GLAAD, an organization that began with the best of intentions and is now, in my opinion, the gay world's biggest fundraising non-profit disaster-with donation income of more than $12 million in 2008, and, for some reason, on-hand assets of more than $11 million at the end of that year, and with staff of at least 46, none of whom, in my experience, are remotely able to return phone calls in a timely fashion to a reporter on deadline-announced its Media Awards this week. Actually the most amazing thing about their announcement about the state of media is that it includes three media contacts: one in-house and also two out-sourced PR people at pricey PR shop BWR, one in LA and one in New York. Why can't a media organization handle the media? Anyway: and their nominees are....
1. Mad Men. The historical television show with the sad sack closeted gay guy who only has sex with guys when he's drunk and whose character only revolves around his gayness, to the point where New York mag asked the actor: "Do you think you'll get a story line not related to Sal being gay at some point soon?" To which he replied: "I would love that." Don't hold your breath pal!
2. Tom Ford's A Single Man. The historical movie about the sad sack closeted gay guy who spends the movie trying to kill himself.
3. Everything else that had a gay character. From RuPaul's Drag Race to Glee to One Life to Live to Lady Gaga herself, if you had some gay in you, you are nominated for an award. Because there is a big party. To which these nominees come.
Stay tuned for next year, when the revival of Boys in the Band gets nominated. Since GLAAD hosted a screening of the film version-what they consider a "cultural touchstone that still resonates today"-just last year.
And the award for bitchiest qualifiers goes to... CHOIRE SICHA!!!
I was just bitching on some other 'gay literary blog' about the need to move beyond the isn't-that-book/movie/teeveeshow 'terrific' because it OMG has a gay character, even when said character is rooted in every tedious stereotype put forth by ___ over the last __ centuries. Anyway yes, GLAAD = sad. (har)
Basically.
Don't know if you happened to catch Carrie Underwood's Christmas Special, but it featured Carson Kressley doing his "silly faggot" schtick. Hilarious!
Well said Matthew Gallaway! And what is also needed is an unpacking of these stereotypes in terms of their historical/social context, modes of production etc. not just blind celebration or transhistorical bs.
I can't possibly be reading those dollar figures right. In 2008 -- the year of Prop 8?
I can kind of laugh at the irrelevance of the awards (see The Onion) but you're telling me they sat on 11 million dollars while losing a crucial ballot measure to high-rolling Mormons from out of state?
GLAAD's primary interests are defending GLAAD's primary interests.
So in other words they're basically the same as every other nonprofit advocacy group and/or local Chamber of Commerce in the country.
"More than 100 corporate partners are showing their support, including Los Angeles Presenting corporate partner ABSOLUT® Vodka and San Francisco Presenting corporate partner Southwest Airlines."
Sal did not madly French-kiss that sexy, quite possibly uncircumcised bellhop (really, such a wonderful word) while "drunk."
Did you see that insufferable shill on the Simpsons 20th-anniversary special (of colour, naturally -Â no white male can truly represent our diverse LGBTTQQI2S* communities) whining that Smithers ought to start a gay-employees group at the nuclear plant? (So he could be just as dull and conformist as the shill?)
Aaand what about Outrage?
Smithers would be disqualified because he's not black anymore.
Me-awl-ch! I've found GLAAD's media reference guide helpful (at least the version I referenced last year), but as a whole they're stuck in the 90s. The flannel of gay nonprofits.
GLAAD hasn't been on the ball since, well, last century. Well before the end of it.