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Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)  

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), founded in 1985 by activists and writers Arnie Kantrowitz, Darrell Yates Rist, and Vito Russo, is a watchdog group dedicated to promoting accurate media representations of the community.

GLAAD works closely with media professionals to educate them about the diversity of the glbtq community and to provide them accurate information. It also trains community activists to work effectively with the media. Perhaps most importantly, it monitors incidents of defamation in the media and works to redress biased representations.

Sponsor Message.

Over the past two decades, the organization has met with numerous successes in its struggle to ensure that America's movies, television programs, newspapers, and radio broadcasts provide inclusive, fair, and honest portrayals of glbtq people.

History

GLAAD was formed in New York to protest the sensationalized and defamatory New York Post coverage of the emerging AIDS epidemic. The Post problem underlined the general lack of queer representation in the media--and the stereotypes illustrated on the rare occasions when gays were made visible.

Shortly after commencing its initial efforts on the East Coast, GLAAD began working in Los Angeles to educate the entertainment industry about depicting gays and lesbians in films and television.

The organization went on to establish chapters in Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Kansas City, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. before becoming a national organization in 1995. Currently GLAAD's offices operate in New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

Early Successes

GLAAD broke major ground during the first few years of its existence. In 1986, it launched a weekly Los Angeles-based radio broadcast, Naming Names, which became available to 600 public radio stations throughout the United States.

The following year, after negotiations with GLAAD, the New York Times changed its editorial policy to mandate using the term "gay" rather than "homosexual" in its pages.

In June of 1989, 20 years after the Stonewall rebellion, the U.S. Postal Service issued a commemorative Stonewall cancellation at the request of GLAAD.

In 1992, Entertainment Weekly named GLAAD one of "Hollywood's 100 Most Powerful Entities."

Coalition Building

GLAAD has been involved with numerous coalitions, such as local and national groups committed to lifting the ban on gay and lesbian military service members, the National Freedom to Marry coalition, and the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs.

In addition, the organization has actively supported hate-crime legislation, and brought attention to the hate-motivated murders of Matthew Shepard, Brandon Teena, Arthur Warren, and others.

Perhaps most successfully, GLAAD has spearheaded protests against the anti-gay rhetoric and misinformation promulgated by such media figures as Dr. Laura Schlessinger and politicians such as Senators Trent Lott and Rick Santorum.

Annual Media Awards

Through its Annual Media Awards, GLAAD brings special recognition to gay-friendly media and entertainment industry outlets. Past honorees have included Rosie O'Donnell, Elton John, Ellen DeGeneres, Diane Sawyer, Todd Haynes, and Eric McCormack. Such films as Boys Don't Cry (1999), Being John Malkovich (1999), and Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) have also received awards, as have television series, plays, and videos.

Current Projects

Currently under the leadership of executive director Joan Garry, GLAAD serves local communities and media outlets throughout America via its Regional Media Program.

The organization has recently focused on publicizing the queer heroes and victims of 9/11/01; countering attempts of Roman Catholic Church officials to blame its sex-abuse crisis on innocent gay priests; and, in the Announcing Equality campaign, persuading newspapers throughout the nation to include same-sex wedding and union announcements.

GLAAD seeks to bring further awareness of traditionally underrepresented and bisexual people to the public, and to expand visibility of the full spectrum of the glbtq community in the future.

Tina Gianoulis

     

 
zoom in
Sean Hayes, Megan Mullally, David Kohan, Max Mutchnick, Debra Messing, and Eric McCormack onstage at the Seventeenth Annual GLAAD Media Awards in 2006.
Photo Credit: John Shearer/ WireImage.com.

  
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   Related Entries
  
arts >> Overview:  American Television, Drama

American television has made significant strides in its portrayal of homosexuals in dramatic series and movies, but cable networks have been more daring than the "big three" broadcast networks.

arts >> Overview:  American Television, News

Although glbtq people and issues have been inadequately covered by American television news, there have recently been signs of improvement.

arts >> Overview:  American Television, Situation Comedies

American television sitcoms have consistently reflected the presence of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered people, often in distorted and stereotyped ways, but occasionally in ways that acknowledge our humanity and complexity.

arts >> Overview:  American Television, Talk Shows

For glbt people, television talk shows are both promising and problematic; they have brought glbt issues to public awareness, but they have also presented glbt people as stereotypes and freaks.

social sciences >> Overview:  Boycotts

Boycotts, the refusal to patronize companies or institutions, have in recent decades been organized by glbtq rights advocates to protest discriminatory practices and policies.

social sciences >> Overview:  Civil Union

Vermont's Civil Union law confers all the rights, benefits, and responsibilities of marriage on same-sex couples.

social sciences >> Overview:  Gaybashing

Violence perpetrated against people thought by their attackers to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered occurs with disturbing frequency in the United States and other countries.

social sciences >> Overview:  Hate Crimes

Hate Crimes are crimes towards persons or groups motivated by the victim's race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

social sciences >> Overview:  Same-Sex Marriage

Lesbian and gay couples have been fighting for the freedom to marry since the dawn of the modern glbtq struggle for equality; despite some success abroad, progress toward same-sex marriage in the United States has been slow.

social sciences >> Achtenberg, Roberta

American activist and politician Roberta Achtenberg is the first openly gay person to be confirmed by the United States Senate for a major political post.

arts >> Ball, Alan

Award-winning screenwriter, director, and producer Alan Ball, whose work frequently features glbtq characters, has had great success in both film and television.

arts >> Bean, Billy

Former baseball player and current television personality, Billy Bean was closeted throughout his major league career but has since become a proud advocate for glbtq rights.

arts >> Cho, Margaret

Korean-American bisexual actress turned stand-up comedian Margaret Cho has become one of the most prominent Asian Americans in show business and in glbtq culture.

arts >> DeGeneres, Ellen

No matter how great her contribution to the world of comedy, Ellen DeGeneres will probably be best remembered as the first lesbian to star as a lesbian on her own network television show.

arts >> Haynes, Todd

Since his 1991 film Poison won the Grand Jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival, innovative filmmaker Todd Haynes has emerged as the leading figure of the New Queer Cinema.

arts >> John, Sir Elton

Pop superstar Elton John's combination of melodic skills, dynamic charisma, and raucous performance style have make him a remarkably popular musical artist.

arts >> O'Donnell, Rosie

Comedian, actress, television talk show host, and openly gay mom, Rosie O'Donnell has achieved remarkable success in her relatively short career.

social sciences >> Shepard, Matthew

Matthew Shepard led an unremarkable life, but his shocking death transformed him into an icon of the glbtq movement for equality.

social sciences >> Stonewall Riots

The confrontations between police and demonstrators at the Stonewall Inn in New York City the weekend of June 27-29, 1969 mark the beginning of the modern glbtq movement for equal rights.

social sciences >> Teena, Brandon

Twenty-year-old Brandon Teena was brutally murdered on December 31, 1993 on account of gender non-conformity.

arts >> Wong, B. D.

Asian-American actor B. D. Wong came to prominence with his extraordinary performance in M. Butterfly and has since established himself as a talented character actor in film and television and as a champion of glbtq causes.

arts >> Zadan, Craig (b. 1949), and Neil Meron (b. 1955)

Prolific film, television, and stage producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron have created a diverse body of work, including a number of theatrical films and television features with glbtq themes.


    Bibliography
   

Alwood, Edward. Straight News: Gays, Lesbians, and the News Media. New York: Columbia University Press, 1996.

Bailey, Mark. "Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation." Gay Histories and Cultures. George Haggerty, ed. New York: Garland, 2000. 365-66.

"Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation." Gay Almanac. New York: Berkley Publishing Group, 1996. 217-19.

www.glaad.org

 

    Citation Information
         
    Author: Gianoulis, Tina  
    Entry Title: Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)  
    General Editor: Claude J. Summers  
    Publication Name: glbtq: An Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual,
Transgender, and Queer Culture
 
    Publication Date: 2004  
    Date Last Updated March 12, 2008  
    Web Address www.glbtq.com/social-sciences/gay_lesbian_alliance.html  
    Publisher glbtq, Inc.
1130 West Adams
Chicago, IL   60607
 
    Today's Date  
    Encyclopedia Copyright: © 2002-2006, glbtq, Inc.  
    Entry Copyright © 2004, glbtq, inc.  
 

 

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