Wendy Williams Producer Apologizes for Offending Drag Performer
August 25, 2009
Last week, Advocate.com posted an article describing an incident at The Wendy Williams Show. New York based performance artist and drag performer Erickatoure Aviance was in line on Wednesday, August 12th to attend a taping of the show when she was told that her outfit was too flamboyant for the show’s studio audience. Aviance was offended that the longtime host would have a policy that would exclude drag performers when Williams has joked in the past about how she resembles a drag performer. GLAAD responded to the incident reports it received and spoke personally to the show’s production company, Debmar-Mercury.
Wendy Williams
After speaking with GLAAD, the executive involved in the incident issued a formal apology:
“Much of the success of The Wendy Williams Show is due to our incredibly diverse and colorful audience and we all agree that fashion is a true form of self expression. But in an attempt to explain and enforce our show’s dress code, I was not as sensitive as I could have been to Ericka, the LGBT community or drag’s long history of being a target of discrimination. And for that, I sincerely apologize as it was never my intention to offend in any way.” ~ Lonnie Burstein, Executive Vice President, Programming & Production, Debmar-Mercury
GLAAD looks forward to working with Wendy Williams and Debmar-Mercury on ways it can foster its work within the LGBT community and improve the representation of the lives of LGBT people on its various shows.
Related Posts:Gallup Poll Includes Muslim Views on Homosexuality
May 21, 2009
Gay Muslims are getting an increasing amount of media coverage recently thanks to award winning documentaries like Jihad for Love and even Showtime’s new show Nurse Jackie which co-stars Haaz Sleiman as a gay Muslim nurse. So, it was not surprising when the survey, Gallup Coexist Index 2009: A Global Study of Interfaith Relations, asked Muslims about their views on homosexuality-and garnered media interest.
Dalia Mogahed Photo Courtesy of Times Online
Dalia Mogahed, Executive Director of the Gallup Centre for Muslim Studies and appointee to the White House faith-based advisory council, released the Gallup survey results on May 7 in London. Compiled from six different surveys, the study looks at Muslim attitudes in France, Germany and the United Kingdom. It is Gallup’s first annual report on the state of faith relations and global attitudes among people of faith in different traditions and countries around the world.
Germany came in second with 68% of non-Muslims and 19% of Muslims demonstrating acceptance towards homosexual acts.
Gallup Survey
Out of the 500 Muslims in Britain interviewed, all responded negatively but gay Muslims in the UK are becoming increasingly visible and raising awareness. Groups like Al-Fatiha and Imaan are working hard to give a voice to gay Muslims in the UK. Al- Fatiha is in the process of conducting their own survey in order to better understand the experiences and concerns of the British LGBT Muslim community. Meanwhile, Imaan sponsors an annual LGBT Muslim conference in order to reconcile Islam with sexuality and educate people that Islam is not a homophobic faith and one that all LGBT can practice.
LGBT Muslims are slowly emerging into the spotlight and changing hearts and minds. As expressed by gay UK journalist Omar Hassan in his recent commentary of the Gallup polls findings in The Advocate, there is no reason not to be optimistic: “I’m still hopeful. Together, we can build new families and communities. It won’t be easy, but that shouldn’t stop us from trying. After all, we owe it to each other — we deserve it.”
What You Should Be Watching
March 11, 2009
Already missing The L Word? Hungry for lesbian images? Believe it or not, you should be watching a soap. And no, we’re not talking about All My Children, with the tumultuous love between Bianca and Reese. We’re talking about CBS’ long-running Guiding Light.
For weeks, sparks have flown between Olivia and Natalia, but they are now officially a couple — and setting the soap world ablaze.
The Advocate held a great interview with the two actresses portraying “Otalia” (yes, there’s a fan name for the couple). Be sure to read the full story here, but we liked these excerpts:
Have there been challenges, as an actress, as opposed to when you are in a heterosexual relationship story line?
Crystal Chappell: No. I have approached this as a basic simple love story. I think it’s really non-gender-specific in my world as an actress. My character has found she’s falling for another woman. It’s still what I have always done in terms of my work and the approach to it. I did feel, however, that we needed to take it slowly and not sensationalize it. If you think about how long we have taken to get to this point; it was intended to create a long-term bond between these two characters. We take baby steps at times to create a love story that the audience can invest in.
Jessica Leccia: It may have been a bit easier because we did not play that we were in love. Maybe it seemed a bit banal, but we were literally folding laundry in one scene and moments came out of that. Our relationship developed slowly and it was sometimes ugly and sometimes pretty and normal … which is what friendships are.What about the first time you two kissed on-screen? Was it nerve-racking?
Crystal: I am always a little nervous when I kiss somebody. Your heart flutters and you think, Did I brush my teeth?
Jessica: In the first kiss you think, Is my lip too high? Did I make a scowly face?
Crystal: And you want it to look pretty!
Jessica: It was really nice. Good times.
Guiding Light airs weekdays on CBS. Check local listings for air times.
Actor Won’t Drink Milk, Will Drink the Kool-Aid
March 10, 2009
According to The Advocate, a Brazilian actor has refused to dub Sean Penn’s voice into Portuguese for the local television broadcast of Milk, even though he’s dubbed Mr. Penn’s performances in 21 Grams and All the King’s Men.
The actor, whose name is Marco Ribeiro, is a pastor at an Assembly of God church in Rio de Janeiro and says that the film about martyred gay rights activist Harvey Milk clashes with his religious beliefs.
“I did not feel comfortable with the job,” Ribeiro said, according to Variety . “My voice is involved with other causes, and for the same reason I have refused to work on certain types of advertising.”
Milk is currently playing in Brazilian theaters with Portuguese subtitles, but will be dubbed into Portuguese for television. Riberiro will be replaced by actor Alexandre Moreno.
“Nuke” Blows Us Away with a Great Interview
February 4, 2009
Van Hansis and Jake Silbermann, the two actors who play boyfriends Noah and Luke (“Nuke”) on CBS’ As the World Turns gave a strong interview to Advocate.com yesterday. Not familiar with the only gay male couple on daytime?
Van and Luke at the GLAAD Media Awards last year
Read on for all the juicy details…
To catch the uninitiated up to speed, Noah and Luke have been together for quite some time, but they finally “sealed the deal” a few weeks ago by having sex. Though it was off-camera, the guys made it all-too-apparent they’d just done the deed and celebrated by sharing ice cream. (Awww!)
According to Advocate.com:
The big day was met with controversy all over the Internet — from soap pundits to mainstream journalists, many questioned the lack of promotion for the long-awaited moment from the powers-that-be at ATWT and Procter & Gamble (the show’s sponsor). Still, when the time finally came, Nuke fans were thrilled.
Though we highly recommend reading the interview in its entirety, here’s some tidbits that are especially good:
Advocate.com: Now that it’s finally aired, how do you think Nuke’s first sex scene played out?
Hansis: I think it was a natural progression for the characters at this point to sleep together. I think it’s a good thing that they did. The time was right. It is important to show that they take it seriously. I am glad the fans are so happy because that is the most important thing.
Silbermann: I really liked the way the show handled it by not really having it with bells and whistles and fanfare…
Hansis: Also, it was exciting for the fans not to have any “spoilers” on it, because I know there was a big fan group waiting for this moment. In this day and age, to keep that a secret is pretty cool. I think the fans enjoyed being surprised and shocked.
It’s important that gay romance receives fair cultural representation on television. Do you feel a responsibility in portraying these roles?
Silbermann: The most important thing is that it’s a story for people who felt unrepresented on our show, or any show.
Hansis: One of the most important things in the daytime medium, in portraying a couple long-term, is to give a voice to people who had not had a voice. Also, to show people who are not gay or who don’t have a personal connection to the story. They can form an empathetic connection to these characters. It helps people in that way.
Read the entire interview here.
As the World Turns is nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Daytime Drama. The series airs on CBS Monday through Friday. Check your local listings for air times.
Kyle Buchanan’s Take on Sundance 2009
January 21, 2009
Kyle Buchanan, film critic for The Advocate, has moderated two panels for Queer Lounge this week, lending his unique insight and expertise to all who attended. Of course we wanted to pass on his riches to you! Watch our interview with him as he gives us the run-down on which Sundance movies to look out for in 2009.
AFA Shows Their Holiday Spirit with Attack on Ad with Lesbian Moms
December 23, 2008
New Swanson broth ad depicting Café Forant owners Carolyn and Lea with their son, Eli.
The ad couldn’t be cozier. It’s called “Home for the Holidays,” and in addition to a recipe for Butternut Squash Bisque, it depicts a family in their kitchen – and the parents just happen to be the owners of the kid-friendly Café Forant in New York City. The ad touts Swanson broth as a key element in the dishes for the family’s annual Feast of the Seven Fishes Christmas Eve celebration.
It’s one of a series of ads produced by Swanson featuring professional chefs’ favorite holiday recipes. But according to the anti-gay American Family Association, the ads require an immediate response from constituents in the form of emails and phone calls to Campbell Soup Company, which owns Swanson.
Why? First, the ads ran alongside those of many other companies in The Advocate, the national LGBT news magazine. Second, because the parents happen to be a lesbian couple – Carolyn and Lea – with their son, Eli.
The AFA posted an alert saying: “Campbell Soup Company has openly begun helping homosexual activists push their agenda. Not only did the ads cost Campbell’s a chunk of money, but they also sent a message that homosexual parents constitute a family and are worthy of support. They also gave their approval to the entire homosexual agenda.”
It says a lot about the AFA that they show their spirit by attacking loving families – the kind of families who pitch in and cook meals for their neighbors when their son is diagnosed with cancer – during the holidays.
Thankfully, according to Ad Age,
Campbell made no apologies for the series of ads, which it said is its first in any LGBT publication, and instead took a decisive stance on the criticism. “Our position on this is pretty straightforward,” said company rep Anthony Sanzio. “Inclusion and diversity play an important role in our business, and that fact is reflected in our marketing plan. For more than a century, people from all walks for life have enjoyed Campbell’s products, and we will continue to try to communicate in ways that are meaningful and relevant to them.”
He added: “Our plans for the Swanson brand include additional placements in The Advocate.”
It’s commendable that Campbell Soup Company has taken this important step to be inclusive of all families in their advertising. But, unfortunately, they will be hearing from the AFA and their supporters, who want to make our families and our lives invisible. It’s vital that you contact Campbell’s and thank them for fairly and accurately depicting our lives – and for not giving in to the demands of anti-gay organizations.
Since the AFA has asked their supporters to contact Campbell Soup President Douglas Conant and follow up with a phone call to the Campbell Soup Company and Swanson, we are asking you to do the same, and include Director of Corporate Communications Anthony Sanzio (who is quoted above in the Ad Age interview) in your thank-you. Let them know you appreciate their strong support for LGBT families.
Douglas Conant, President
douglas_r_conant@campbellsoup.com
Anthony Sanzio, Dir. of Corporate Communications
anthony_sanzio@campbellsoup.com
Campbell Soup Company
1-800-257-8443
Swanson
1-800-442-7684
