Hi Friend,
Welcome to our bi-weekly communication about GLAAD’s programs and activities.
Pride Month is right around the corner, and GLAAD is gearing up for a June unlike ever before. With many festivities going virtual, we are working to capture the celebrations from around the country. Read on to learn more about that, dive into the weekly AmpU youth chat, and see how GLAAD honored Aimee Stephens, a plaintiff at the center of the upcoming Supreme Court decision on LGBTQ workplace discrimination.
Continue reading to find out more.
Pride
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Let GLAAD know about your virtual Pride celebration
Even while continuing to social distance through June, GLAAD is showing that Pride itself can never be canceled. We are compiling the most comprehensive guide to this year’s digital Pride events and would love to include any and all of your Pride-related happenings. Please use this submission form to include your events in the GLAAD Pride Guide, launching online May 29. A submission takes less than a minute to complete, so get to it!
GLAAD engages partners on best practices for Pride Month
GLAAD launched on May 14 its two-part Pride series for corporate partners, titled “The Roadmap to Pride,” to engage brands and corporate partners on best practices for Pride. The series kicked off with a training from Ross Murray, Senior Director of the GLAAD Media Institute, presenting Brand Engagement 101: Best Practices for LGBTQ Pride Month. The workshop covered the current state of the LGBTQ community and examined common pitfalls experienced when marketing to LGBTQ people, especially around Pride month. The training highlighted how GLAAD can be a partner in building Pride campaigns, like Sally Hansen and Skittles. The symposium ended with a panel featuring Brent Miller of Procter & Gamble, entertainer and activist Peppermint, Diane Anderson-Minshall of Pride Media and Matt Wagner of Target-10. The panelist debunked myths around advertising for LGBTQ people and how to go about it the right way. To learn more about GLAAD’s efforts to educate and train corporate partners and advocates, visit www.glaad.org/institute.
News and Rapid Response
GLAAD corrects coverage of Aimee Stephens’ death after national publications deadname her
Aimee Stephens, the transgender plaintiff at the center of a landmark Supreme Court case, died at 59 on May 12. When covering the death of Stephens, several national mainstream outlets, including The New York Times and The Associated Press, referenced Aimee’s birth name in their initial reporting. This practice, often referred to as deadnaming, is harmful and disrespectful to people who are transgender.GLAAD spoke with journalists about how to cover transgender people fairly and accurately. Mainstream media outlets updated their articles. GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis reacted to Stephens’ passing on Twitter: “Aimee Stephens was a trailblazer whose story and fight have already had historic implications on LGBTQ equality, particularly transgender equality and acceptance. Those of us at GLAAD are sending our love to her loved ones.” The Supreme Court has not yet ruled on the case, but a verdict is expected any Monday or Thursday through the month of July.
GLAAD amplifies story of New York City man who recovered from COVID-19 but was turned away from plasma donation
Yuval David, a gay man in New York City, recovered from COVID-19 but was turned away from donating plasma because of the discriminatory 3-month deferral period that prevents gay and bi+ men from donating blood and plasma. “I don’t fit the three-month abstinence policy, but why should I?” David said. GLAAD worked to get David’s story placed in mainstream media outlets, which included a segment on CBS New York. Since the Surgeon General’s plea for Americans to donate blood, GLAAD launched a campaign to end the FDA’s ban on gay and bi+ men from donating blood. You can sign the petition here.
Youth Engagement
AmpU Chat: Justice Horn talks community engagement on GLAAD’s Twitter
In this week’s AmpU chat, Campus Ambassador Justice Horn from Kansas City, Missouri, asked GLAAD’s Twitter followers how they’re giving back to and staying engaged with their communities during COVID-19. Check out the full discussion here. AmpU was introduced to provide youth, who are particularly vulnerable during the COVID-19 crisis, the opportunity to connect in a positive way. The weekly thread highlights someone from GLAAD’s Campus Ambassador program, which is present on 147 college campuses in 47 states.
GLAAD Media Institute
Sign up now: GLAAD Media Institute offers free training on leveraging your social media to create change
On May 22, the GLAAD Media Institute will offer a free training titled Engagement 202: Telling Your Story Through Social Media. The two-hour workshop will equip activists with the tools to tell their story on various social platforms. This workshop is hosted in partnership with the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, which was originally set to be hosted in-person in Union County, New Jersey. By moving workshops online, the GLAAD Media Institute is proud to welcome advocates and activists from across the globe to join in. To learn more about the training and register, click here.
Entertainment Media
GLAAD chats with ‘She-Ra and the Princess of Power’ creator Noelle Stevenson about series finale
GLAAD’s Entertainment Research & Analysis Associate Raina Deerwater recently spoke with Noelle Stevenson, creator of She-Ra and the Princess of Power, about the final season of the wonderfully queer animated series. In the interview, which contains major spoilers, Stevenson talks about what it’s like to have an LGBTQ relationship at the center of the whole show: “To have it pay off in the end and to see the pride that everyone had around the show and for these blatant queer themes of the show. That we had been successful at incorporating those in this positive way. It's a really big feeling. It's a big feeling and it's an important one.” You can read the full interview here.
As ‘How To Get Away With Murder’ ends, GLAAD talks about its queer legacy with creator Pete Nowalk
Ahead of the series finale of How to Get Away with Murder, Head of Talent Anthony Ramos caught up with showrunner and creator Pete Nowalk as well as actors Conrad Ricamora (Oliver Hampton) and Amirah Vann (Teigan Price). In the interview, Nowalk chats about the LGBTQ legacy of the series, and how winning a GLAAD Media Award in 2015 actually inspired the decision to make Annalise Keating, played by Viola Davis, bisexual. Amirah Vann chats about being an ally to the LGBTQ community and how she hopes that her portrayal on the series gets people to stop discrimination against queer people. Conrad Ricamora, who is gay, opens about how portraying his character Oliver has helped him accept his own queer identity. He also highlights how imperative it was for him to showcase a HIV narrative through his character, as these storylines are not seen nearly enough on television. Check out the full interview here.
