LGBTQ Non-Profit Organizations
Blade contributor wins GLAAD Media Award
Erin Reed recognized for Outstanding Blog
Los Angeles and Washington Blade contributor and journalist Erin Reed took home a GLAAD Media Award this past Saturday as she was honored for her reporting on LGBTQ laws, people, and moments around the world with special emphasis on in-depth reporting on issues affecting the trans community, of which she along with her fiancée, Montana state Rep. Zooey Zephyr (D-Missoula) are part.
Reflecting on her recognition by the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization winning for Outstanding Blog: Reed said:
“When I started reporting on queer and trans issues several years ago, I never envisioned myself becoming a journalist in this space. Instead, I was simply trying to help people understand where to get their healthcare resources, what laws challenged those resources, and what they could do to advocate for themselves through the legislative process and courts. I moved to writing long-form content almost two years ago when I realized that major media outlets were leaving a giant void in reporting on queer and trans issues.
I have been so blessed to be in the position I am in, where I can tell our stories every day. I cannot do this without standing on the shoulders of giants — the trans kids I saw tonight at the Gender Cool Project, the trans elders who fought for our healthcare long before us, and the activists in every single state messaging me every time they see something important. I also could not do it without all of you, the subscribers who make this work sustainable.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You make this work worth it.”
The 35th annual GLAAD Media Awards:
GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis, introduced by New York State Attorney General Letitia James, said in part: “10 years ago when I started at GLAAD, It was a much different landscape …And now we have the urgent need to protect it all. Our latest poll shows that more than half of American voters are turned off by candidates who are anti-trans. Hating us is becoming a losing proposition. We have to keep telling our stories, raising our voices, pushing back on the rhetoric.”
GLAAD presented the following awards onstage in New York:
- “Our America Who I’m Meant to Be – Episode 3” received the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding TV Journalism – Long-Form presented by Don Lemon
- “Family Karma” received the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Reality Program presented by the cast of “We’re Here” (Jaida Essence Hall, Latrice Royale, Priyanka, Sasha Velour)
- “Melissa Etheridge: My Window” received the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Broadway Production presented by Uma Thurman
- “Jennifer Hudson Surprises HIV Activist with $10,000” “The Jennifer Hudson Show” received the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Variety or Talk Show Episode presented by Carla Gugino and Mary McDonnell
- “Red, White, and Royal Blue” received the GLAAD Media Award for Queer Fan Favorite presented by Cody Rigsby and Beanie Feldstein
GLAAD also announced these winners in an offstage video reel in New York:
Outstanding Podcast: “Las Culturistas” (iHeart)
Outstanding Film – Streaming Or TV: “Rustin” (Netflix)
Outstanding Documentary: “Beyond the Aggressives: 25 Years Later” (MTV Documentary Films), “Kokomo City” (Magnolia Pictures), and “The Stroll” (HBO | Max Documentary Films)
Outstanding New Series: “The Last of Us” (HBO)
Outstanding Kids & Family Programming or Film — Live Action: “Heartstopper” (Netflix)
Outstanding Broadway Production: “Melissa Etheridge: My Window,” by Melissa Etheridge
Outstanding TV Journalism Segment: “New York City Gay Bar Deaths Classified as Homicides” (NBC News Now)
Outstanding Live TV Journalism — Segment or Special: “Indiana Students Put on LGBTQ-Themed Play Themselves After it’s Canceled By the School” “Yasmin Vossoughian Reports” (MSNBC)
Outstanding Print Article: “As Drag Bans Proliferate, Maren Morris Goes Deep With Drag’s Biggest Stars on Why the Show Must Go On” by Stephen Daw (Billboard)
Outstanding Online Journalism Article: “The AP Interview: Pope Francis Says Homosexuality Not a Crime” by Nicole Winfield (AP.com)
Outstanding Online Journalism — Video or Multimedia: “7 Remarkable Trans Elders Share Lessons for the Next Generation” (them.us)
Outstanding Blog: Erin Reed (“Erin in the Morning”)
Spanish Language — Outstanding Online Journalism Article: “Personas mayores LGBTQIA+ ‘tienen que regresar a un clóset para poder buscar vivienda’” por David Cordero Mercado y Joaquín A. Rosado Lebrón (PeriodismoInvestigativo.com and ElNuevoDia.com)
Spanish Language — Outstanding Online Journalism — Video or Multimedia: “Conoce a la primera diputada negra y trans de Brasil” por Natalia Barrera Francis, Joyce García, David von Blohn, Paula Daibert y Claudia Escobar (Descoloniza – AJ+ Español)
GLAAD previously announced Special Recognition awards for “The Dads” (Netflix), “Love in Gravity, Relighting Candles” (Hulu), “Renaissance: A Film by Beyonce” (AMC Theatres), “The Tennessee Holler, Yes I Am: The Ric Weiland Story, Drag Latina” (Revry / LATV), “Enamorándonos” (UniMás), “El sabor de la Navidad” (ViX), “Wendy, perdida pero famosa” (ViX)
GLAAD also previously announced that +Life Media received the Barbara Gittings Award for Excellence in LGBTQ Media.
The following winners were announced at the 35th GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles on March 14:
Outstanding Drama Series: “Yellowjackets” (Showtime)
Outstanding Comedy Series: “Ted Lasso” (Apple TV+)
Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series: “Fellow Travelers” (Showtime)
Outstanding Film – Wide Theatrical Release: “Bottoms” (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
Outstanding Film – Limited Theatrical Release: “Monica” (IFC Films)
Outstanding Reality Competition Program: “RuPaul’s Drag Race” (MTV)
Outstanding Music Artist: Renee Rapp, “Snow Angel” (Interscope)
Outstanding Breakthrough Music Artist: David Archuleta (Archie Music)
Outstanding Children’s Programming: “Blue River Wedding” “Ada Twist: Scientist” (Netflix)
Outstanding Kids & Family Programming or Film — Animated: “Hailey’s On It!” (Disney Channel)
Outstanding Magazine Overall Coverage: “Out”
Outstanding Video Game: “Baldur’s Gate 3” (Larian Studios)
Outstanding Comic Book: “Star Wars: Doctor Aphra,” written by Alyssa Wong (Marvel Comics)
Outstanding Original Graphic Novel/Anthology: “Four-Color Heroes” by Richard Fairgray (Fanbase Press)
Outstanding Scripted Television Series — Spanish Language: “Las noches de Tefía” (Atresplayer)
Outstanding TV Journalism — Spanish Language: “Adolescentes trans relatan su experiencia” “Noticiero Telemundo” (Telemundo)
LGBTQ Non-Profit Organizations
Gov. Tim Walz to headline HRC National Dinner
Tickets still available for event on Saturday
Minnesota governor and Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz will be the keynote speaker at the Human Rights Campaign National Dinner on Saturday, the organization announced on X.
BIG NEWS: We are thrilled to have Vice Presidential Nominee Governor Tim Walz join us at our National Dinner! He has been a steadfast champion for the LGBTQ+ community and will continue fighting for our rights once he is elected to the White House. pic.twitter.com/nRsZfzuMYg
— HRC 🥥🌴 (@HRC) September 4, 2024
Tickets are still available for the event. HRC is also hosting an Equality Convention this week, “a destination for trailblazers in politics, culture, and business who are igniting change and driving LGBTQ+ equality forward.”
When Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic 2024 presidential nominee, announced Walz as her running mate on Aug. 6, HRC President Kelley Robinson said her pick “sends a message that a Harris-Walz Administration will be committed to advancing equality and justice for all.”
The group wrote in a press release: “Governor Walz is a career-long champion for LGBTQ+ people. In 1999, as a history teacher and football coach, Walz sponsored the school’s first gay straight alliance student group.
“He opposed efforts to ban same-sex marriage in the Minnesota Constitution. While serving in Congress, he co-sponsored legislation to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), voted to repeal the discriminatory ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ law, voted for the Matthew Shepard/James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act and introduced legislation to protect LGBTQ+ service members from discrimination in benefits.
“As Governor, Tim Walz signed an Executive Order banning the dangerous practice of ‘conversion therapy’ in Minnesota.”
HRC in May pledged $15 million to organize in key battleground states for the Democratic ticket. Just days after President Joe Biden stepped out of the race and backed Harris as the presumptive nominee, the group raised more than $300,000 for her campaign in a virtual fundraiser.
LGBTQ Non-Profit Organizations
GLAAD’s 2024 Accelerating Acceptance study documents disinformation’s impact
Group will review findings at the DNC
GLAAD released the 2024 Accelerating Acceptance study on Thursday, which found that acceptance for LGBTQ people remains at supermajority levels, but overall support for the community has dropped slightly as reports of discrimination have risen.
At a glance, the organization’s top-line findings reveal that:
- 95 percent of non-LGBTQ Americans believe schools should be safe and accepting for all youth,
- 93 percent say children should be taught to appreciate and accept people as they are,
- 80 percent support LGBTQ equal rights, down from a record high of 84 percent one year ago, and
- 70 percent of GenZ LGBTQ adults report discrimination based on their sexual orientation.
The 16-page report is available here. GLAAD’s Media Institute has published Accelerating Acceptance studies each year since 2015. The organization will hold a briefing at the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 20 to review this year’s findings.
As the data shows, “more non-LGBTQ people have been inspired to speak up for LGBTQ equality as a result of accurate news coverage,” GLAAD wrote in a press release, “and voters have shown up in election after election to reject extremist candidates and their anti-trans campaigns.”
However, along with the findings about discrimination — particularly among Gen Z adults, the largest population of out Americans in history — respondents also report “negative mental health impact, fear for their safety, and online and real world harassment as a result of the political discourse in the country.”
“GLAAD’s 2024 Accelerating Acceptance Study arrives at a monumental inflection point for the LGBTQ community and for our entire country,” GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis said. “While acceptance for LGBTQ people remains at supermajority levels, the data this year also sounds substantial alarms about threats to this progress and to freedoms valued by every American.”
“The same extremist lawmakers, judges and media sources targeting abortion access, contraception, free and fair elections, and free speech, are using the same strategies of fear and disinformation to undermine LGBTQ people and our equality,” Ellis said.
She added, “Fortunately, the data also points to proven ways to keep expanding and accelerating acceptance.”
The online study was conducted in January 2024 with a nationwide sample of 2,511 U.S. adults.
LGBTQ Non-Profit Organizations
GLAAD president under fire for excessive spending
Spokesperson called New York Times report ‘grossly misleading’
GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis is under fire for excessive spending following a report in the New York Times on Thursday, which suggested the first class airfare, hotel accommodations, and car services booked by the organization’s chief executive for business travel far outpace the expenses of leaders of similarly sized nonprofits.
Quoting legal, nonprofit, and ethics experts, the article suggests Ellis and GLAAD’s actions may also have violated IRS rules, including their decision to not declare spending on Ellis’s home office renovation as income on her personal tax forms.
When Ellis joined in 2014, the article notes, GLAAD was in dire financial straits. Elevating the group’s public profile and expanding its purview, Ellis had quintupled its revenue to $19 million by 2022.
“Major donors have included media and tech companies such as Netflix, Google, and the Walt Disney Company; philanthropists like Ariadne Getty; and the New York City Council,” the Times wrote. “In 2022, the billionaire MacKenzie Scott donated $10 million.”
GLAAD’s chief communications officer, Rich Ferraro, said the board took Ellis’s performance into consideration when deciding her compensation, as under her leadership the advocacy group had started punching above its weight.
In a statement to the Advocate, Ferraro called the article “deeply misleading,” specifically disputing claims about Ellis’s annual compensation and denying that she ever took home “anything near” $1 million per year.
The organization has tussled with the Times in the past over the paper’s coverage of transgender issues. The Times, meanwhile, told the Advocate the paper stands by its reporting and noted GLAAD did not challenge any facts in the story.
Andy Lane, who has held senior roles in LGBTQ philanthropy, wrote on Facebook “GLAAD is a fraud, and has been as long as I’ve been in the business. For shame: And … girl, bye. Long overdue.”
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