GLAAD Needs to Rethink Awards, or Its Mission

As a reporter who covers LGBT activism, the other morning I received the following question in my oft-overstuffed inbox:

When the GLAAD awards start to resemble The Golden Globes and all other mainstream award shows does this mean?

• a) GLAAD is redundant?
• b) Queers have finally made it?
• c) GLAAD needs to revisit its mission statement?
• d) ___________ (your answer)

The e-mail came in response to the announcement that for the 25th year, in the middle of awards season, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) would host its annual media awards. The nominees read like a Who's Who gallimaufry of not only the Golden Globes, but also the Oscars, the SAG awards, the Emmys, the Tonys and every other celebrity television vehicle one could possible imagine. For the consideration of the gays, we have, among others, "The Kids Are All Right," the Ginsberg biopic "Howl," Fox's hit show "Glee" and "The Oprah Winfrey Show" for Ricky Martin's first televised interview. Aside from "Prodigal Sons," a transgender coming-home story, it's hardly a groundbreaking array.

The author of the e-mail -- the founder of a popular lesbian website -- did not necessarily post to provoke, but to solicit feedback about whether her online magazine should cover the red carpet at the awards. "We've been doing this for almost 10 years now, and that is starting to feel like a very superficial reason," said Grace Moon of VelvetPark.

Don't get me wrong -- I enjoy my celebrity photos and red-carpet walking just as much as the next media gadfly. I also appreciate that the organizations representing my interests look and act modern, if not a little trendy. But Moon is right: Either she needs to rethink covering GLAAD, or GLAAD needs to rewrite its mission statement. Because when I consider GLAAD, I think of the things its celebrated oogling is costing LGBT people.

For starters, for the past two years, a backlash in the LGBT community has been taking place over the amount of money large LGBT organizations have been putting into fruitless lobbying and endless awards shows. They now seem to be filling in the many gaps GLAAD and others have left while chasing celebrities. One grassroots group coming out of the backlash, Queer Rising, conducted a "die-in" at Grand Central Terminal to protest the six LGBT bullying suicides last September. Despite its pledge to ensure that "the stories of LGBT people are heard through the media," GLAAD skipped the "die-in" as well as the other events that took place that awful week. Last summer, members of GetEQUAL, another new LGBT group, chained themselves to the White House fence to protest DADT. Even though its mission proclaims that GLAAD helps "grassroots organizations communicate effectively," not a single GLAAD rep came to DC that day. Finally, GLAAD's clear lack of pulse came shortly after the beating LGBT people took at the hands of anti-gay politicians and their religious fans (Carl Paladino, anyone?) in the November elections -- happily highlighted in all the right-leaning dailies. GLAAD remained mum, overlooking that pesky part of its mission statement about "holding the media accountable for the words and images they present." Member of GLAAD's Religion, Faith and Values team couldn't be bothered to attend a march led by LGBT-friendly ecumenical leaders in early December, either.

GLAAD and its media awards used to celebrate the "unsung heroes" -- the regular people writing about LGBT issues and putting their lives on the line to stand up to the mainstream. Even though GLAAD still invites "those people" to its show (Judy Shepherd -- bereaved mother of the slain Matthew -- might still make an appearance), it basically tramples over them to throw awards at the people who act as lesbian moms and gay poets in the movies.

So, in staying true to answering the question put before me last month, I have devised a new mission statement for GLAAD: "The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) amplifies the voice of the LGBT community by empowering people to sit in offices in New York and L.A., watch TV and every now and then issue a report shaming "Saturday Night Live" over its drag skits or N.F.L. football commentators for making "Brokeback Mountain" jokes. The rest of the time, it prepares for a Media Awards show that hardly gets any coverage in the press anymore and celebrates the movies, TV shows and actors already honored by mainstream award shows.

 

Follow Adrian Margaret Brune on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ambrune

Comments

[ajswillis]

09:18 AM on 03/02/2011

Whatever! I'm glad that GLAAD are taking a lead.

[SalesmanForLife]

10:19 PM on 03/01/2011

I have always been on the "I dunno..." side of GLBT groups awarding others for something they support, like us but I have rarely been brave enough to speak on it. In my personal life I have many many GLBT friends, collegues, etc and none of them seem to pay this any attention. We do HRC support work, donations, etc but GLADD is rarely even talked about however, I feel there is still some value to it but the awards are, for me, almost embarrassing and seperatist.

[Kevin Boyer]

03:00 PM on 03/01/2011

I'm fascinated that my first post on this topic never actually got posted, perhaps because it criticized the author? It was pending and then - poof - disappeared.

My overall point was that these types of "articles" come along every year around this time. Writers who can't be bothered to really educate themselves about GLAAD see the publicity around the Media Awards, find a few people who say "this is all they do" and then issue some pronouncement about GLAAD's mission. It's boring. And lazy.

The GLAAD Media Awards receive the most publicity because that is their intent. They are the big public event that GLAAD produces to raise money and give celebrities a platform to show their support for GLAAD (which needs to have the right amount of "glam"). They are not the "work" of GLAAD. 15 minutes on the GLAAD.org website (or perhaps actually calling GLAAD as a source since they're the subject of your article, Adrian) and you see what GLAAD does. Media monitoring, media training around some of the most contemporary of our community's interests, advocacy with TV & film to ensure inclusiveness, spanish language research, research on messaging to African-Americans, working with LGBT bloggers, and a TON of behind the scenes calls to media around problematic coverage. They are our community's media watchdog and they really do a great job.

This is a disappointing blog post, but these happen every year. If it gets people to think about GLAAD, there's some benefit.

[Adrian Margaret Brune]

08:58 PM on 04/12/2011

I was an intern at GLAAD in 2001, Kevin. And I was a writer at the Washington Blade. I think I have spent my fair share of time researching GLAAD. But thanks for the feedback.

[Ricardo Torres]

12:25 PM on 03/01/2011

There is so much work that goes on behind the scenes related to challenging, educating and training the U.S. media. It's a public relations job that is maybe difficult to quantify by some people, but I can guarantee that GLAAD's work has not only stopped thousands of publications from printing negative things about us and our community, but has even led to an inclusive environment in many media outlets. It's easy to only focus on the Media Awards because of its connection to Hollywood Stars, but that only accounts for a small fraction of what GLAAD is really about. The Media Awards are an important fundraising and networking tool that allows us to continue our important work in monitoring, challenging and training people in all media across the U.S. This work results in changed societal attitudes, a more LGBT inclusive political environment, better portrayal of LGBT individuals in television, newspapers and magazines. Just think of all the kids who watch or read this stuff and how they no longer feel alone. That's what GLAAD is about!

[Kilgor Trouts]

09:29 AM on 03/01/2011

This is merely the Lesbian movement once again trying to control and derail the Gay Community. Since the GLAAD awards are Gay first lesbians do not like it. I suppose if it was the LGAAD awards they would welcome it. WAKE UP Gay communities and realize the monster in the works. If they can't be first and foremost in our community they are not happy. But yet they do not help the community AT ALL> WE ARE A GAY COMMUNITY FIRST. Lesbians have taken a republican approach to controlling and changing our once great community, They have ruined everything we accomplished and are bent on destroying it. It is GLBT dammit.

[Douglas Campbell]

12:04 PM on 03/02/2011

you tell em', Don Quixote! Ladies First!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSuQZx_0q_Y

[Adrian Margaret Brune]

08:54 PM on 04/12/2011

This has nothing to do with the fact that I am a lesbian. Nothing at all.

[Douglas Campbell]

12:08 AM on 03/01/2011

I read that GLAAD gave Craig Ferguson an award. CRAIG FERGUSON?! He makes a litany of anti-gay jokes on his show EVERY SINGLE EPISODE without fail.
And not the "laughing with you" kind of jokes.
I'm not thin skinned about gay jokes, either. I love 'South Park', I hate '2 1/2 Men' but watch it sometimes and never am offended by the staple gay jokes.
WTF?
I am seriously thinking of starting a petition to get Ferguson to stop with the anti-gay stuff.

[Michael F]

09:43 PM on 02/28/2011

My favorite line: "empowering people to sit in offices in New York and L.A."

Many of us who do not live in California, New York or DC increasingly feel alienated from gay "leaders". As they pat themselves on the back for their victories where they live, they do less and less for the rest of us who live in the offensively-termed to as fly-over states.

However, they flood us with fundraising pleas to help them lobby for rights in the liberal states. The civil rights struggle had people taking their case to segregated south. When was the last time, GLAAD or HRC put boots on the ground in Arkansas, MIssouri or Oklahoma. How about GLAAD hold their annual suckup in North Dakota this year in solidarity of those who don't share all the same rights as they do?

[Kevin Boyer]

06:00 PM on 03/01/2011

GLAAD has actually launched leadership councils in several major cities to help integrate communities more with their work. Yes, the Leaders Councils are charged with some fundraising, but that's only part of the effort. Local media monitoring, helping create local press releationships with GLAAD, building local infrastructure, adding volunteers, and connecting community groups with GLAAD resources are another few of the benefits. There are now Leadership Councils in New York, LA, SF, Atlanta, DC, Chicago, Dallas, BostonLas Vegas, and South Florida with more on the way. GLAAD's not a rich organization so there's no way for them to have a 50-state face-to-face strategy, but I appreciate this effort since it connects with a lot more than the coastal folks.

[ZENNEPHI]

05:17 PM on 02/28/2011

To the Constituents Worldwide whom GLAAD Claims to be defending;

{...The Gift You Are...}

..."You are the Promise of All the Ages, You are the "Prodigal Sons"...You are
the Vision of Prophets' and Sages'...You are the Only Ones'..."
[Beloved John Denver-"The Flower that Shattered the Stone"-Polygram Records/Tapes]
(tm)

[beansie617]

04:15 PM on 02/28/2011

The Media Awards are just that--an award show. They are used to highlight and reward those in the industry that elevate the visibility of the LGBT community. It's ina goal that requires (if done well) celebrity. I would argue that the more "mainstream" the celebrity, the better--we'll never make progress if we insist on just talking to ourselves!

That said, I think this speaks to a larger issue in the LGBT movement (and many other movements, actually). GLAAD is just ONE organization, and their focus is clearly on media advocacy. They are not a lobbying organization, a political power, or grassroots organizers. I, for one, do not want to see a monolithic LGBT voice--I want there to be many organizations, who each have an area of specialty, and who work to complement each other's efforts by focusing on what they do well. I think we ultimately weaken our movement by expecting one organization to do everything--jack of all trades, master of none. Let's stop with the finger-pointing and kvetching, and instead get off our tails to do some work.

And a die-in? That's just embarrassing.

[BillOlson]

04:03 PM on 02/28/2011

I agree completely... I give to HRC, but have always hesitated when it comes to GLAAD because of that dumb awards show! Seriously, you can use our/your money and exposure more wisely GLAAD!

[CAMBEL]

02:52 PM on 02/28/2011

GLAAD and HRC has all become Star f-ers.

Nothing really matters as long as they can get their photo taken with whatever straight celeb they've gotten to host one of their benefits.

[Kevin Boyer]

06:02 PM on 03/01/2011

This isn't true and 15 minutes on the GLAAD.org website will illustrate why that's the case. I know it's popular to say this kind of stuff, but it's irresponsible to just make things up.

[NAMU2010]

12:47 PM on 02/28/2011

I sometimes wonder if they really want to find a cure for AIDS...AIDS Inc. refers to the many organizations and businesses that have cropped up as a result of the crisis...I think these organizations need to re-think/re-focus their purpose and provide assistance to the people who are their reason for exisitng. Leave the self-congratulatory backslapping awards to the actors and film industry, who it seems, can never to get enough of it.

[Barbara Hill Bissonnette]

06:15 AM on 02/28/2011

I understand those who has issues with GLAAD and HRC, however, I have to say as an over-50 straight supporter of GLBT/human rights that I am really proud of my kids' generation, in no small thanks to groups like GLAAD, etc. My kids both went to school (they are now over 20 adult women) with kids from all kinds of families -- parents who never married, parents who'd been married a longgg time, parents of the same sex, parents who had NO sex *S*, kids with gay parents, straight parents, illegal alien parents, and I know there are still problems but we've managed to raise a generation that speaks up when they see discrimination, and treats others the way they want to be treated. It's a little easier in Canada as we don't have a DOMA group challenging 20 year old laws. Am I looking at things with rose-coloured glasses?

[Barbara Hill Bissonnette]

06:40 AM on 02/28/2011

...and of course I meant to type "those who have.."

[Soulmentor]

05:01 AM on 02/28/2011

I couldn't agree more. For a decade, roughly '93 to '04 or so, I wrote uncounted opinion letters and many guest columns in the local/regional MSM (and gay friendly) newspaper here in SW Wisconsin. I did radio inteviews and once had local TV in my home with my partner at the time. We were THE out gay couple in the area until he got religion and left me after 8 years. For my efforts I so rarely got any thanks from the area gay "community" that I can't even remember any of them now and indeed, some of the feedback was along the lines of "who does he think he is to speak for us" and expressions of fear I would "out" others that I knew (I never once did). Never mind that I was literally tho only one putting my head on the block publicly and, from what I could ascertain, apparently after several years of persistence, seem to have shut up the area anti-gay christian (self)right(eous), at least in the newspaper. And I did it all without snark or personal attacks; simply factual calling em out and intelligently countering their tiresome, overused biblical rants.

[Soulmentor]

05:01 AM on 02/28/2011

I'm an excellent writer, knew my subject thoroughly and expressed it passionately but intelligently and kept hoping I might find a wider venue for what some few str8 admirers told me was excellent writing. But my entres in the form of submissions to the national gay organizations like GLAAD remained unacknowledged. I apparently came up against their solid "turf" wall. Gradually, my enthusiasm faded. I began to wonder why I bothered and haven't written anything for more than two years and the most recent columns weren't even about gay issues.