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With October being LGBTQ History Month, it has been a busy month
full of activism, events, and outreach at GLAAD. Kicking off with
National Coming Out Day, we also celebrated the 10th anniversary of
Spirit Day, as well as Asexual Awareness Week and Intersex Awareness
Day.
We featured the latter two on GLAAD’s amp website. Campus
Ambassador Sage Skyler shared
their experiences as asexual and debunked misunderstandings
surrounding asexuality.
Campus Ambassador Jonathan Leggette stressed
the importance of including intersex people in the conversation of
LGBTQIA+ rights. Jonathan also called for people to end intersex
surgery.
It has been an incredible and exciting month, we are proud to have
celebrated and represented our community with pride. Read on to see
what else we’ve been up to last month and what’s next for GLAAD, our
supporters and allies.
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GLAAD responds to Tennessee County Commissioner Warren Hurst’s
homophobic comments toward
Pete Buttigieg
During a meeting in Sevier County, Tennessee last week, County
Commissioner Warren Hurst used homophobic language to attack 2020
Democratic candidate Pete Buttigieg, calling the politician “queer,”
and that their sexuality is “about as ugly as you can get.” GLAAD took
to Twitter to acknowledge the fact that Hurst hasn’t apologized
for his comments in over a week and called for people to sign
a petition by the Tennessee
Equality Project.
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HBO’s Mrs. Fletcher partners with GLAAD for three-day West
Hollywood pop-up exploring sexual liberation and
gender
identity
HBO’s Mrs. Fletcher premiered Sunday, so GLAAD and the
network partnered for a three-day
pop-up shop in West Hollywood, with portions of the money raised
going back to GLAAD’s advocacy work. At the premiere event for the
pop-up, Actress, writer and activist Jen Richard’s spoke with GLAAD’s
Associate Director of Transgender Representation Alex Schmider about
her character Margo, a creative writing professor who is transgender.
Mrs. Fletcher airs Sundays at 10:30 p.m. on HBO.
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GLAAD sponsors screenings at NewFest, New York City’s LGBTQ Film
Festival
NewFest, New York City’s LGBTQ film festival, ran from October
23-29, and GLAAD sponsored two screenings. The first was for a
narrative film titled The True Adventures of Wolfboy, in
which a teenage boy runs away from home in search of his estranged
mother. The second was for the documentary Queering
the Script, which looks at queer representation in media and
features Megan Townsend, GLAAD’s Director of Entertainment Research
and Analysis. The film has been one of the most popular documentaries
on the queer film festival circuit in 2019.
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After being fired from her job at Roncalli High School for being
gay, GLAAD helps amplify the news of Shelly Fitzgerald’s lawsuit and
fundraising campaign to assist with legal fees
Shelly Fitzgerald, the LGBTQ guidance
counselor who was fired from her job at Roncalli High School because
of her sexual orientation in August 2018, filed a federal lawsuit
against the high school and the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. Shelly’s
Voice, a local advocacy group that launched after her firing, created
a fundraising campaign assist with the legal fees. Shelly’s Voice is
hopeful to raise $150,000 by the end of the year. To donate to the
campaign, click
here.
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GLAAD calls on media to keep spotlight on the most vulnerable
immigrants, including transgender
asylum seekers
GLAAD called on the media to focus on coverage of the most vulnerable
immigrants, including transgender asylum seekers, after the Trump
Administration seemingly deleted key video surveillence that could
have helped the investigation into Roxsána Hernández’s death, which
happened in ICE custody. “The LGBTQ community and other communities
demand transparency from government entities that are funded by our
tax dollars. We should never punish immigrants seeking safety,
including LGBTQ asylum seekers, by housing them in unsafe conditions
or keeping critical medical treatment from them,” said
Monica Trasandes, Director of Spanish Language and LatinxMedia
Representation for GLAAD. “The media is necessary to bring awareness
and accountability when it is lacking from
the
government.”
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Netflix’s Rhythm + Flow is Now Streaming: Meet Black & Queer
contestant Cakes Da Killa and Catch Episodes 1-7 Now
DaShawn Usher, GLAAD’s Programs Officer for Communities of Color, sat
down with Cakes Da Killa to discuss his experience on the new
Netflix reality competition Rythym + Flow and what it means to be an
out queer artist in Hip-Hop. The show follows megastars Cardi B,
Chance the Rapper, Snoop Dog, and T.I. as they travel to hip-hop
epicenters to find raw talent and help undiscovered artists pursue
their dreams.. The show is now available for streaming on Netflix.
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That’s it for now. Make sure you're following @GLAAD on Facebook,
Instagram,
and Twitter
for the latest in LGBTQ news and current events. |