The Human Rights Campaign’s Welcoming Schools program reached a record 750,000 students in fiscal year 2024 — supporting communities that are contending with the dramatic rise, in recent years, of anti-LGBTQ harassment and reported hate crimes in schools.

Data on the expanded reach of HRC’s pre-K-12 anti-bullying program, now in its 16th year, was included in the group’s fourth annual Welcoming Schools report, released on Tuesday.

“Welcoming Schools has continued to serve as a beacon, providing accessible training, resources, and actionable policies and practices at a time when proposals for anti-LGBTQ+ legislation specifically targeting our youth is at a devastatingly high level,” the group’s president, Kelley Robinson, said in the report’s introduction.

A third of the more than 550 anti-LGBTQ bills that were introduced across the U.S. last year have targeted LGBTQ inclusion in classrooms, disproportionately impacting transgender and gender-expansive youth, HRC noted in a press release announcement.

The “unsurprising result” of these legislative attacks, the organization wrote, has been a documented rise in bullying and harassment encountered by queer youth in educational settings.

According to an analysis of FBI statistics reported in March by the Washington Post, “the number of hate crimes on K-12 campuses” in states with restrictive laws “has more than quadrupled since the onset of a divisive culture war that has often centered on the rights of LGBTQ+ youth.”

The paper also found that “calls to LGBTQ+ youth crisis hotlines have exploded, with some advocates drawing a connection between the political climate and the spike in bullying and hate crimes.”

And in a survey published in November by HRC and the University of Connecticut, nearly 60 percent of LGBTQ teens reported that they had experienced bullying in school over their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Cheryl Greene, senior director of the Welcoming Schools program, said in the press release that “this work across local school districts is crucial to the success of our kids in school, especially as we’ve seen and heard from families who are uprooting their lives and moving states just to find more accepting, inclusive environments.”

“Our 2024 annual report showcases the tremendous impact of our trainings and resources in fostering environments where all students can thrive,” she said.

Robinson highlighted that Welcoming Schools’ “latest initiatives showcase our commitment to expanding opportunities for secondary-level training, making resources more accessible through Spanish translation, and embracing the power of e-learning.”

This year, the program’s ninth annual National Day of Reading was titled, “A Celebration of Stories Supporting Transgender and Non-Binary Youth” saw 36,000 participants and reached 130,000 people on social media. 

According to the report, “Since 2011, Welcoming Schools has trained educators in all 50 States, plus D.C., Aruba, Bahamas, Denmark, El Salvador, Germany, Honduras, Mexico, Qatar, Taiwan, and Uganda.”

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)

The Center for Black Equity, the D.C.-based national organization that advocates for the Black LGBTQ community, announced this week that its founder and Chief Executive Officer/President Earl Fowlkes will retire in August and the organization’s deputy director, Kenya Hutton, has been named interim CEO/president.

“After 25 years of dedicated service leading the organization’s fight for racial equity, Mr. Fowlkes will step down from his current role but will remain actively involved with the CBE in an advisory capacity as CEO/President Emeritus,” a statement released by the organization says.

“The CBE Board of Directors has unanimously appointed Mr. Kenya Hutton as Interim CEO/President,” the statement says. “Mr. Hutton, a seasoned leader with a proven track record in advancing racial justice initiatives, will assume his new position on August 1, 2024,” according to the statement.

The CBE describes itself as a “leading national organization dedicated to achieving racial equity and economic justice for Black LGBTQ+ communities” through “advocacy, education, and empowerment programs.” Among other things, the Center for Black Equity has been the lead organizer of D.C.’s Black Pride celebrations and has supported Black Pride celebrations worldwide.

“It’s been an incredible privilege to lead the Center for Black Equity for the past quarter century,” Fowlkes said in the statement. “While I’m excited to embark on this next chapter, I have no intention of stepping away from the fight for racial equity,” he said. “I look forward to supporting Kenya Hutton and the talented CBE team in their ongoing efforts to dismantle systemic barriers and empower Black LGBTQ+ communities,” Fowlkes said.

The statement says Hutton has served as deputy director of CBE for the past four years and prior to that served for a decade in other positions with the organization. “Mr. Hutton brings 26 years of experience in public service with various organizations,” the CBE statement says.

“I am honored by the board’s trust and excited to build upon the incredible foundation laid by Earl Fowlkes Jr.,” Hutton says in the statement. “The Center for Black Equity plays a vital role in advancing racial equity, and I am committed to leading the organization in its next chapter of impactful work.”