VIDEO: Black LGBT Media Images Explored
March 26, 2009
Members of the entertainment community came together recently to discuss the state of African American LGBT images in the media. And with The Wire, Noah’s Arc and The L Word all part of television history, these images are slimmer than ever. Thanks to our friends at Screen Actors Guild, the 90-minute panel is now available for viewing — and in HD — right here at glaadBLOG.
“Knocking Down the Door: Black LGBT Images in Media” was a standing-room only event that took place at Screen Actors Guild, sponsored by GLAAD and the National Black Justice Coalition. The panel was co-sponsored by SAG’s LGBT Actors Committee and the Beverly Hills/Hollywood Branch of the NAACP.
The panel began with opening remarks from SAG Interim Executive Director David White, and featured Deondray Gossett and Quincy LeNear, the creative duo behind The DL Chronicles; actor/director/writer Maurice Jamal (Dirty Laundry, The Ski Trip); performer J. Karen Thomas, founding member of the SAG LGBT Actors Committee; TV personality Marcellas Reynolds; performer and trans activist Ashley Love, host of the online series LGB to the T; actor and NAACP Image Award nominee Sonja Sohn (The Wire); and Willis Edwards, member of the NAACP National Board of Directors. The event was moderated by Rashad Robinson, GLAAD Senior Director of Media Programs and featured a special appearance by Alice Huffman, President of the California State NAACP.
To read more about the panel, check out this post, or just sit back and watch it for yourself here:
Special thanks to Kevin Curran, Screen Actors Guild
Black LGBT Media Images Explored
February 4, 2009
On the eve of the 40th NAACP Image Awards, the National Black Justice Coalition and GLAAD will host a forum in Los Angeles on the infrequent intersection of African American and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) images in media, and the importance of these stories being told, particularly in the wake of California’s Proposition 8.
“Knocking Down the Door: Black LGBT Images in Media” will explore the historical under-representation of these images, the ongoing advocacy efforts to promote the telling of these stories and the professional issues and challenges facing openly gay African American artists.
The Screen Actors Guild LGBT Actors Committee and the Beverly Hills-Hollywood Branch of the NAACP will co-sponsor the forum, open to the public, on Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 7pm at the Screen Actors Guild James Cagney Board Room.
Confirmed panelists include:
Willis Edwards, Member, National Board of Directors, NAACP; Vice Chair of the NAACP Image Awards
Deondray Gossett, Writer/Producer/Director, “The DL Chronicles”
Maurice Jamal, Writer/Producer/Director, “Dirty Laundry,” “The Ski Trip”
Marcellas Reynolds, TV Host/Correspondent, E! Networks
Sonja Sohn, Actor, “The Wire”
J. Karen Thomas, Actor; Founding Member SAG LGBT Actors Committee
Moderated by:
Rashad Robinson, GLAAD Senior Director of Media Programs
WHAT: “Knocking Down the Door: Black LGBT Images in Media”
WHEN: Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009; 7pm – 9pm
WHERE: Screen Actors Guild
James Cagney Board Room, First Floor
5757 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036-3600
PARKING WILL BE VALIDATED
RSVP ESSENTIAL: entertainment@glaad.org
MEDIA INQUIRIES: Damon Romine, GLAAD, 323/634-2012
“For the first time we have five openly gay individuals and multiple gay-themed projects nominated at the NAACP Image Awards,” said Jasper Hendricks, NBJC Director of Field Operations. “We are hopeful this historic achievement will begin to break down barriers to openly LGBT arts and entertainment professionals in getting roles and jobs in the industry. We need to continue to highlight our successes and this forum will be a part of educating the media and the industry as to the issues LGBT people face.”
“This year’s nominees for the NAACP Image Awards demonstrate significant progress at a time when LGBT African Americans continue to be underrepresented in the media and those representations are often based on stereotypes,” said GLAAD Senior Director of Media Programs Rashad Robinson, who will serve as moderator of the panel. “We hope that through open dialogue with industry leaders at forums like this, we can continue to open doors for stories and images of our lives and our communities. These stories – when told in a fair, accurate and inclusive way – have the power to change hearts and minds.”
