalism Segment for its coverage on police abuse against LGBT people in New York City.
“With over 50 million Latinos in the U.S. increasingly demonstrating strong support for LGBT equality, it is as critical as ever that all media outlets present stories of LGBT people that grow acceptance and understanding,” said GLAAD President Herndon Graddick. “We congratulate all nominees in Spanish-language categories for their tremendous work and for inspiring and creating positive change.”
For a complete list of nominees in Spanish and English-language categories, click here.