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
What to Watch: Thursday
March 26, 2009
Idris Elba alert! The hot hot hottie from The Wire and RockNRolla returns to The Office tonight, which is reason enough to tune in, IMHO. Meanwhile, poor Betty is on hiatus, but our favorite medical soap, Grey’s is back with a new episode.
> 9:00 PM Grey’s Anatomy, ABC (1 hr) NEW
After weeks of anticipation, things are starting to heat up between Arizona and Callie.
Oh, Idris
> 9:00 PM The Office, NBC (30 min) NEW
Michael is confronted by the Vice President of Dunder-Mifflin (guest star Idris Elba) but it doesn’t stop him from goofing off and continuing to avoid work at all costs.
> 9:00 PM Hell’s Kitchen, Fox (1 hr) NEW
Nine chefs remain to obtain the “head chef” position at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City. One of the contestants is a lesbian from Las Vegas named LA.
NAACP Image Awards Winners
February 13, 2009
Though we reported last month that the NAACP Image Awards held an unprecedented number of LGBT-inclusive nominations in its 40th year, sadly, these noms didn’t turn to gold last night.
Even though gay talent like Wanda Sykes (The New Adventures of Old Christine) and Patrik-Ian Polk (Noah’s Arc: Jumping the Broom) were recognized through their nominations, both were beat out by their straight colleagues. Straight actors playing gay characters like Paul James (GREEK), Sonja Sohn (The Wire) and Michael K. Williams (The Wire) went home empty-handed as well.
Patrick-Ian Polk
The only LGBT-inclusive nominee to win was ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, which was awarded Outstanding Drama Series.
For a complete list of LGBT nominees, please click here.
For a complete list of NAACP Image Awards winners, please click here.
Crossroads: The Intersection of Black & LGBT Images
February 13, 2009
With both The Wire and Noah’s Arc now part of television history, there are currently — and depressingly — few on-screen television characters who are both gay and black.
Marcellas Reynolds and Sonja Sohn
On the eve of the 100th anniversary of the NAACP and the 40th NAACP Image Awards, the lack of African American LGBT representation was the crux of a forum hosted in Los Angeles this week by GLAAD and the National Black Justice Coalition. “Knocking Down the Door: Black LGBT Images in Media” was a standing-room only event that took place at the Screen Actors Guild, co-sponsored by SAG’s LGBT Actors Committee and the Beverly Hills/Hollywood Branch of the NAACP.
The evening began with a historical video retrospective of black and LGBT images produced by Deondray Gossett and Quincy LeNear, the creative duo behind The DL Chronicles. The two were also part of the evening’s lively panel discussion alongside 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 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 remarks from SAG Interim Executive Director David White and Alice Huffman, President of the California State NAACP.
PSA Featuring Michael & Xavier
The forum explored potential reasons behind the under-representation and how this history of invisibility may have affected voting on California’s Proposition 8. Apropos, the 30-second commercial from GettoKnowUsFirst.org featuring the African American family headed by Michael and Xavier was shown to the audience. The spot ran in California television markets during the inauguration, Super Bowl, and the NAACP Image Awards. The absence of these kind of images on television, the panelists suggested, makes the idea of someone being gay and black something foreign and strange to many in the African American community. “Most communication is non-verbal. Whether it’s in a film or on TV or in a commercial, we’re very affected by what we see,” said panelist J. Karen Thomas. “So just by having an image of a black gay, bisexual or lesbian, it alters your awareness and your imagination of what can be possible.”
The panelists agreed that African American representation, LGBT or not, is influential. “When I first saw A Different World and The Cosby Show, I thought, ‘I can go to college,’” admitted Deondray Gossett. “These images really affected the way I thought about the future. I think these images are absolutely essential. If it’s done well, TV can shape young minds.”
"Knocking" panel audience
Featuring black LGBT representation provides a necessary and accurate reflection of the African American community. The panelists, like GLAAD, understand the impact the entertainment industry has on America and the world, and all are working to not only help the industry understand that responsibility, but to realize that diversity and inclusion is also good business.
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.”
NAACP Image Awards Nominations are LGBT-Inclusive
January 8, 2009
The nominations for the 40th Annual NAACP Image Awards were announced yesterday, and we are pleased to report that many of them are for LGBT-inclusive projects.
Established in 1967, at the height of the civil rights movement, the NAACP Image Awards is the nation’s premier event to honor outstanding black actors, actresses, writers, producers and directors.
Below is a list of LGBT-inclusive nominees. For a complete list, please click here.
Wanda Sykes
Outstanding Comedy Series — Ugly Betty
Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series — Paul James*, GREEK
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series — Wanda Sykes**, The New Adventures of Old Christine
Outstanding Drama Series — Grey’s Anatomy, House, Lincoln Heights, The Wire
Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series — Blair Underwood*, In Treatment
Michael Kenneth Williams as Omar in The Wire
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series — Michael Kenneth Williams*, The Wire
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series — Sonja Sohn*, The Wire
Outstanding Reality Series — Project Runway
Noah's Arc
Outstanding Independent Motion Picture — Noah’s Arc: Jumping the Broom
Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series — Liz Friedman & Sara Hess – House – “Lucky Thirteen”
Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture — Patrik-Ian Polk & John R. Gordon – Noah’s Arc: Jumping the Broom
Outstanding Literary Work – Fiction — E. Lynn Harris**, “Just Too Good to Be True”
*plays LGBT character
**artist is LGBT
The 40th Annual NAACP Image Awards will be broadcast live Thursday, Feb. 12 at 8 PM on Fox.
