Tag Archives: GLAAD

WATCH: The Cringe-worthy GLAAD Iowa Democratic Presidential Candidates Forum [Video]

WATCH: The Cringeworthy GLAAD Iowa Democratic Presidential Candidates Forum [Video]

Featured, Gay News Domestic & U.S. Politics, , , ,

Ten Democratic presidential candidates gathered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to discuss LGBT issues last night in a separate forum organized by LGBT media advocacy group GLAAD, the Advocate, and the Cedar Rapids Gazette.

Hosted by transgender actress Angelica Ross (Pose) were each asked to say what they would do on LGBT issues during their first 100 days as president, and then answer two to three additional questions from a representative of one of the event’s sponsors: Gazette columnist Lyz Lenz, One Iowa policy director Keenan Crow, and The Advocate’s editor-in-chief Zach Stafford who at sometimes struggled reading their own questions and at others lacked the professional presence to keep the dialogue moving smoothly with the candidates.

As expected trans and social justice issues were front and center. Elizabeth Warren ignored the directive to say what she would do in her first 100 days as president. Instead she read the names of 18 transgender women of color who have been victims of hate crimes in 2019.

Interestingly during the 2 hour event only one question was raised about the pending Equality Act and that was to long shot candidate Joe Sestak. The Equality Act would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to include LGBT Americans and assure them the same federal civil rights protections as all other Americans.

As of this date no LGBT political questions have been asked at any of the major nationally televised debates. Many blame these separate focused LGBT forums as the reason why.

Senator Bernie Sanders, former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, and businessman Andrew Yang did not attend the event.

*NOTE: Pete Buttigieg’s segment starts at the 1:26:00 mark if you can’t make it through the first hour and a half.

+
Beyoncé and Anti-Gay Lyric Writing Husband JAY-Z To Receive 2019 GLAAD Media Award

Beyoncé and Anti-Gay Lyric Writing Husband JAY-Z To Receive 2019 GLAAD Media Award

Featured, Gay News Domestic & U.S. Politics, , , , , , ,

GLAAD has just announced that their Vanguard Media Award at the upcoming 30th annual GLAAD will be presented to Beyoncéand JAY-Z.

The Vangard Media Award is presented to “allies who have made a significant difference in promoting acceptance of LGBTQ people.”

Now we all know that Beyonce is a tireless LGBT advocate and has stood up numerous times over issues that affect the LGBT community. (SNORT)  And JAY-Z has written some of the most pro-LGBT rap lyrics and music to date. Including some of these most memorable lines.

In his 2001 song “Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love),” the GLAAD recognized pro-gay singer raps:

Young faggots spittin’ at me, young rappers gettin’ at me
My nigga Big predicted this s**t exactly
“Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems” – gotta move carefully
‘Cause faggots hate when you gettin’ money like athletes

Jay-Z also took a stand for ‘equality’ in a toe-tapper called, “La-La-La (Excuse Me Miss Again),” in which he sings:

Now I ain’t down with who like me or who like you
That’s gay, I ain’t into liking dudes no way

He also bravely took a stand for the gay community in his tune, “22 Two’s,” :

Too many faggot niggas clockin’ my spendin’
Exercisin’ your gay-like minds like Richard Simmons

GLAAD president and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis had the audacity yo call Beyonce and Jay-Z  “global icons and passionate defenders of human rights and acceptance for all people,” in a press statement, adding, “When Beyoncé and JAY-Z speak, the world becomes inspired and when it comes to LGBTQ people, their voices of acceptance have been heard loud and clear.”

Sarah Kate Ellis should hang her head in shame and resign or have her over-paid ass kicked to the street.

Poor Vito Russo is rolling in his grave over what has happened to the once noble organization that he founded. 

GLAAD Pulls Bohemian Rhapsody’s Media Award Nomination After More Allegations Against Bryan Singer Surface

Entertainment, Featured, , ,

Because you know the movie itself and all the other people who worked on it must punished also. Right?

Via press from GLAAD:

In light of the latest allegations against director Bryan Singer, GLAAD has made the difficult decision to remove Bohemian Rhapsody from contention for a GLAAD Media Award in the Outstanding Film – Wide Release category this year. This week’s story in The Atlantic documenting unspeakable harms endured by young men and teenage boys brought to light a reality that cannot be ignored or even tacitly rewarded.

Singer’s response to The Atlantic story wrongfully used ‘homophobia’ to deflect from sexual assault allegations and GLAAD urges the media and the industry at large to not gloss over the fact that survivors of sexual assault should be put first.

The team that worked so hard on Bohemian Rhapsody as well as the legacy of Freddy Mercury deserve so much more than to be tainted in this way. Bohemian Rhapsody brought the story of LGBTQ icon Freddy Mercury to audiences around the world, many of whom never saw an out and proud lead character in a film or saw the impact of HIV and AIDS in fair and accurate ways. The impact of the film is undeniable.

We believe, however, that we must send a clear and unequivocal message to LGBTQ youth and all survivors of sexual assault that GLAAD and our community will stand with survivors and will not be silent when it comes to protecting them from those who would do them harm.

Other films that involve Singer now or in the future should take note of the backlash to The Atlantic story and other previous allegations. The industry cannot let those who perpetuate harms against anyone – especially vulnerable young people – go unnoticed or unchecked any longer.

On a personal note. Back2Stonewall.com was entered for a nomination for “Best Blog”. How much do you want to bet we won’t be nominated.

The 30th Annual GLAAD Media Awards will be announced tomorrow morning.

On a personal note. Back2Stonewall.com was entered for a nomination in the “Best Blog” category. Would anyone like to wager that we won’t be nominated?

UPDATE!!!

And yes! Back2Stonewall DID NOT get nominated AGAIN this year. But the nasty homophobic Monica Roberts of Trans Griot did! Along with one I never heard of. 

*Outstanding Blog

Gays With Kids

Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters

My Fabulous Disease

Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents

TransGriot

GLAAD Bashes Hugh Hefner After His Death: He Should Not Be Celebrated

Featured, Gay History, , , , ,

GLAAD (formerly the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) which was originally founded by gay activist and hero Vito Russo to monitor LGBT representation in media is jumping the shark once again. This time by attacking sexual freedom liberator  and Playboy founder Hugh Hefner after his death.

Hefner, who died Wednesday at 91 of natural causes, has been praised in some circles for his early and steadfast support of LGBTQ causes. In 1955, he published a story by Charles Beaumont that envisioned a world where gay people were the majority; after facing pushback, Hefner said: “If it was wrong to persecute heterosexuals in a homosexual society, then the reverse was wrong, too.

Hefner also wrote a Playboy editorial in 2012 advocating for same-sex marriage. “No one should have to subjugate their religious freedom, and no one should have their personal freedoms infringed,” he wrote in his conclusion. “This is America and we must protect the rights of all Americans.”

But ” Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of GLAAD,  pushed back at the praise of hefner in a statement saying:

It’s alarming how media is attempting to paint Hugh Hefner as a pioneer or social justice activist, because nothing could be further from reality. Hefner was a not a visionary. He was a misogynist who built an empire on sexualizing women and mainstreaming stereotypes that caused irreparable damage to women’s rights and our entire culture.”

Ellis who had no real LGBT activism work under her belt before becoming the president of GLAAD holds degrees in Sociology and minor in Women’s Studies from Russell Sage College  and is mostly known  most widely known for launching and turning around media brands within magazines such as New York, InStyle, Real Simple, and Vogue.

Ellis’ current salary at GLAAD is . $260,961.00 a year.

 

GLAAD Apologizes (Sort Of) But REFUSES To Restore Outstanding Blog Award Until 2017

Entertainment, Featured, Gay News Domestic & U.S. Politics, Of Interest, ,

Mark

Coming after intense criticism from all sides of the LGBT journalism community GLAAD today announced it will reinstate the Outstanding Blog category but not until the 28th Annual GLAAD Media Awards to be held in 2017.

GLAAD also released the following statement:

It’s become abundantly clear that we were wrong to remove the Outstanding Blog category, and we apologize. Although we cannot make changes to this year’s slate of categories and nominees, the Outstanding Blog category will be reinstated in 2017 with improved selection criteria that ensures grassroots LGBT voices are given the recognition they’re due. And like in years past, there will be no submission fee required in the category.

The contributions of LGBT bloggers and independent media have been critical to the advancement of this movement and, indeed, GLAAD’s mission. Eliminating the Outstanding Blog category was an affront to the tireless efforts of those whose work has been essential to putting a spotlight on the issues LGBT people face, and which too often goes overlooked. Removing the category was wrong, and we are committed to doing better.

What people don’t know is that sources from within GLAAD made a decision over 6 months ago that they were going to drop the category completely and stayed silent about the omission of the Outstanding Blog Award in hoped that others would not notice or care.

Two weeks ago after this blogger himself, Mark King of My Fabulous Disease and Alvin McEwan of Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters found out about the omission we raised the alarm on a private listserve where after 2 days of discussion Seth Adams, Communications Director of GLAAD wrote in a rather brusque missivethat the award would be back in 2017 because GLAAD could “not figure out what a blog was” and then went silent  and  ignored all of our complaints

So now, 2 weeks later GLAAD posts on its website about its “mistake” because they started to get bad press over it. But still they are sticking to the 2017 inclusion and REFUSE even with all the damage that they have done and bridges they have burned within the grassroots independent LGBT media community to make any extra effort to re-instate the Outstanding Blog Award this year regardless of the fact that there is plenty of time.

GLAAD will hopefully re-think this.  Grassroots independent journalist have been the promoter of GLAAD and its causes for years.  Perhaps we should all wait a year before covering anything for them.

I sure hope MSNBC and The Washington Post posts their press releases and events till then.

Because we’re not.

 

An Open Letter To GLAAD – Independent Journalist Denounce GLAAD’s Outstanding Blog Award Removal

Entertainment, Featured, Gay History, Gay News Domestic & U.S. Politics,

GLAAD

An open letter to GLAAD was published today by OUT Magazine from LGBT bloggers and journalist denouncing GLAAD for removing the Outstanding Blog category this year at its annual GLAAD Media Awards.

“An Open Letter to GLAAD Regarding the 2016 Media Awards

We, the undersigned, respectfully but strongly disagree with your decision to remove the category of ‘Outstanding Blog’ from the GLAAD Awards and with your rationalization behind this decision.

LGBT blogs and independent media play a crucial role in relaying information, providing new and diverse voices, and bringing attention to LGBT issues that have been overlooked and omitted by the mainstream media. Bloggers are the last truly independent voices of lived LGBT experience, and those who undertake this task typically do so without pay or recognition. They don’t grace the cover of magazines. They don’t get book deals. They don’t win Oscars. What they accomplish through their sacrifice of time and energy is the proper dissemination of information which serves to make our community stronger and better educated.

The ‘Outstanding Blog’ award bestowed by GLAAD was one of the few ways LGBT bloggers has been given their due. The idea that these voices will now have to compete with larger and more powerful news entities such as The New York Times, MSNBC and Buzzfeed is unfair and, frankly, humiliating. The elimination of the ‘Outstanding Blog’ category implies that unless one is a celebrity or affiliated with a publication with a high profile and finances to match, you are held without regard in the LGBT media landscape, or at least as GLAAD sees it.

It is sadly ironic that GLAAD, an organization which prides itself on lifting up positive LGBT portrayals, has rendered grassroots LGBT voices invisible and unworthy of recognition. While an initial statement from GLAAD explained that bloggers are still welcome to compete with national outlets in other journalism categories, a simple fact speaks for itself: among the 2016 award nominees, there is not a single blog (or community-based LGBT outlet, for that matter) to be found anywhere on the list. The crucial voice of first-person LGBT voices has simply disappeared from the GLAAD Awards. This is a troubling message to send to the general public, to up-and-coming LGBT writers, and to the LGBT community itself.

In the spirit of a community in which every voice is an asset in our march to full equality, we ask that the ‘Outstanding Blog’ category be fully reinstated immediately. Please conduct a nomination process at once so that this critical error might be rectified before your 2016 awards dinner.  Also, announcing the winner of this category from the stage, unlike in year’s past, would also be a nice touch.”

Sincerely,

Diane Anderson-Minshall
CEO of Retrograde Communications & Editor in Chief of Plus Magazine
Hivplusmag.com

Bil Browning
Founder of The Bilerico Project
Bilerico.com
2011, 2012 GLAAD Award Nominee

JD Davids
Managing Editor, TheBody.com

Zack Ford
LGBT Editor, ThinkProgress.org

Michael Hamar
Michael in Norfolk – Coming Out in Mid-Life
Michael-In-Norfolk.blogspot.com

Rebecca Juro
Columnist, South Florida Gay News

Mark S. King
MyFabulousDisease.com
2015 GLAAD Award Nominee

Will Kohler
Back2Stonewall.com

Alvin McEwen
Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters
holybulliesandheadlessmonsters.blogspot.com
2014, 2015 GLAAD Award Nominee

Noah Michelson
HuffPost Queer Voices
Huffingtonpost.com/queer-voices

Michael Rogers
Netroots Connect
lgbtnetrootsconnect.org

Dana Rudolph
Mombian.com
2012 GLAAD Media Award Winner

Michelangelo Signorile
Sirius XM PROGRESS
Signorile.com

Pam Spaulding
Pam’s House Blend
PamSpaulding.net

Joe Sudbay
Longtime Blogger

Berlin Sylvestre
Editor, OUT FRONT Magazine

Brynn Tannehill
Independent Writer

Daniel Villarreal
Editor in Chief, Unicorn Booty
UnicornBooty.com

Ashton P. Woods
Strength in Numbers
ashtonpwoods.strengthinnumbershouston.com

Jason Parley
South Florida Gay News

Kenneth Walsh
Kenneth in the 212

Sarah Toce
The Seattle Lesbian

Monica Roberts
Transgriot

Jim Burroway
Box Turtle Bulletin
2015 GLAAD Nominee for Outstanding Blog
2012 GLAAD Nominee for Outstanding Digital Journalism Article

Ironically the late great Vito Russo; LGBT activist, film historian, author and co-founder of GLAAD was he himself an independent journalist and writer.

#ShameOnGLAAD

#SupportIndiMedia

 

 

 

 

GLAAD Removes “Outstanding Blog” From Media Awards. Spits In Independent Media’s Face

Entertainment, Featured, Of Interest, , , ,

GLAAD

GLAAD,  formerly known as Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation has just defamed the independent LGBT journalists that have helped them for many years by removing the “Outstanding Blog” category from this years 27th. Annual Media Awards claiming that “the definition of “blog” became insoluble” (Yes that’s right.  GLAAD could not figure out what a “blog” was after all these years.) and that anything “previously considered in the Outstanding Blog category would now be considered in other categories, including Outstanding Digital Journalism Article, Outstanding Digital Journalism – Multimedia, and Special Recognition.” Meaning that independent blogs would have to go up against outlets like this years nominated VICE, NewYorkTimes.com, MSNBC.com, and Buzzfeed.com

Most shameful is the fact that the very people that GLAAD are marginalizing are the same people that for years promoted their causes and brought LGBT news, opinion and information to millions of readers on the internet.

Pam Spaulding former Blog Mistress of Pam’s House Blend:

“It’s shameful, considering independent voices (including Pam’s House Blend, nominated once), helped shape the political gains over the last decade. 

It seems like this is just another sign of what we’ve seen in the past few years in independent citizen journalism. It is on the slow fade out. There isn’t a sustainable financial model and the lack of attention in cases like this seals the fate. GLAAD’s position is part of the problem and a reflection of it. Sad. Our voices are needed out there.

PHB was a nominee, never a winner. But ultimately unless one has a day job/indy $ or partner to support the effort to do real commentary and journalism, attend pressers and conferences, blogs have a limited shelf life to entities like GLAAD.”

Bil Browning of Billerico

“GLAAD has dumped the Outstanding Blog category this year after we fought so long to have it included. Instead, they say independent bloggers should compete with mainstream paid news outlets like the New York Times because it’s all “online journalism.” What horse shit. The award was meant to honor the smaller folks who put their heart and soul into doing the work without all the monetary rewards of paid journalist.”

Alvin McEwan of Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters:

“I have been blogmaster for Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters for over nine years and my goal is simply – to educate the public on anti-gay propaganda and the groups who use this propaganda to exploit ignorance, fear, and religious opposition to LGBT equality.

being honored by GLAAD as a nominee for ‘Outstanding Blog’ on two occasions meant a lot to me. It increased my profile and sent the message that anyone in our community with enough heart, skill, discipline, and patience can make a positive impact in pursuit our equality.

However, this year, GLAAD has chosen to eliminate the ‘Outstanding Blog’ category, probably permanently. And this sends a negative message to grassroots and non-celebrities like myself. The GLAAD Media Awards should help to elevate new leaders, not push them away because lack of notoriety or fame. It’s not just solely about visibility, but also acknowledging and cultivating new spokespeople and leaders. And you can’t do that by focusing specifically and only on prominent celebrities and national media.”

Mark S. King – of My Fabulous Disease and contributor at POZ Blogs

“The Outstanding Blog category has been eliminated from the newly announced GLAAD Media Awards, and along with it the grassroots first-person voices of writers across the entire LGBT spectrum, including those of us living with HIV.

Folding blogs into the online journalism category is a disingenuous ploy; not a single past nominee or winner for Outstanding Blog is present anywhere on the 2016 list of award nominees.

GLAAD hasn’t simply marginalized the unique voice of bloggers. They have rendered us dispensable and ultimately invisible. It’s shameful that a national organization that purports to lift up LGBT voices has dismissed the very people and outlets that deserve encouragement and recognition.

But hey, won’t the GLAAD award race between Carol and The Danish Girl be a tight one? Maybe Eddie Redmayne will show up to the awards. That would be just the sort of evening GLAAD is hoping for.”

Seth Adams, the Director of Communications at GLAAD  (646) 871-8018 – seth@glaad.org

“Every year, GLAAD looks at our competitive categories to ensure as best we can that they reflect the current media landscape. We have retired several categories in the past (including our Theater categories), and added others as new media continue to evolve. GLAAD remains unequivocally committed to lifting up the voices of individuals and independent media within the LGBT community, and I can assure you that the feedback here will inform that process later this year as we begin work on the 28th Annual GLAAD Media Awards.

Thanks again for engaging us in this important conversation and holding us accountable. I promise we’re listening.”

I promise they’re not.  GLAAD has been talking about removing this category for years and according to my sources had made this decision well over 9 months ago and told no one  because they know that there would be a blowback.

A few of us have called upon GLAAD to hold a special late 2 week open submission for “Outstanding Blog/Independent Media” category and  announce those nominated and present whuile there is still time this year and tweak the category for next year. (We’d even help them figure out what a “Blog” is. )  But so far Seth Adams,  GLAAD Director; Sarah Kate Ellis, and the GLAAD team has been silent,

Funny thing about silence.  If GLAAD can be silent to our needs.  Then we in turn can also be silent to theirs.

#LGBTBloggersAndIndiMediaBoycottGLAAD

 

 

 

GLAAD Slams Tomboy Movie for Gender-Confirmation Surgery Plot: “We Haven’t Read The Script BUT….”

Featured, Gay News Domestic & U.S. Politics, Of Interest, , , , ,

GLAAD Media

 

GLAAD, (formerly the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and recently the Gay Organization That No One Really Cares About Because It Really Does Nothing But Holds Galas) has come out swinging blindly at the upcoming film Tomboy: A Revenger’s Tale and is causing a controversy among Trans-activist groups, calling the plot-line of the planned movie “disappointing” for its “sensationalistic” depiction of gender-confirmation surgeries even though they haven’t read the script yet!

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film from director Walter Hill centers on an assassin (played by lesbian actress Michelle Rodriguez) who is seeking revenge on a surgeon (played by LGBT ally and Prayers for Bobby star Sigourney Weaver) for being turned from a man into a woman.

GLAAD states that Tomboy is that it makes light of the various forms of gender-confirmation surgery trans people undergo to align their physical bodies with their innate gender.

“We haven’t read the script, but it’s disappointing to see filmmakers turning what is a lifesaving medical procedure for transgender people into a sensationalistic plot device,” Nick Adams, GLAAD’s director of programs for transgender media, said in a statement.

“We are at a crucial moment in the public’s understanding of transgender issues, and stories like these have the potential to undermine the progress we’ve worked so hard to achieve.”

Speaking of undermining “our progress” giving YouTube “star” Tyler Oakley an award for being an “LGBT media professional who has made a significant difference in promoting equality for the LGBT community” kind of undermines the progress we’ve worked so hard to achieve also. And you’ve actually seen his work.  

Wasn’t a REAL celebrity available?

Actress Zoe Salanda On The Red Carpet At The GLAAD Media Awards: Boycotting Dolce & Gabbana Is The “Stupidest Thing” – Video

Entertainment, Featured, Gay News Domestic & U.S. Politics, , , , ,

zoe

 

Actress Zoe Saldana who was in attendance at last weeks ever irrelevant GLAAD Media Awards had a few choice words to say about the Dolce & Gabbana  “synthetic children” and gay adoption remarks.  But they were all supporting D&G and her remarking that her boycotting Dolce and Gabbana over the remarks   “would be the stupidest thing.”

Said Saldana:

“No! Not at all, that would be the stupidest thing if it affected my fashion choice…People are allowed to their own opinion, however, I wouldn’t have chosen to be so public about something that’s such a personal thing. I’m certainly not going to stop wearing Dolce, and I’m certainly not going to be refuting when they are adopting synthetic children, however they wanted to say it. I do think things are lost in translation…

“My husband (Marco Perego) is from Italy and if I judged him based on the words that he misuses in our English language he wouldn’t be here today. It’s like ‘Look people, have a drink, relax, it’s okay.’ Obviously it caused some sensitivity, but then again if you continue to follow the news, you see they all kinda hugged it out, so why are we making a big deal about it?”

Oh God forbid that anything comes between her and fashion. Would Salanda still be defending them and wearing their brand if their ‘personal opinion’ was the traditional view that called mixed race children abominations?  And to say this on the red carpet at the GLAAD Awards? A organization that is supposed to defend the LGBT community from defamation.  The woman’s either a total fucking idiot or a world class bitch.

I’d boycott her.  if she ever did anything worth boycotting.

Ally my ass.

Gay Soccer Star Robbie Rogers Blasts FIFA for Holding World Cup In Anti-Gay Countries. Why Hasn’t HRC or GLAAD?

Featured, Gay News From Around The Globe, , , , , , ,

Mexico v United States

 

Openly gay LA Galaxy soccer  star Robbie Rogers blasted the FIFA for on Thursday for their decision to hold the 2018 and 2022 World Cups in the rabidly anti-gay countries of Russia and Qatar, while HRC and GLAAD have remained silent on the issue.

“I would never pressure anyone into speaking about the issue but it is absolutely insane,” he said. “If you look at the next few World Cups, they are in places where, if I were to go, I could possibly be imprisoned or beat up or stoned to death. It is pretty ridiculous.”

Roberts told NBC Sports that he was concerned about the safety of gay fans traveling to Russia and Qatar to watch the games, due to Russia’s bill banning “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations to minors,” and Qatar’s ban on gay sex.

“There is going to be number of gay fans that will go to watch the sport. Of course there is going to be another gay footballer there. So I think it is an issue that needs to be spoken about and discussed with FIFA because every player should feel safe when they go to a World Cup,” said Rogers.

Obviously organizations like FIFA & IOC care more about money than basic human rights. But what’s the Human Rights Campaigns and GLAAD’S excuse in not getting involved?

Lazy?  Ineffectual?  Worthless?  

Or perhaps its just D.  All of the above.