Experience the NYC #GLAADMediaAwards Digitally
March 12, 2010 by Amanda Morgan, GLAAD's Digital Initiatives Fellow
GLAAD’s digital team will be keeping you posted with updates from the red carpet of the New York 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards this Saturday March 13th starting at 4pm EST.
Follow us on Twitter for up-to-the-minute information including interviews with your favorite celebrities and twitpics of the action. Use the hashtag #GLAADMediaAwards to join the conversation.
Have a question you’ve been dying to ask one of our celebrity guests? Tweet your suggestions to @GLAAD and maybe we will select one of your questions! Don’t forget to include #GLAADMediaAwards.
Celebrities who are participating in the awards include: Alan Cumming, Joy Behar, Cynthia Nixon, Nigel Barker, Bryan Batt, Sandra Bernhard, Dustin Lance Black, Brian Graden, Jay Manuel, Sarah Paulson, Rosie Perez, Meredith Vieira, Sigourney Weaver, and Jill Zarin.
Watch our YouTube channel for red carpet interview footage and our Flickr photostream for more red carpet shots.
Also, become our fan on Facebook and RSVP to the Media Awards on our Facebook event page.
And if you are joining us in NYC, be sure to log in to the Marriott Marquis Hotel on FourSquare.
Related Posts:
Announcing Presenters for GLAAD’s New Media Training Institute at Creating Change
January 29, 2010 by Amanda Morgan, GLAAD's Digital Initiatives Fellow
GLAAD is pleased to announce that on Thursday, February 4th, together with the Gill Foundation and Gill Action, we will be presenting a New Media Training Institute (NMTI) at Creating Change, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force’s annual LGBT organizing conference in Dallas, TX.
This day-long institute will feature trainings by:
- Scott Goodstein, former External Online Director for Obama for America, who was responsible for developing the campaign’s social media platforms, now of Revolution Messaging;
- Jarrett Barrios, President of GLAAD;
- Rashad Robinson, Senior Director of Programs, GLAAD;
- Heather Cronk, Chief Operating Officer at the New Organizing Institute (NOI), which runs the only progressive advocacy and campaign training program focused on cutting-edge online organizing techniques;
- Julia Rosen, Trainer with the New Organizing Institute and Online Political Director at the Courage Campaign;
- Christopher Hoyt, PHR, Associate Director at AT&T Talent Attraction, where he leads the integration of social media and mobile marketing;
- Jed Alpert, founder and Chief Strategy Manager at Mobile Commons, which pioneers easy-to-use technology for scalable mobile marketing campaign management;
- Jen Nedeau, New Media Consultant and former Director of Digital Strategy for Air America;
- Gregory Rae, member of the national leadership of Living Liberally, an organization dedicated to creating social spaces centered around progressive politics.
NMTI will be held on Thursday, February 4, 2010, at the Sheraton Dallas. Find more information about NMTI on GLAAD.org. You can register for NMTI and Creating Change here.
Additionally, if you are attending, please be sure to RSVP to the NMTI on Facebook. Also note the New Media Training Institute Twitter hashtag #NMTI and the Creating Change hashtag #cc10. And follow our trainers on Twitter! Julia Rosen – @JuliaRosen; Heather Cronk – @HCronk; Christopher Hoyt – @TheRecruiterGuy; Jen Nedeau – @HumanFolly; Jed Alpert – @mobilecommons; Rashad Robinson – @rashadrobinson; New Organizing Institute – @neworganizing; GLAAD – @glaad.
GLAAD will have a table set up at Creating Change with staff members available to answer any questions you may have about GLAAD’s work and upcoming projects. So stop by, say hello and find out how you can get involved.
GLAAD thanks the Gill Foundation and Gill Action for making the New Media Training Institute possible. GLAAD would also like to give a special thanks to AT&T for your invaluable help with NMTI.
GLAAD would also like to thank the Task Force for all their hard work putting this conference together and we look forward to seeing everyone in Dallas!
Related Posts:Problematic Details Article Mocks Bisexual Women and Lesbians
January 15, 2010 by Amanda Morgan, GLAAD's Digital Initiatives Fellow
In its January edition, Details magazine published an article by Ian Daly titled “The Lure of Dating an Ex-Lesbian: so-called hasbians are going for straight guys just like you!” In this piece, Daly misses an opportunity to increase bi visibility and instead defames women who have dated both women and men, dubbing them “hasbians” or “ex-lesbians.”
Daly sites various pop culture references in an attempt to prove that being a lesbian is passé or no longer trendy as it was in the 90’s, and reaches the conclusion that as a result of this more women are “switching” to male partners. Additionally, he lumps bisexual women with male partners into the category of “hasbian” notably ignoring the definition of bisexuality.
Daly makes a dubious claim that a bisexual woman is somehow “shifting” when entering into a committed relationship with a man. A bisexual person is someone who is physically, romantically, emotionally and/or spiritually attracted to men and women, but by Daly’s definition, once a bisexual person enters into a committed relationship with anyone, they’re “shifting.”
Daly writes:
“There are no reliable statistics by which to gauge how many refugees there are from the isle of Lesbos. Bisexual women, for instance, don’t have to “switch teams” to enter into relationships with men, even if they’ve lived with other women for decades. But if the hasbian (and for simplicity’s sake, we’ll include bisexuals who’ve shifted from women to men) really is having a coming-out moment, it might be because the lesbian had her big coming-out moment in the nineties—the decade that saw Cindy Crawford shaving k.d. lang on the cover of Vanity Fair, the birth of Lilith Fair, and the mainstream popularity of lesbian-friendly folksingers like DiFranco, the Indigo Girls, and Dar Williams, not to mention a slew of literal “coming-out moments” set off by Ellen’s “Yep, I’m gay” in 1997.”
Without any real knowledge or statistics (the one fact Daly concedes, and yet his own admission on the dearth of statistical data does not preclude him from continuing with his absurd premise) and a handful of pop culture references and interviews with men who have supposedly “landed” a woman who was once involved with another woman, the author spins an elaborate tale naming these isolated incidents as a cultural sea-change in which masses of (uncountable) women are drawn to opposite sex relationships.
He even suggests that a woman’s “biological clock” might be affecting her “sexual proclivities.” In other words, as a woman reaches child-rearing age, even one who has never experienced an attraction to men, might be more inclined to find a male partner in order to reproduce. If the author of this article is unfamiliar with the numerous same-sex couples, many of which include a bisexual partner, who are happily raising children right now, GLAAD would be happy to provide contacts for him to interview.
The article ends with a disturbing segment in which two people who identify as “ex-gays” are quoted. This is particularly offensive given recent news reports on the link between American “ex-gay” activists and Uganda’s virulently anti-gay legislation. The American Psychological Association adopted a resolution in August of 2009 invalidating the efficacy of “ex-gay” treatments and discouraging mental health professionals from telling their patients that it is possible to change their sexual orientation.
Below is an interview with Rachel Maddow and Richard Cohen, the author of the book, Coming Out Straight: Understanding and Healing Homosexuality and head of the International Healing Foundation, in which she clearly links ex-gay activists with the proposed Uganda bill.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
This irresponsible article perpetuates misconceptions about lesbians and bisexual women and damages our community. GLAAD urges you to contact Details and express your concerns about this piece.
Related Posts:GLAAD’s Senior Director of Media Programs Appearing Tonight on the Derek and Romaine Show
December 28, 2009 by Amanda Morgan, GLAAD's Digital Initiatives Fellow
GLAAD’s Senior Director of Media Programs, Rashad Robinson, is scheduled for a phone interview with Derek and Romaine of Sirius XM Satellite Radio tonight, Monday, December 28 at 7:05 pm ET to discuss GLAAD’s Buju Banton campaign.
Rashad Robinson
The interview will last about 10-15 minutes, and will broadcast live on Sirius XM Satellite Radio channel OutQ, Sirius 109 and XM 98. Listeners and fans are welcome to participate by calling 866-305-6887. For those who don’t subscribe to Sirius, a free online trial is available here. And if you haven’t already, please sign GLAAD’s petition protesting the Grammy nomination of Buju Banton here: http://www.glaad.org/bujubantonpetition. GLAAD began this initiative because Buju Banton continues to advocate violence against gay people through his defamatory lyrics.
Related Posts:The New York City Anti-Violence Project Joins GLAAD in Protest of Buju Banton’s Grammy Nomination
December 22, 2009 by Amanda Morgan, GLAAD's Digital Initiatives Fellow
The New York City Anti-Violence Project announced today that it stands with GLAAD in our petition drive and advocacy work protesting the recent Grammy nomination of reggae singer Buju Banton’s album “Rasta Got Soul.” Banton has a long track record of advocating the killing of gay people.
New York City Anti-Violence Project Executive Director Sharon Stapel released a strong statement in support of GLAAD’s campaign:
“At the New York City Anti-Violence Project (AVP), we know that hate violence has a devastating effect on individual victims and the communities it targets. The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) communities have seen a dramatic increase in anti-LGBTQ violence, including the highest reported murder rate in a decade, in the past year and this violence does not appear to be abating. ”
“Buju Banton’s lyrics, which directly target the LGBTQ communities for violence and murder, contribute to this culture of hate and cannot be tolerated. It is unacceptable to honor this violent message targeting the LGBTQ communities, particularly in a year where so much brutal violence has occurred against LGBTQ people throughout the U.S. and the world.
“AVP knows that none of us can condone violence based on our identities because if we do, we are all vulnerable. AVP urges all people to condemn all forms of anti-LGBTQ violence - and any violence that targets someone because of who they are or who they love.”
GLAAD thanks AVP for its support and urges community members and allies to protest Buju Baton’s Grammy nomination. Tell the Recording Academy members NOT to support his nomination. The petition can be found at http://www.glaad.org/bujubantonpetition.
Related Posts:Actress Bai Ling Discusses Her Bisexuality
December 18, 2009 by Amanda Morgan, GLAAD's Digital Initiatives Fellow
Actress Bai Ling, who has been open about her bisexual identity for a long time, discussed her sexual orientation in detail in an interview with Entertainment writer Mike Szymanski earlier this week.
Ling has never hid her bisexual identity from the media, even if at first it seemed like an accident. Ling told Szymanski:
“[A]t first when I was in the United States I didn’t always have an interpreter in interviews and I didn’t speak English so well. There was some confusion. My name is pronounced “bi,” so when I was asked, “Are you bi?” I said, “Yes, I am Bai.” Do you like men? “Of course!” Do you like women? “Why yes!” And later I found out what that means and I said, “Sure, I am bi!” But I think the interpreters and the reporters thought that I didn’t know what I was saying because I was so open about it. They were uncomfortable about it. Such a thing is not important for me.”
Please see parts 1 and 2 of the interview, click here for a transcript or visit Bai Ling’s official website for more information.
Related Posts:Bi The Way, a Documentary on Bisexuality, Now Available on DVD
December 18, 2009 by Amanda Morgan, GLAAD's Digital Initiatives Fellow
Bi The Way, a feature length documentary on bisexuality, and winner of the 2008 Alternative Spirit Grand Prize at the Rhode Island International Film Festival, has just been released on DVD.
The movie follows co-directors Brittany Blockman and Josephine Decker as they hit the road in search of young people who are challenging established assumptions about sexual orientation. The stories of the five are interspersed with the opinions of biologists, psychologists, anthropologists and everyday people.
View the Trailer here:
Tomorrow’s Boston Latino Film Festival Screening Dedicated to Jorge Steven López
December 3, 2009 by Amanda Morgan, GLAAD's Digital Initiatives Fellow
Tomorrow’s screening at the 8th Annual Boston Latino Film Festival will be dedicated to the memory of Jorge Steven López Mercado, the 19 year old gay man who was found brutally murdered on November 13th.
Openly bisexual filmmaker Carmen Oquendo-Villar will present two short pieces on her ongoing work about LGBT communities in Puerto Rico. She will also read messages sent from Puerto Rico related to Jorge Steven.
The following is a photo essay on the New York City Memorial for Jorge Steven that took place in New York City. It is a collaboration between Oquendo-Villar, Ismael Enrique Cruz Córdova, Pablo Herran and Celíany Rivera.
Two other films will be screened as well. “¿Oye, qué bolá?: Cuban Voices on Sexual Diversity,”which is described as:
Mariela Castro, daughter of President Raul Castro and director of CENSEX, takes center stage in this documentary about LGBT culture in Cuba. Castro, along with her fellow Cubans, describe their experiences and repression endured over the 50 years since the revolution. A unique take on Cuba’s repressions and ills of the past, the state of LGBT issues in Cuba today, and hopes for the future.
and “Amancio – Two Faces on a Tombstone,”
the story of a young cross-dressing man who was picked up at a bar by a straight man, murdered and then left for dead in the Colorado river in Yuma, Arizona. The sheriff’s office quickly closed the case as ‘unsolved’. An outraged gay citizen and activist stepped up to act as the voice for the Mexican immigrant family, organize and rally the community and help identify the killer. Three years later justice is finally served as the cold blooded murderer is sentenced to prison.
The program will take place on Friday December 4th at 7pm tomorrow at Cambridge College, 1000 Mass Avenue, Cambridge, MA. Tickets are $8 and there will be a free reception afterward.
Related Posts:Become a GLAAD Facebook Fan: Win a Chance to Speak with GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios
November 24, 2009 by Amanda Morgan, GLAAD's Digital Initiatives Fellow
Become a fan of GLAAD’s Official Facebook page at http://www.glaad.org/facebook by Friday December 4th and you could be selected to win a thirty minute phone call with GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios.
This is your chance to have a one-on-one conversation with the leader of the third largest LGBT organization in the U.S. Engage with Jarrett about where the movement is headed and share your thoughts about the role GLAAD should play.
What Does Transgender Day of Remembrance Mean to You? – Monica Roberts
November 18, 2009 by Amanda Morgan, GLAAD's Digital Initiatives Fellow
Monica Roberts
The Transgender Day of Remembrance exists so that we don’t get so consumed living our own lives, dealing with our own drama and fighting our own battles to live our lives that our fallen brothers and sisters fade from our consciousness. It’s a vehicle to help us remind the world that the people we mourn on this day were somebody’s son, daughter, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, cousin, or friend.
But what does the Transgender Day of Remembrance mean to me personally?
A Transgender Day of Remembrance is the time that this proud, African descended transwoman pauses from dealing with the hustle, bustle and drama of living my life to do as Dr. King so eloquently put it, some ‘hard, solid thinking’ about the transpeople whose lives were cut short due to anti-transgender violence.
I ponder the painful reality that a large segment of the people memorialized on the list are trans people of color. I lament the loss of the potential positive contributions to our societies these fallen transpeople have, would, could and should have been able to make to our various communities.
I remind myself as we add new names to this tragically expanding list to not forget Stephanie Thomas, Ukea Davis, Chanelle Pickett, Ebony Whitaker, Nakhia Williams and Kellie Telesford and scores of others. I keep in mind as I silently pray for them that the people who brutally murdered them either still haven’t been brought to justice or received the equivalent of a legal slap on the wrist for doing so.
It’s also the time I remind myself, there but for the grace of God go I.
The Transgender Day of Remembrance is a time I get to engage in coalition building activities and education efforts with our allies organized around this event. It’s when I get to see the trans people in my local community I may not interface with on a regular basis, but who will show up for a TDOR before going back to living their lives in the shadows.
It’s the time I refocus my energy to the task of continuing to remind people that trans people are part of the diverse mosaic of human life, and pray that the day soon arrives in which a trans person’s life matters as much as a cisgender* person’s life does.
*In her book, Transgender History, Susan Stryker defines cisgender as preferred over nontransgender. The prefix cis means “on the same side as” (that is, the opposite of trans). The idea behind the terms is to resist the way that “woman” or “man” can mean “nontransgender woman” or “nontransgender man” by default. “Cisgender” names the usually unstated assumption of nontransgender status contained in the words “man” and woman.”
Trinity-Award-winning activist Monica Roberts, aka the TransGriot, is a writer, blogger, and lecturer on transgender issues. A passionate advocate for transgender civil rights who has lobbied at the federal, state and local levels, she is a founding member of the National Transgender Advocacy Coalition (NTAC). She also co-hosted a GLBT themed radio show in her hometown from 1999-2001, founded the Transsistahs-Transbrothas Internet discussion list for African-American transgender people in 2004, and helped organize the 2005 and 2006 Transsistahs-Transbrothas Conferences that took place in Louisville.
Related Posts:Remembering Trans Activism: Q & A with Troy Erik
November 17, 2009 by Amanda Morgan, GLAAD's Digital Initiatives Fellow
Troy Erik
Troy Erik is the president/founder of HANDS ON ADVOCACY GROUP, a 24hr agency assisting people with disability issues, homelessness, domestic violence, hate crimes, police interactions, discrimination, intervening in any situation where the law as been violated, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity. Erik canvasses Los Angeles neighborhoods to observe police interactions with the community, as well as build his caseload for those in need.
Can you tell me a bit about the work you do with the LAPD and how that got started?
There are times when I’ve witnessed something that was inappropriately done. I actually witnessed a group of cops slam a transgender girl on the trunk of her car. I approached one of the cops who arrived after the fact and was told that did not happen and that I was the only one who saw that. I detailed the officers’ car numbers to the captain and now there’s an ongoing investigation about it.
It started because I hear so many stories about the LAPD and I wanted to get involved as much as I could and I wanted to show that we do have some good officers, while continuing to work with those officers who are problematic. Because I have noticed things out here. I’m out here every morning. I’ve seen people getting beaten up. I’ve taken pictures. I’ve seen the blood. I’ve called the police and not gotten anyone to come…or they come an hour later.
I bring the Hollywood vice into organizations to speak about their protocols with the trans community. We got the very first trans training with central division downtown in August of this year, and we’ve done the Hollywood division, and later on this month we’re going to El Monte.
What kind of things do you cover?
The training consists of pronoun usage, identity, gender questions, basically an overview about classifications and how to actually deal with trans men and trans women. It encompasses identity, sexual orientation, names, how they like to be identified. I don’t do the actual training. I’m the liaison. I get the trainers to come in from the Gay and Lesbian Center.
Tell me about your nonprofit - HANDS ON ADVOCACY GROUP.
I started out as an independent advocate. I started out in neighborhoods just talking to people and trying to make things better. I created my own non-profit, Hands on Advocacy Group and we’re hands on. We do a lot of things that people don’t want to do. We go out in the community and ask people if they’re in the need of services. I find a lot of people who can’t read or write, so I help them navigate through the bureaucratic channels to get them the services they need.
I’ve been teaming up with a lot of people who own homes [and are] willing to open their homes to the LGBT community, so we’re housing people now.
The non-profit started in May. I got the final paper work. I’m legit (laughs) I’m legal now. I’m just looking for office space, grants, stuff like that.
What do you feel are the most pressing concerns for the trans and gender nonconforming community?
We have employers that don’t want to hire transgender people. We have transgender people who are immigrants, who are sex workers, who cannot access services. We have gang members who prey on the trans community, who have them doing crimes to get money.
My job is a lot different because I’m out here. I’m seeing things happen. I’m literally in the crossfire. There are times when I have to run just like everybody else has to run. It’s a lot different than a victim going to speak to someone behind a desk who only sees the streets on their way home from work.
I had a transgender girl come up to me and hug me and say ‘help me’ because this particular service provider would not help her because she had the flu. I have a problem with service providers who say ‘We’re here to help the gay and transgender community’ and they turn around and do the opposite.
Today I’m dealing with a bisexual 22-year-old man. He has a leg that’s amputated. He called me last night and told me he needs housing. I don’t want to wait weeks to help him. I got him a place to stay today.
How will you be spending this year’s TDOR?
We’ll start at the Matthew Shepard Triangle, march to Plummer Park and that’s where we’ll have the speakers and the reading of the names. Chaz Bono will be a speaker at the triangle for the dedication of the very first transgender plaque to be stationed at the triangle to memorialize all of those that have been murdered from hate crimes.
I will be bringing the food for everybody. I will celebrate. I requested to have “I Look to You” by Whitney Houston be played after we read the names. I know I will be crying. I see beauty in everybody, so I will celebrate with the living as well as the deceased.
[From http://www.transgenderdor.org/ ]
West Hollywood, California
Friday, November 20, 2009
6:00 PM
The event begins at Matthew Shepard Human Rights Triangle
(Santa Monica Blvd. at Crescent Heights)
where there will be an unveiling of the first Transgender Memorial Plaque,
commemorating those who have been murdered due to anti-transgender
violence and hatred.
For more information, please contact Karina Samala at 213-999-0456.
What Does Transgender Day of Remembrance Mean to You? -Stefanie Rivera
November 17, 2009 by Amanda Morgan, GLAAD's Digital Initiatives Fellow
Stefanie Rivera
Transgender Day of Remembrance is a day where I can reflect on all the trans folks that have had to endure the hardships for expressing themselves.
To me it always feels like it’s Transgender Day of Remembrance as I am always remembering those who were so close and dear to me who were taken away from us so abruptly through prejudice and violence.
I moved to New York from Los Angeles over ten years ago because of the struggles I was facing during that period in my life.
Homelessness, among other things, was something that a lot of foster children were facing, foster children who were considered damaged goods and not worthy of a warm home and a loving family.
God forbid you were one of the ones who aged out of the system and you happened to be trans.
I always felt like no one understood me and when I ran away to Hollywood I found other [trans] kids who were like me and faced many of the issues and hardships that I was dealing with, A lot of us had to do sex work to put a roof over our heads and food in or bellies. In this cycle, I met a few people who later became good friends of mine.
So imagine how traumatic it was for me to hear one of my friends screaming for help as someone chased her down and brutally slashed her throat and killed her. Imagine how saddened I was to hear years later that another one of my girlfriends who was so kind and childlike was shot in the head and dumped on the side of the road like garbage.
I myself have wondered what has kept me on this earth longer than them. I surely thought I wouldn’t have made it past my 18th birthday, whether someone would take me out or whether I just simply would have given up – but here I am reminiscing on not just the depressing memories but on all the good qualities of those who were taken away by violence. Those were my friends.
I remember how we all looked out for one another and formed our own close-knit family; we’d all chip in for a dilapidated motel room to have a place to sleep, little things like that…we’d go to the movies or simply hangout on good old Santa Monica Blvd and wait for a date or for a cop to come and harass us.
These aren’t glamorous memories, but what I remember is we all had each other’s backs – it was us against the world and we were simply trying to survive. Some of us made it, some of us didn’t, but I’m not bitter and jaded I know that’s just the way life goes.
I remember my friends each and every day and will always remember them. They were taken away from us way too soon and I’m willing to bet if they were still alive you’d want them as a friend too.
Stefanie Gisselle Rivera currently works as an Interpreter for Sylvia Rivera Law Project and the Prisoners Rights Project. She and her older sister, Elizabeth Marie Rivera-Valentine, also a transwoman were featured on PBS In the Life: Beauty On the Black Market discussing the dangers of silicone pumping. Rivera has also appeared in the media and in ad campaigns advocating for the rights of the transgender community, speaking out about having to do sex work as a means to survive and her experiences being incarcerated for 3 years in a men’s prison.
Related Posts:Openly LGBT Candidates Win Elections Across the Country
November 4, 2009 by Amanda Morgan, GLAAD's Digital Initiatives Fellow
While Maine was a setback in the fight for equality, around the country local elections yielded encouraging results. A majority of the 79 LGBT candidates endorsed by the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund were elected to public office. At press time, 49 of the candidates won their races and 6 more are unfinished. Watch the election scorecard on the Victory Fund’s website for updates.
Important gains include:
- Charles Pugh of Detroit, Michigan became the first openly gay city councilor on the Detroit City Council.
- Steve Kornell of St. Petersburg, Florida became the first openly gay councilmember on the St. Petersburg City Council.
- Mark Kleinschmidt, two-term councilman, death penalty defense lawyer and gay rights activist, who is openly gay himself, was elected mayor of Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
- Annise Parker, Houston City Controller, finished first in the race for Mayor of Houston, Texas. Parker will face former city attorney Gene Locke, who finished second, in a December run-off election. If Parker is elected, she will become the first openly gay mayor of a major American city.
GLAAD Statement on 2009 Election Results in Maine, Washington and Kalamazoo, Michigan
November 4, 2009 by Amanda Morgan, GLAAD's Digital Initiatives Fellow
GLAAD just released this statement by President Jarrett Barrios calling on the nation’s media to focus on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people and couples in covering the results and aftermath of yesterday’s votes in Maine, Washington state and Kalamazoo, Michigan.
In Maine, voters eliminated the state’s marriage equality law, which was passed by the state legislature and signed by Gov. John Baldacci earlier this year.
“We are disappointed and disheartened by results in Maine, where we saw marriage equality eliminated for loving and committed couples.”
In Kalamazoo, Mich., voters approved a nondiscrimination ordinance that covers sexual orientation and gender identity and prevents gay and transgender people from being fired from their jobs for being openly gay or transgender.
“In Kalamazoo, Mich., fairness prevailed. Voters sent a message that all hardworking people should be treated fairly and have the chance to earn a living and provide for themselves and their families without fear of being fired for reasons that have nothing to do with their job performance.”
In Washington state, first-day election returns on Referendum 71 showed that a majority of voters are backing the state’s expanded domestic partnership law. Full results are not yet known because ballots did not have to be received by Election Day, only postmarked by Election Day.
“We are encouraged by these early results that Washington voters support advancing important legal protections to all Washingtonians,” continued Barrios.
Please check back in National News for a media recap later in the day.
Organizations Respond
- GLAAD - Statement by GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios on 2009 Election Results in Maine, Washington and Kalamazoo, Mich.
- National Gay and Lesbian Task Force – Kalamazoo vote on nondiscrimination ordinance a ‘victory for fairness’, Marriage equality goes down in Maine
- Family Equality Council – Nondiscrimination Ordinance passes in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Maine voters overturn marriage equality
- GLAD – GLAD Deplores Rejection of Marriage Equality for Same-Sex Couples
- Approve Ref. 71 – Voters affirming domestic partnerships for gay and lesbian families
- HRC – Kalamazoo Votes for Fair Employment, Maine Families Denied Protections in Marriage Vote
Take Advantage of the Early Bird Tickets for Trevor Project’s Cracked X-Mas in Los Angeles
October 30, 2009 by Amanda Morgan, GLAAD's Digital Initiatives Fellow
The Trevor Project would like to invite all members of GLAAD to their 12th annual Cracked X-Mas event on Sunday, December 6, 2009 at the Wiltern in Los Angeles! The event is hosted by Jeff Probst (Emmy-winning Host of Survivor) and will be honoring Neil Patrick Harris and AT&T.
Be the one who catches the worm and take advantage of The Trevor Project’s Early Bird Ticket Specials before November 1st!
All proceeds will go towards benefiting The Trevor Project, the only 24/7 crisis hotline for LGBT and questioning youth.
Click flier to enlarge.
