Welcome to our bi-weekly communication about GLAAD’s programs and activities.

GLAAD is continuing its work of amplifying LGBTQ voices and ensuring our community is protected, especially during the time of COVID-19.



Last week, GLAAD and the community successfully pushed the FDA to reduce the deferral period on the blood ban that prohibited gay and bi men and men who have sex with men from donating. The deferral period, which was originally 12 months, has been reduced to 3 months.

But the work is not over.

GLAAD and LGBTQ organizations around the nation continue to push for the discriminatory ban to be lifted entirely. Add your name to this petition <[link removed]> and make your stance known.

GLAAD’s other programs have remained vigilant during the pandemic to safeguard the LGBTQ community. Keep reading to find out more.

Transgender Media and Representation

GLAAD and Instagram send messages of love to trans youth around the world

To provide some hope in this uncertain time, GLAAD partnered with Instagram for the 10th annual celebration of International Transgender Day of Visibility, which is spearheaded on the GLAAD front through our Transgender Media and Representation department.

The global social media initiative served as a launch for GLAAD’s #TransLoveStory series <[link removed]>. Each week on IGTV through April, GLAAD will amplify the diverse stories of trans people in loving relationships, including Chala and Noah who are pictured below. (Photo by Landyn Pan).

The beacon of light and positivity comes at a time as the nation suffers from the global pandemic caused by COVID-19, which will likely disproportionately affect transgender people in the U.S. due to the discrimination, unemployment rates, and inability to access healthcare trans people already experience. According to the National Center for Transgender Equality’s national survey <[link removed]> 23% of trans people did not see a doctor when they needed for fear of being mistreated. 33% did not see a doctor when needed because they could not afford the care.

Because of these staggering statistics and the escalation of anti-trans legislation by the week (more on that later), GLAAD aims to demonstrate the love and support the transgender community does have in some places but urgently deserves everywhere. Click here <[link removed]> to see GLAAD’s posts about TDOV.

News and Rapid Response

Along with the blood ban, GLAAD’s News and Rapid response team has been hard at work on the following:

GLAAD’s Transgender Media team calls attention to cruel bills signed into law

On the eve of Transgender Day of Visibility, Idaho Governor Brad Little signed two anti-trans bills into law. The first prohibits people from changing gender markers on their birth certificates, and the second bars transgender girls from competing in sports. Associate Director of Transgender Represention Alex Schmider said the following <[link removed]>: “Tonight, on the eve of Transgender Day of Visibility and while the United States is overwhelmed with a massive public health crisis, Idaho Governor Brad Little passed legislation targeting some of the most vulnerable members of the LGBTQ community – transgender children. Although medical experts, sport governing bodies, and Idaho’s major employers have spoken out against these two bills, Governor Little has instead sided with discrimination. Now, more than ever, transgender people need to be supported, not subjected to state-sponsored discrimination and suffering.”

GLAAD Media Institute responds to anti-LGBTQ CEO Franklin Graham opening a hospital in Central Park

Last week, Samaritan’s Purse, run by LGBTQ attacker and CEO Franklin Graham, constructed a tent hospital in Central Park to meet the need for hospital beds during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a Twitter video, CEO Franklin Graham put out a call for Christian doctors, nurses, paramedics, or other medical professionals to work in his privately run tent hospital. The move drew wary concerns from LGBTQ advocates and governement officials. Graham’s continuous marginalization of communities contradicts his pleas for unity. GLAAD's Ross Murray responded Wednesday with the following statement <[link removed]>: “Franklin Graham’s call for people to ‘unite and work together’ would be much better received if not for his track record of publicly and vocally vilifying LGBTQ people and other marginalized groups. By continuing to enforce a strict anti-LGBTQ ‘statement of faith’ among his staff, Graham is not creating a safe space for New Yorkers during this crisis, especially without affirming that his tent hospital will abide by New York City’s human rights law.”

GLAAD spotlights Singapore LGBTQ advocate after court upholds colonial-era law that jails LGBTQ people

On Monday, Singapore’s high court dismissed the cases of three men challenging Section 377A of the country’s penal code <[link removed]>, which criminalizes LGBTQ people. The law, a holdover from British colonialism, gives a sentence of up to two years in jail for “gross indecency.”  Ross Murray, Senior Director of the GLAAD Media Institute, responded to the decision: “Singapore had an opportunity to lead the world in safeguarding and protecting its LGBTQ citizens, and it’s heartbreaking that they passed on that opportunity. The plaintiffs, like all LGBTQ Singaporeans, are patriotic citizens, fighting to make their country fairer and safer for all people within its borders.” In 2018, GLAAD spoke with one of the plaintiffs <[link removed]>, Johnson Ong, an internationally recognized DJ under the stage name Big Kid. In a statement to GLAAD on Monday, Ong reacted to the ruling: “Singapore’s 377A law continues to inflict harm on LGBTQ Singaporeans every day that it remains in force. My wish is for the next generation of young LGBTQ to grow up unencumbered by such an oppressive law, and to have the confidence to fully participate and contribute to Singapore society without feeling less than equal.” For more information, click here <[link removed]>.

Communities of Color

Programs Officer, Communities of Color Dashawn Usher highlights importance of monitoring the news during COVID-19 pandemic


DaShawn Usher, GLAAD’s Programs Officer, Communities of Color, was featured on a national virtual meeting titled Ring The Alarm: Black Gay Men In Response To COVID-19 on April 2. The meeting was hosted by Marvell L Terry II and attended by approximately 150 people. DaShawn emphasized the importance of remaining vigilant and monitoring the news media during the time of COVID-19 on topics that relate and don’t relate to the pandemic. He also highlighted other ways to support the community, like watching your favorite LGBTQ-inclusive TV shows and movies. The e-gathering included updates from Dr. David Malebranche, Daniel D Driffin, P.J. Moton-Poole and Kenyon Farrow. Melbranche provided recommendations on how to stay healthy, including what masks to wear, how to disinfect surfaces and much more; Driffin gave an epidemiology update and how social distancing affects everyday life, including the supplies you need and how to stock up on your necessary medications; Moton-Poole talked about putting mental health first and establishing a routine; Farrow spoke about policies and how COVID-19 restrictions affect marginalized communities disproportionately. Farrow specifically mentioned LGBTQ shelters in Uganda that were raided for “violating” social distancing. The meeting was a success, and Marvell L Terry II plans to host more in the future. Check back here for more information.Spanish Language and Latinx Media

GLAAD calls for immigrants in ICE custody to be protected during the COVID-19 pandemic

GLAAD, the Congressional HIspanic Caucus and many other organizations are calling on the government to release immigrants currently in ICE custody and allow them to await trial from the comfort of their homes. The battle against ICE has been relentless, but the need to release is immediate with the COVID-19 outbreak. Monica Trasandes, GLAAD’s Director of Spanish-Language and Latinx Media released the following statement <[link removed]>: “Too many trans people, LGBTQ people and vulnerable immigrants are in ICE custody and scared that cramped conditions and lack of supplies will mean they get very sick and possibly not survive. It’s important to remember that most folks in detention are only there because they came to the U.S. seeking asylum or to work, and do not have documentation to stay. In many cases, they came to save their lives or their kids’ lives, to work hard and make a new life in our country. They deserve to be protected from this deadly virus.”

Youth Engagement

GLAAD Campus Ambassador Austin Houck opens up about growing up queer with Asperger’s Syndrome

This week’s GLAAD Campus Ambassador feature comes from Austin Houck, a gay man who lives with Asperger’s Syndrome. Austin, a student at the University of Virginia, shares his experiences of coming out and being in a relationship while having Asperger’s. He writes <[link removed]>: “For so long, I was embarrassed of being gay, but it paled in comparison to my shame of having Asperger’s. I had always tried to hide it, to minimize it, cursing whatever it was that gave it to me. But I’ve learned that to have Asperger’s does not mean to feel nothing. It means to feel everything differently. It means that you have to work harder to make connections, to understand yourself and others. And when you put in that work, you never, ever take those connections for granted.”

Entertainment Media



‘Schitt’s Creek’ star Dan Levy speaks with GLAAD about the series’ lasting change on the LGBTQ community

After six seasons and countless iconic moments, the PopTV’s LGBTQ-inclusive sitcom Schitt’s Creek has come to an end. GLAAD’s Head of Talent Anthony Ramos chatted with co-creator and lead actor Dan Levy about the show’s positive impact on the LGBTQ community. “It is the greatest takeaway I could have ever imagined from this show,” Levy, who received the Davidson/Valentini Award in 2019, said. “I just think back to times in my life when I was still in the closet and really struggling, and thinking if I was going to be able to live an open and authentic life myself. It is such a stark discrepancy between who I was as a teenager and who I am now. I am really proud of the work that we did, and I am humbled by the change that we seem to have affected in people’s lives and people’s homes.” Click here to read the full interview <[link removed]>. GLAAD Campus Ambassador Daniel Camacho also said goodbye to the series <[link removed]>, and GLAAD celebrated the finale on social media <[link removed]>.



LAST CHANCE: Enter to win a FaceTime from Adam Lambert 

Your next FaceTime call could come from Adam Lambert! The rock icon’s Feel Something Foundation partnered with GLAAD to give you a chance to talk to Adam face-to-face. For every $20 you donate, your name will be put in a drawing, and you could win this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But now is your last chance. Donate before Friday, April 10 for a chance to win! <[link removed]>

That’s it for now. Keep up to date by following @GLAAD on Facebook <[link removed]>, Instagram <[link removed]>, Twitter <[link removed]> and TikTok <[link removed]?>. See you next time!



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