Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
Encyclopedia
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is a non-governmental
media monitoring
organization which promotes the image of LGBT
people in the media. Its stated mission, in part, is to "[amplify] the voice of the LGBT community by empowering real people to share their stories, holding the media accountable for the words and images they present, and helping grassroots organizations communicate effectively."
in 1985 to protest what it saw as the New York Post
s defamatory and sensationalized AIDS
coverage, GLAAD put pressure on media organizations to end what it saw as homophobic reporting. Initial meetings were held in the homes of several New York City activists as well as after-hours at the New York State Council on the Arts
. The founding group included film scholar Vito Russo
; Gregory Kolovakos, then on the staff of the NYS Arts Council and who later became the first Executive Director; Darryl Yates Rist; Allen Barnett http://www.glbtq.com/literature/barnett_a.html; and Jewelle Gomez
, the organization's first treasurer. Some members of GLAAD went on to become the early members of ACT UP
.
In 1987, after a meeting with GLAAD, The New York Times
changed its editorial policy to use the word "gay" instead of harsher terms referring to homosexuality. GLAAD advocated that The Associated Press and other television and print news sources follow. GLAAD's influence soon spread to Los Angeles
, where organizers began working with the entertainment industry to change the way LGBT people were portrayed on screen.
Entertainment Weekly
has named GLAAD as one of Hollywood's most powerful entities, and The Los Angeles Times described GLAAD as "possibly one of the most successful organizations lobbying the media for inclusion."
Within the first five years of its founding in New York as the Gay and Lesbian Anti-Defamation League (soon after changed to GLAAD after legal pressure by the Anti-Defamation League
), GLAAD chapters had been established in Los Angeles and other cities, with the LA chapter becoming particularly influential due to its proximity to the California entertainment industry. GLAAD/NY and GLAAD/LA would eventually vote to merge in 1994, with other city chapters joining soon afterward; however, the chapters continue to exist, with the ceremonies of the GLAAD Media Awards being divided each year into three ceremonies held in New York City
, Los Angeles
and San Francisco.
s, and has raised awareness of anti-LGBT defamation and the need for LGBT-inclusive laws by publicizing the hate-motivated murders of Matthew Shepard
, Brandon Teena
, Angie Zapata
, and others. It has also called attention to anti-gay song lyrics, the anti-gay advocacy of certain commentators, and to ads promoting conversion to heterosexuality
.
GLAAD's Media Field Program serves local communities and organizations in places where LGBT rights are not secure by training people to speak at community meetings, in local media and online via blogs and social media. The organization has recently started departments to work with sports writing and press for people of color, as well as with faith communities to highlight growing support for LGBT people from Lutherans, Catholics, Episcopalians, and the Jewish community.
GLAAD's Announcing Equality http://www.glaad.org/announcingequality project has resulted in more than 1,000 newspapers including gay and lesbian announcements alongside other wedding listings.
, Los Angeles
and San Francisco.
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
media monitoring
Media monitoring
Media monitoring is the activity of monitoring the output of the print, online and broadcast media. It can be conducted for a variety of reasons, including political, commercial, scientific, and so on.-In Business:...
organization which promotes the image of LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
people in the media. Its stated mission, in part, is to "[amplify] the voice of the LGBT community by empowering real people to share their stories, holding the media accountable for the words and images they present, and helping grassroots organizations communicate effectively."
History
Formed in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1985 to protest what it saw as the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
s defamatory and sensationalized AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
coverage, GLAAD put pressure on media organizations to end what it saw as homophobic reporting. Initial meetings were held in the homes of several New York City activists as well as after-hours at the New York State Council on the Arts
New York State Council on the Arts
The New York State Council on the Arts is an arts council serving the U.S. state of New York. It was established in 1960 through a bill introduced in the New York State Legislature by New York State Senator MacNeil Mitchell , with backing from Governor Nelson Rockefeller, and began its work in 1961...
. The founding group included film scholar Vito Russo
Vito Russo
Vito Russo was an American LGBT activist, film historian and author who is best remembered as the author of the book The Celluloid Closet ....
; Gregory Kolovakos, then on the staff of the NYS Arts Council and who later became the first Executive Director; Darryl Yates Rist; Allen Barnett http://www.glbtq.com/literature/barnett_a.html; and Jewelle Gomez
Jewelle Gomez
Jewelle Gomez is an American author, poet, critic and playwright. She lived and worked in New York City for twenty-two years working in public television, theatre as well as philanthropy before relocating to the West Coast...
, the organization's first treasurer. Some members of GLAAD went on to become the early members of ACT UP
AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power
AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power is an international direct action advocacy group working to impact the lives of people with AIDS and the AIDS pandemic to bring about legislation, medical research and treatment and policies to ultimately bring an end to the disease by mitigating loss of health and...
.
In 1987, after a meeting with GLAAD, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
changed its editorial policy to use the word "gay" instead of harsher terms referring to homosexuality. GLAAD advocated that The Associated Press and other television and print news sources follow. GLAAD's influence soon spread to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, where organizers began working with the entertainment industry to change the way LGBT people were portrayed on screen.
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
has named GLAAD as one of Hollywood's most powerful entities, and The Los Angeles Times described GLAAD as "possibly one of the most successful organizations lobbying the media for inclusion."
Within the first five years of its founding in New York as the Gay and Lesbian Anti-Defamation League (soon after changed to GLAAD after legal pressure by the Anti-Defamation League
Anti-Defamation League
The Anti-Defamation League is an international non-governmental organization based in the United States. Describing itself as "the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency", the ADL states that it "fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects...
), GLAAD chapters had been established in Los Angeles and other cities, with the LA chapter becoming particularly influential due to its proximity to the California entertainment industry. GLAAD/NY and GLAAD/LA would eventually vote to merge in 1994, with other city chapters joining soon afterward; however, the chapters continue to exist, with the ceremonies of the GLAAD Media Awards being divided each year into three ceremonies held in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and San Francisco.
GLAAD/NY ED (1985-1994)
- Gregory Kolovakos (1985-1987)
- Craig DavidsonCraig DavidsonCraig Davidson is a Canadian author of short stories and novels.Davidson's first book, The Preserve, was a horror novel written under a pseudonym. His first short story collection, Rust and Bone, was later published in September, 2005, by Penguin Books Canada. Davidson's style has been compared to...
(1987-1990) - Ellen Carton (1991-1995)
GLAAD/LA ED (pre-1994)
- Richard JenningsRichard JenningsRichard Jennings or Jenyns , was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1642 and 1668. He took the Parliamentary side in the Civil War...
and Jehan Agrama (1989-1992) - Peter M. Nardi (1992-1993)
- Lee Werbel (1993-1994)
Post-merger (1994-present)
- William Waybourn (as national managing director; 1995 – 1997)
- Joan M. Garry (1997 – June 2005)
- Neil GiulianoNeil GiulianoNeil G. Giuliano is an educator, activist, philanthropy advisor, leadership coach, and speaker. A former mayor and president of a national advocacy organization, he has been involved with community service and public affairs his entire career. Giuliano is the former four-term mayor of Tempe,...
(September 2005 – June 2009) - J. Michael Durnil (interim; June – September 2009)
- Jarrett BarriosJarrett BarriosJarrett Tomás Barrios is a politician, activist, and executive, currently serving as the chief executive of the American Red Cross of Eastern Massachusetts. He was a member of both the Massachusetts House of Representatives and the Massachusetts Senate and became the first Latino and first openly...
(September 2009 – June 2011) - Mike Thompson (acting) (June 2011 – present)
Programs
GLAAD promotes positive portrayals of LGBT people in media by encouraging journalists, writers and other creators to use its preferred terminology, and to portray the LGBT community in what it sees as an unbiased and inclusive way. GLAAD also pitches stories to media outlets that involve members of the LGBT community that may otherwise be overlooked. The organization often uses action alertAction alert
An action alert is a message that an organization sends to mobilize people - often members of their group and supports of a specific point of view - calling on them to take action to influence public policy. Typically, action alerts are in reference to a timely issue, where prompt action is needed...
s, and has raised awareness of anti-LGBT defamation and the need for LGBT-inclusive laws by publicizing the hate-motivated murders of Matthew Shepard
Matthew Shepard
Matthew Wayne Shepard was a student at the University of Wyoming who was tortured and murdered near Laramie, Wyoming, in October 1998...
, Brandon Teena
Brandon Teena
Brandon Teena was an American trans man who was raped and murdered in Humboldt, Nebraska. His life and death were the subject of the Academy Award-winning 1999 film Boys Don't Cry, which was based on the documentary film The Brandon Teena Story.-Life:Teena was born Teena Renae Brandon in Lincoln,...
, Angie Zapata
Angie Zapata
Angie Zapata was an American trans woman beaten to death in Greeley, Colorado. Allen Andrade was convicted of first-degree murder and committing a bias-motivated crime, because he killed her after he learned that she was transgender. The case was the first in the nation to get a conviction for a...
, and others. It has also called attention to anti-gay song lyrics, the anti-gay advocacy of certain commentators, and to ads promoting conversion to heterosexuality
Ex-gay
The ex-gay movement consists of people and organizations that seek to get people to refrain from entering or pursuing same-sex relationships, to eliminate homosexual desires, to develop heterosexual desires, or to enter into a heterosexual relationship...
.
GLAAD's Media Field Program serves local communities and organizations in places where LGBT rights are not secure by training people to speak at community meetings, in local media and online via blogs and social media. The organization has recently started departments to work with sports writing and press for people of color, as well as with faith communities to highlight growing support for LGBT people from Lutherans, Catholics, Episcopalians, and the Jewish community.
GLAAD's Announcing Equality http://www.glaad.org/announcingequality project has resulted in more than 1,000 newspapers including gay and lesbian announcements alongside other wedding listings.
GLAAD Media Awards
The GLAAD Media Awards were established in 1989 to "recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives." Ceremonies are held annually in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and San Francisco.