GLAAD Senior Director of Media Programs, Rashad Robinson, to be Featured on The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special
January 8, 2010
This Sunday on The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3D! On Ice!, GLAAD’s Senior Director of Media Programs, Rashad Robinson, will be among the featured guests interviewed about the cultural impact of TV’s longest-running primetime series.
"Homer's Phobia" won a GLAAD Media Award in 1998
Among the many topics that will be discussed in Sunday’s special by Academy Award nominated documentarian Morgan Spurlock is the way in which The Simpsons has dealt with LGBT issues in its 450 episode history. Robinson will provide GLAAD’s insight on such episodes such 1998’s GLAAD Media Award-winning “Homer’s Phobia,” in which Homer learns acceptance from his new gay friend John (voiced by out director John Waters).
The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3D! On Ice! airs this Sunday, January 10, at 8:30 pm on Fox.
Related Posts:GLAAD’s Senior Director of Media Programs Appearing Tonight on the Derek and Romaine Show
December 28, 2009
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:GLAAD Receives Apology from Lil Mama for Comments Made on America’s Best Dance Crew
September 2, 2009
On Monday we reported an incident that occurred on Sunday’s edition of America’s Best Dance Crew in which judge Lil Mama made misinformed comments to transgender contestant Leiomy Maldonado. After receiving numerous complaints from constituents, GLAAD reach out to MTV and Lil Mama.
Lil Mama on the set of "America's Best Dance Crew"
This morning recieved an apology from Lil Mama:
Lil Mama: “I would like to clarify anything that was misunderstood from Sunday’s show. My remarks were never meant to be disrespectful regarding Leiomy’s gender nor offensive to the LGBT community, which has been a community that has supported me in all my endeavors. However, in hindsight, I recognize that my words may have come across as hurtful. I spoke with her privately after the taping to express that it was not my intent to offend her or any member of the transgender community and that I still live for Vogue Evolution.”
GLAAD’s Senior Director of Media Programs, Rashad Robinson, responded to Lil Mama’s statement:
“While we thank Lil Mama for her apology, this incident demonstrates the need for more education around the lives and experiences of transgender people. Lil Mama’s comments during her critique attempted to impose standards of conformity for gender identity and expression — a mistake that many people make,” said Rashad Robinson, Senior Director of Media Programs at GLAAD.
Vogue Evolution's Leiomy Maldonado
“Transgender people, particularly transgender women of color, become targets of discrimination and violence when inaccuracies and acts of insult like this are advanced. Contrary to what was said on the program, as an openly transgender woman and dance contestant, Leiomy is living her truth,” Robinson continued.
“It was surprising that MTV, a network that has shown a strong commitment to fair and accurate inclusion of transgender and gay people, would choose to air a clip that includes such disrespectful comments,” said Robinson. MTV has not yet publicly addressed the comments made by Lil Mama in the episode.
GLAAD’s full statment can be found on our homepage.
Related Posts:GLAAD Network Responsibility Index Covered by The Tonight Show; SyFy Promises Change
July 30, 2009
GLAAD’s third annual Network Responsibility Index, which analyzes the quantity, quality and diversity of LGBT images on television, spread across the internet, radio and television following its release early Monday morning.
The Associated Press broke the story at 12:01am on July 27 and was promptly picked up numerous outlets, including popular blogs such as Towleroad, Socialite Life and AfterEllen. The story was also carried by major news outlets, including The Huffington Post, ABC News, USA Today, and Entertainment Weekly.
In print, The Hollywood Reporter ran a front page story on the Network Responsibility Index. The print editions of The New York Times and The New York Daily News also picked up the story.
GLAAD’s Senior Director of Media Programs, Rashad Robinson, was interviewed about the report by CBS Radio and KFWB in Los Angeles. On TV, CNN’s Showbiz Tonight and American Morning reported on GLAAD’s findings, but perhaps the most memorable (and hilarious) reference to the Network Responsibility Index came courtesy of Conan O’Brien on The Tonight Show:
TV Guide‘s Matt Mitovich also did an excellent job of covering GLAAD’s report. After his initial story, Mitovich reached out to the networks that received Failing grades in the Network Responsibility Index. Although most declined comment, SyFy’s executive vice president of original content, Mark Stern, touted several gay characters on upcoming series.
Ming-Na as Camille Wray in Stargate: Universe
From TVGuide.com:
“On Stargate Universe, one of the main female characters, we discover, is a lesbian and has a wife at home. It’s a pretty important facet of who that character is,” he says. ER alum Ming-Na plays intergalactic diplomat Camille Wray, while 24’s Reiko Aylesworth recurs as her wife.
Similarly the Galactica prequel spin-off Caprica has at least two main characters depicted as being in gay relationships. “[One] is a ‘goodfella’-type, and we discover in a nonchalant way that he is gay, with a husband,” Stern says. “It was very interesting to me to take what is traditionally a very heterosexual role in an organization that we think of as being extremely homophobic, and put a gay character in that world in a very normalized way.”
We commend SyFy for working to ensure the LGBT community is fairly represented in their original programming and hope that the other networks will take our recommendations to heart as well.
Related Posts:Kid Rock Calls Twitter “Gay” in Latest Issue of Rolling Stone
July 29, 2009
In the latest issue of Rolling Stone, rap-rocker Kid Rock let out his true feelings about social networking site Twitter, calling it “gay.”
Kid Rock
“It’s gay. If one more person asks me if I have a Twitter, I’m going to tell them, ‘Twitter this s***, motherf***er, I don’t have anything to say, and what I have to say is not that relevant. Anything that is relevant, I’m going to bottle it up and then squeeze it onto a record somewhere.”
After GLAAD was alerted to Kid Rock’s comments, GLAAD’s Senior Director of Media Programs, Rashad Robinson, released the following statement:
“Such a misuse of the word ‘gay’ sends a message that these kinds of words can be used to insult our community. It reinforces what so many young people experience in their schools everyday, where a word that describes who they are is used to denigrate. We see today that media recognize the disrespectful nature of using this word as a pejorative and we hope Kid Rock will take this opportunity to clarify his word choice and educate his fans on the harms of such uses.”
Related Posts:Anti-Gay Infomercial Resurfaces in North Carolina and California
June 22, 2009
Back in February, we blogged about partnering with LGBT community members and leaders in several local markets who were responding to an anti-gay infomercial titled Speechless: Silencing the Christians, which was produced by the American Family Association. Local expressions of concern led stations in Grand Rapids, Michigan and Columbus, Ohio to either decline to air the infomercial or postpone airing it indefinitely.
Just this week GLAAD has received three more reports of constituents spotting the anti-gay paid program on their local affiliates. One person saw it in West Hollywood, California on Independent Cable Channel, KDOC on Sunday, June 21, where it aired from 7 to 8 p.m. Another GLAAD constituent alerted us that the infomercial aired on WJZY the CW Channel 46 in Charlotte, North Carolina on Saturday, June 20 from 9 to 10 p.m. And we heard from other GLAAD constituents that the program aired on KMPH Fox 26 in Fresno, California on Sunday, June 21 (Special thank you to these twitter users for the heads up on Fresno: Gayrainarmy, k8cch14 and jace78).
We appreciate our members alerting us to this information and urge local constituents to take their cue from other local folks who saw this program in the past and spoke out about the fear-mongering rhetoric contained in the hour-long piece. GLAAD’s Senior Director of Media Programs Rashad Robinson had this to say in his Huffington Post opinion piece about this issue last February:
The infomercial was created and financed by the anti-gay American Family Association and features interviews with anti-gay activists who make a series of predictable, breathless, fear-mongering claims about LGBT people and equality.
As you would expect, the video is propaganda, pure and simple — manufactured to perpetuate a climate of hostility toward our community and to create a culture where lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are less safe, less secure, and where our families are put in harm’s way.
Robinson also went on to advise local activists how to respond if this program comes to a market near them:
And it’s critical that local community members across the country be vigilant should the AFA try to place this propaganda in their local markets, and be ready to effectively explain why the public’s airwaves should not be used to sow seeds of fear, hostility and malice in the communities they serve.
While it is sad that anti-gay activists want to continue to perpetuate fears about our community, at the end of the day, it’s all they have left. Every day, more and more Americans are getting to know and understand LGBT people and our families. For those whose opinions of our lives are becoming more favorable, the single greatest contributing factor is knowing someone who is gay or lesbian. And as more Americans see and know us as we are, our opponents’ myths, attacks and defamatory stereotypes will continue to fall on ever-growing numbers of deaf ears.
We hope that people who live in the markets served by the three stations that are reportedly now airing this anti-gay infomercial will reach out to the stations using the contact info below. Help them understand why you are deeply concerned that they could be providing a platform for an out-of-state anti-gay group to create a climate of fear and hostility in your community.
As always, please use a respectful, approachable tone and appropriate language when voicing your concerns about this program.
KDOC-TV- Santa Ana, California
Janice Mansfield, Program Director
(949) 442-9800
jmansfield@kdoc.tv
John Manzi, General Manager
(949) 442-9800
jmanzi@kdoc.com
WJZY-TV (The CW)- Charlotte, North Carolina
Joe Heaton, Programming Manager
(704) 944-3340
jheaton@wjzy.com
Will Davis
Vice President and General Manager
(704) 944-3305
KMPH FOX 26-TV – Fresno, California
Debbie Sweeney
Program Director
T. (559) 453-8850
dsweeney@kmph.com
Jack Peck
Vice President & General Manager
T. (559) 453-8850
viewercomments@kmph.com
Related Posts:J.R. Jackson
General Sales Manager
(559) 453-8850
jrjackson@kmph.com
Don’t Forget: Making the Boys Screens Today!
April 27, 2009
Attention, New Yorkers: It’s not too late to make plans for this afternoon to see a fantastic documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival! Making the Boys is a beautifully shot, poignant film — don’t miss it!
Making the Boys
Monday, April 27 at 4:30 pm
SVA Theater (333 West 23rd Street), Theater 2
This new documentary, directed by Crayton Robey, is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the off-Broadway play The Boys in the Band and subsequent film release two years later. The Boys in the Band had a profound effect on the gay community in very different ways, both before and after Stonewall, but 40 years later, its legacy remains.
Following the screening, Tony Award-winning producer and documentary filmmaker Dori Berinstein will moderate a discussion with director Crayton Robey, The Boys in the Band playwright and screenwriter Mart Crowley, The Boys in the Band actor Laurence Luckinbill, Village Voice columnist Michael Musto, television personality Carson Kressley, GLAAD Senior Director of Media Programs Rashad Robinson, and others.
For tickets to this exciting event, please click here.
The Tribeca Film Festival runs April 22 – May 3 and is screening many LGBT-inclusive films that are open to the public. For a complete listing, click here.
Join GLAAD at the Tribeca Film Festival!
April 20, 2009
In commemoration of the 40th anniversary of Stonewall, GLAAD is proud to co-present two programs at the Tribeca Film Festival, celebrating the seminal film The Boys in the Band, a cultural touchstone that still resonates today.
Join us for two exciting events!
The Boys in the Band
Sunday, April 26 at 9:15 pm
AMC Village VII (66 3rd Avenue)
Join us for a FREE screening of the 1970 film directed by William Friedkin and written by Mart Crowley, based on his groundbreaking play that debuted off-Broadway one year before Stonewall. This unique opportunity is not to be missed!
Making the Boys
Monday, April 27 at 4:30 pm
SVA Theater (333 West 23rd Street), Theater 2
This new documentary, directed by Crayton Robey, is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the off-Broadway play The Boys in the Band and subsequent film release two years later. The Boys in the Band had a profound effect on the gay community in very different ways, both before and after Stonewall, but 40 years later, its legacy remains.
Following the screening, Tony Award-winning producer and documentary filmmaker Dori Berinstein will moderate a discussion with director Crayton Robey, The Boys in the Band playwright and screenwriter Mart Crowley, The Boys in the Band actor Laurence Luckinbill, Village Voice columnist Michael Musto, television personality Carson Kressley, GLAAD Senior Director of Media Programs Rashad Robinson, and others.
For tickets to this terrific event, please click here.
The Tribeca Film Festival runs April 22 – May 3 and is screening many LGBT-inclusive films that are open to the public. For a complete listing, click here.
See you at the festival!
LGBT Civil Rights, Film Activism & Proposition 8
January 20, 2009
GLAAD Queer Lounge was packed for a highly-anticipated panel that addressed the importance of LGBT film activism in the wake of Proposition 8. Cultural critic B. Ruby Rich moderated the lively panel, which was a must-attend for many here at Sundance.
glaadBLOG is proud to offer you the scintillating and timely panel in its entirety.
GLAAD’s Rashad Robinson on the Importance of Queer Lounge
January 19, 2009
GLAAD Senior Director of Media Programs Rashad Robinson sat with GLAAD Director of Entertainment Damon Romine to discuss the difference LGBT-inclusive films can make in changing hearts and minds. Watch now!
Thank GLAAD It’s Friday: Sights & Sounds
January 17, 2009
Last night, GLAAD threw a fantastic TGIF event at the Queer Lounge in Park City. Within the first half hour, we were at capacity, with a line out the door! Once inside, guests were treated to Absolut cocktails and shake-your-rump spinning from DJ Randy Bettis. Oh what a night!
For those of you who couldn’t make it, check out this video to get a taste of what was in store.
GLAAD’s own Elliott Elsner and Rashad Robinson also kept the party going by chatting up the crowd and thanking them.
Thanks to all who came out to support GLAAD last night!
