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| Founded | 1985; 40 years ago (1985) (as Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) |
|---|---|
| Founders |
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| Focus | Discrimination in media |
| Location |
|
Area served | United States |
| Method | Media monitoring |
Key people | Sarah Kate Ellis (President) |
| Revenue | US$25,260,000 (2023[2]) |
| Expenses | US$21,160,000 (2023) |
| Employees | 74 (in the US)[2] |
| Website | www |
GLAAD (/ɡlæd/[3]) is an Americannon-governmentalmedia monitoring organization. Originally founded as a protest against defamatory coverage ofgay andlesbian demographics and their portrayals in the media and entertainment industries, it has since expanded toqueer,bisexual, andtransgender people.
Formed inNew York City as theGay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation in 1985 to protest against what it saw as theNew York Post's defamatory and sensationalizedAIDS coverage, GLAAD put pressure on media organizations to end what it saw ashomophobic reporting. Initial meetings were held in the homes of several New York City activists as well as after-hours at theNew York State Council on the Arts.
This core founding group included film scholarVito Russo; translatorGregory Kolovakos, then on the staff of the NYS Arts Council and who later became the organization's first executive director;Jewelle Gomez, the organization's first treasurer; writers Darrell Yates Rist, Marcia Pally andAllen Barnett;[4]New York Native then-editor Barry Adkins; Russo's fellowGay Activists Alliance veteransArnie Kantrowitz,Marty Robinson, Jim Owles and Hal Offen; and music critic Bruce Michael-Gelbert.[5]
In 1987, after a meeting with GLAAD,The New York Times changed its editorial policy to use the word "gay" instead of harsher terms referring to homosexuality.[6] GLAAD advocated that theAssociated Press and other television and print news sources follow. GLAAD's influence soon spread toLos Angeles, where organizers began working with the entertainment industry to change the way the gay and lesbian community were portrayed on screen.
Entertainment Weekly has named GLAAD as one of Hollywood's most powerful entities,[7] and theLos Angeles Times described GLAAD as "possibly one of the most successful organizations lobbying the media for inclusion".[8]
Within the first five years of its founding in New York as theGay and Lesbian Anti-Defamation League (soon after changed to "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" after legal pressure by theAnti-Defamation League), GLAAD chapters had been established in Los Angeles and other cities, with the LA chapter becoming particularly influential due to its proximity to the California entertainment industry. GLAAD/NY and GLAAD/LA would eventually vote to merge in 1994, with other city chapters joining soon afterward; however, the chapters continue to exist, with the ceremonies of theGLAAD Media Awards being divided each year into three ceremonies held in New York City, Los Angeles andSan Francisco.
Following the 2011 resignation ofJarrett Barrios from the GLAAD presidency, Mike Thompson served as interim president until the announcement of Herndon Graddick, previously GLAAD's vice-president of Programs and Communications, to the presidency on April 15, 2012. Graddick is the younger son ofCharles Graddick ofMobile, a circuit court judge and the formerattorney general of Alabama.
On March 24, 2013, GLAAD announced that they had formally dropped "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" from their name and would now be known only as GLAAD to reflect their work more accurately. The name change was a commitment to incorporatebisexual andtransgender people in their efforts to support theLGBTQ+ community in its entirety.[9][10]Jennifer Finney Boylan was chosen as the first openly transgender co-chair of GLAAD's National Board of Directors.[11]
Sarah Kate Ellis is the current president and CEO of GLAAD.[12] Ellis took the positions in 2014 and under her leadership GLAAD's revenue grew by 38%. In 2015, Ellis promoted Nick Adams to the newly created position of director of transgender media & representation. Adams started working at GLAAD in 1998 and had previously been GLAAD's director of communications & special projects.[12] In 2022, Ellis renegotiated her contract with GLAAD, receiving a $150,000 signing bonus and an average annual salary of $441,000 per year, increasing by 5% each year.[13]
In August 2024, GLAAD and Ellis were the subjects of aThe New York Times report that explored the organization's reimbursements of Ellis's "pattern of lavish spending", including luxury travel, home renovations and vacation property rentals.[14] In response, GLAAD released a statement defending their commitment to Ellis's leadership and their payments towards her expenses.[15] A subsequentWashington Blade op-ed by former GLAAD vice-president Zeke Stokes contestedThe New York Times reporting as "riddled with bad reporting, innuendo, lies, mistruths, facts out of context, and misinformation."[16]
TheGLAAD Media Awards were established in 1989. Ceremonies are held annually inNew York City,Los Angeles andSan Francisco.[18]
Established in 2002, GLAAD's Announcing Equality project has resulted in more than 1,000 newspapers including gay and lesbian announcements alongside other wedding listings.[19]
In March 2012, GLAAD launched theCommentator Accountability Project, which seeks to index and document frequent contributors, guests and pundits who regularly express anti-LGBTQ bias and misinformation in their contributions to journalism outlets.[20]
In August 2013, GLAAD launched its first annualStudio Responsibility Index, which indexes "the quantity, quality and diversity of images of LGBTQ people in films released by six major motion picture studios".[21]
TheGLAAD Media Reference Guide is astyle guide of recommendations for writers, especially journalistic outlets, to reference in positive, inclusive depiction of LGBTQ people. It has been published since the 1990s (then known as theGLAAD Media Guide to the Lesbian and Gay Community[22]), with the 11th edition, being the most recent, published in 2022.[23]
The 2021 GLAAD Social Media Safety Index, based on an analysis of Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube, assessed that social media was "effectively unsafe for LGBTQ users."[24][25]
In 2010, GLAAD launchedSpirit Day with Canadian teenager Brittany McMillan. Spirit Day is a national day of action, observed annually on the third Thursday in October, to show LGBTQ youth that they are not alone.[26]
In 2016, Spirit Day was the world's largest and most visible anti-bullying campaign.[26] The campaign works to bring anti-bullying resources to classrooms all around the world by inspiring educators to take action against bullying through hosting events and rallies. The campaign also created a GLAAD's Spirit Day kit for use in classrooms, which is available in 6 languages.[26]
On social media, people are encouraged to wear purple or go purple online in order to stand united against bullying. Large media companies such as NBC Universal and Viacom show support for Spirit Day on the airwaves, and change their on-air logo to purple for the day. They also enlist people who wear purple during the day's broadcast.[26] The hashtag #Spirit Day has become a trending topic on Twitter and Facebook every year. On social media, people such asOprah Winfrey,Ellen DeGeneres and PresidentBarack Obama have shown their support for the campaign.[26]
In 2017 GLAAD launched theTogether Movement, which encouraged all to join in support of those discriminated against including women, Muslims, immigrants and members of the LGBTQ+ community.[27]
GLAAD regularly works with companies and studios in a consultative role to help with the depiction of LGBTQ characters and themes in specific projects.[28]
In 2023, GLAAD began consulting with the producers of theNetflix documentaryWill & Harper before it was submitted to theSundance Film Festival. The documentary is aboutWill Ferrell and his close friendHarper Steele as they drive cross-country following Harper's disclosure that she is a transgender woman. Director Josh Greenbaum said "We partnered with GLAAD on this film, and they were really helpful in giving us feedback as we’re bringing the film out in the world."[29]
In 2021, GLAAD helpedOprah Winfrey prepare for the first TV interview withElliot Page, after disclosing that he is transgender. "I was more nervous about this interview than anything. I wanted to get it right," Oprah told GLAAD's Nick Adams over Zoom following the interview.[30]
In 2019, the third season of the animated television seriesYoung Justice consulted GLAAD on the subject of representing minority characters and narratives.[31]
In 2004,Fox provided GLAAD with anadvance copy of their reality television specialSeriously, Dude, I'm Gay for review. Upon review of the special, GLAAD condemned it as "an exercise in systematic humiliation."[32] The special was shelved only hours before a scheduled meeting between GLAAD and Fox entertainment presidentGail Berman to discuss the network's on-air depictions of gay men.[33] Ray Giuliani, an executive producer ofSeriously, Dude, I'm Gay, largely attributed the special's cancellation to pressures that Fox faced from GLAAD.[34] Following the cancellation of the special, Fox organized another meeting with GLAAD for discussion over how to improve their on-air representations of the LGBTQ community.[35] Following the cancellation ofSeriously, Dude, I'm Gay the executive producers of theTBS seriesHe's a Lady consulted GLAAD for review of the transgender representation in their own program.[36]
Tell Me Why is anepisodic narrativeadventure game developed by French studioDontnod Entertainment and published byXbox Game Studios in 2020.[37] The game focuses on twin siblings Alyson andTyler Ronan, who is atransgender man.[37]Tell Me Why was the first playableTriple-A game to feature a transgender protagonist.[38] GLAAD helped in creating Tyler's character,[39] with the game's director Florent Guillaume described GLAAD as "invaluable" in developing Tyler's character and making him a "realistic hero".[38] GLAAD's Nick Adams served as consultant who, amongst other areas, helped ensure that Tyler would be played by a trans actor; August Black.[37] Adams described authentic representations of trans people in media as a "powerful tool for acceptance and understanding".[40]
Thecrossoverfighting gameStreet Fighter X Tekken, developed by Japanesevideo game developer andpublisherCapcom, was released in 2012.[41] The game featuresPoison, who is atransgender woman, as a playable character.[42] GLAAD worked with Capcom on the game's script[43] "to ensure that gaming’s most famous transgender character was portrayed with respect" and that "anything that might be offensive has been very tailored to not be."[44]
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