Grammy award-winning singer Ricky Martin and Emmy- and Tony award-winning actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth will be honored at the 22nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards.
Martin will receive the Vito Russo Award, which is presented to an openly LGBT media professional who has made a significant difference in promoting equal rights for LGBT people, in New York on Saturday, March, 19th.
"Ricky coming out was a game changer for many gay and transgender Latino children, who for too long did not have many out gay people to look up to," said Jarrett Barrios, president of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, in a statement released to the press. "Through his music, videos and interviews, Ricky has sent an important message that our community wants the same things all people do: an equal chance to raise our families and take care of our loved ones."
Chenoweth will receive the Vanguard Award, which is presented to media professionals who have increased the visibility and understanding of LGBT people, in Los Angeles on Sunday, April 10th.
"When allies like Kristin take such powerful stands against antigay sentiments in the media, it sends an important message of equality," Barrios said. "It is a privilege to honor such a talented and conscientious advocate for fairness towards the LGBT community."
Gay rights campaigners have lashed out at the producers and writers of TV musical Glee for including a controversial line about transvestites in the show's pre-Halloween tribute to The Rocky Horror Show.
The cast took on characters from the spooky and camp 1970s musical in a themed episode, which scored huge ratings last week.
But Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) officials have taken issue with the use of the word 'tranny' to describe Rocky Horror's chief character Frank-n-Furter, who dresses in stockings, lingerie and high heels.
In the Glee tribute, actor Harry Shum Jr.'s character Mike is forced to pull out of his role as Frank-n-Furter because his conservative parents don't want him to look like a "tranny".
A statement from GLAAD reads, "The casual manner in which the word was used is jarring, even if he (Shum, Jr's character) may have been repeating what his parents said.
"This inclusion of this slur is particularly alarming given last season's powerful episode in which Kurt's father chastised Finn for using the word 'f*g'. That episode sent a powerful message to the show's young fanbase that words have power and they can hurt.
"Unfortunately the larger problem here is that the word 'tranny' has become an easy punchline in popular culture, and many still don't realise that using the term is hurtful, dehumanising and associated with violence, hatred and derision against transgender people - a community that is nearly invisible in media today."
Gay rights campaigners have applauded the TV bosses behind hit shows including True Blood and Glee for bringing more homosexual characters to the small screen.
A report by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has found the number of gay, lesbian or bisexual characters appearing on TV has risen over the last year.
The study claims homosexual characters now make up 3.9 per cent of all those seen on U.S. TV.
Hit vampire show True Blood, which stars bisexual Anna Paquin and has featured six gay characters, was singled out for praise, along with musical show Glee and Modern Family.
GLAAD president Jarrett Barrios says, "The increase in lesbian, gay and bisexual characters on primetime television not only reflects the shift in American culture toward greater awareness and understanding of our community but also a new industry standard that a growing number of creators and networks are adopting.
"The recent critical and commercial success of shows like Modern Family and Glee clearly indicate that mainstream audiences embrace gay characters and want to see well-crafted stories about our lives."
Score one for the gays! After a call to action by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, NBC’s Today show has announced that it will officially allow gay couples to enter its annual “Modern Day Wedding” contest, which each year features one couple getting hitched on live television, after voting by the show’s viewers. GLAAD reached out after it discovered that Today hadn’t been allowing same-sex couples into the competition. And what a lovely surprise: NBC listened.
Apparently relations with the gay and lesbian community are important to the network and the show. “Moving forward, we ensure that our future wedding contests will be inclusive to all couples,” NBC said in a statement. The network had initially argued that it excluded gays and lesbians because “the couple must be able to be legally married in New York, which is where the wedding will take place.” The smarties at GLAAD, however, pointed out that New York legally recognizes same-sex marriages that are licensed in other states.
“We’re thrilled that Today Show’s ‘Modern Wedding Contest’ now recognizes what most fair-minded Americans have already concluded—a wedding celebrates love and commitment, whether the spouses are straight or gay,” said Jarrett Barrios, president of GLAAD. “NBC heard GLAAD and the thousands of viewers who contacted them. And they have moved to make their contest a truly modern wedding where any couple can share their story … we encourage qualified same-sex couples to submit their applications.”
And the network responded: “Our intent was not to be discriminatory or exclusive,” the network said. “In 2005 when the wedding took place outside of New York, the application process was open to same-sex couples. We have listened to every voicemail and read every email. We take this feedback seriously, and we will change our application process. Moving forward, we ensure that our future wedding contests will be inclusive of all couples.”
How refreshing is this news? I’m loving it, not that I ever have any intention to get married on live television. But if my fellow gays want to do it, more power to them! Why shouldn’t they be able to get married with Meredith Vieira, Al Roker, and Matt Lauer standing nearby?
MSNBC has a great interview with Jarret Barrios, president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) where he speaks of “Ugly Betty” and how it broke ground for both the Latino and gay population.
According to the post:
More groundbreaking was the show’s handling of its gay and transgender characters, said Jarett Barrios, president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. Although initially played for laughs, “Ugly Betty” provided a sympathetic portrait of Meade scion Alex who transforms into the stunning Alexis. And it followed the bumpy love life of Mode’s gay fashion assistant Marc St. James.
But most of all, it showed how Betty’s family accepted without fanfare Justin’s love for musicals and the latest fashion trends, a tacit acceptance of his sexuality. Then, in this final season, Justin got his first kiss with a boy.
Barrios said too often gay characters are depicted on TV as adults without families.
“A gay teen is also a son, a nephew, a grandson,” he said. “As a man who is both Latino and gay (and a father), I liked the show because it depicted really my own experience and that of so many others in the United States.”
Barrios said the show paved the way for network depictions of gay teens and families in shows such as “Glee,” “Brothers & Sisters,” and “Modern Family.”
With Emmys galore already to her name, Ellen DeGeneres can now add another trophy to her shelf – this one relevant to her personal life.
"Love comes in lots of different forms," said DeGeneres, 51, with her wife, Portia de Rossi, 36, standing beside her as the crowd cheered at Saturday's 20th annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles. "I am flabbergasted by the fact that we're still trying to fight," she added. "I am not trying to fight for gay rights – I am trying to fight for equal rights."
The TV host's award from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation League, at the Nokia Theater, was for the 2008 episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show on which Ellen discussed her wedding day. Speaking onstage, DeGeneres said, "Portia, I love you."
Others recognized Saturday included an outstanding film award to Milk, a Vanguard Award for Kathy Griffin to her commitment to the gay community, and a best-TV-comedy-series trophy to Desperate Housewives that was accepted by show creator Marc Cherry, actresses Dana Delany and Teri Hatcher and other cast members.
Kathy Griffin Jokes
On the red carpet before the ceremony, Kathy Griffin, 48, told PEOPLE, "I think I’m getting an award for being offensive and fabulous. If there is a gay army, I am their warrior princess. Over the years, the audience has been wonderful to me."
Griffin, known for taking no prisoners during her candid comedy riffs, quipped onstage that no celebrity would agree to present her with her award. She declared, "Everybody turned it down" – including Ryan Seacrest.
"This year, I think Susan got to have a lot of fun with some of the gay character storylines," Teri Hatcher, 44, told PEOPLE of her character on Desperate Housewives. "I do like when Swoosie Kurtz came on and played the gay boss of Susan. I thought it was emotional. That character got to show her struggle and vulnerability."
New Adventures of Old Christine was also cited for an episode on which Julia Louis-Dreyfus played the girlfriend of Wanda Sykes. "I'm so delighted," Louis-Dreyfus, 48, told PEOPLE, "they noticed what we were doing."
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation is debuting a series of new public service announcements urging straight allies to stand up for gay and transgender equality.
These PSAs encourage the audience to “be an ally.” Here is one featuring Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, Ellen DeGeneres, Anika Noni Rose, Alan Cumming, William Baldwin, Rufus Wainwright, Ron Rifkin and Sally Field.
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Grammy award-winning singer Ricky Martin and Emmy- and Tony award-winning actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth will be honored at the 22nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards.
