GLAAD Announces Media Awards Nominees

GLAAD also announced that American Airlines will receive the Corporate Responsibility Award for its long-standing and public commitment to the LGBT community.  As part of the American Airlines Rainbow TeAAM, the company has supported LGBT film festivals, fundraisers and Pride events across the country by serving as an official airline partner.  American Airlines was also the first airline to score 100% on the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index.

GLAAD will present Bob Garfield with the Public Visibility Award in recognition of his work to advocate for LGBT inclusion in advertising.  For 25 years, Bob Garfield's iconic "AdReview" column in Advertising Age evaluated and deconstructed thousands of ads from hundreds of agencies worldwide.  Throughout his tenure, Garfield has been a strong ally for the LGBT community, taking on some of the most formidable agencies in the nation over ads rooted in homophobia and stereotypes and applauding groundbreaking inclusions of LGBT people in mainstream advertising.

GLAAD is pleased to announce that this year's event is an official event of Advertising Week. Advertising Week is North America's premier gathering of cutting-edge communications leaders.  Advertising Week is a hybrid of thought leadership and special event programming, uniting clients, creatives, media and inspiring figures.  Advertising Week's mission is to galvanize the industry by creating an entertaining, enlightening and engaging platform for disparate parts of the advertising business.

The GLAAD Media Awards in Advertising elevate and promote individuals and projects in the advertising and marketing industries for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and the issues that affect their lives.  The GLAAD Media Awards in Advertising also fund GLAAD's work to amplify stories of LGBT people and issues through all media to build support for equality.

"We celebrate this year's nominees and special honorees for their inclusive work," said GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios.  "However, this year we witnessed a decline in the number of inclusive advertisements in mainstream media, and as our community continues to strive for visibility, the advertising industry should take note."

"As we see more gay and transgender characters and stories on television and in film, American consumers are coming to expect images of our community in advertising as well," Barrios continued. "Advertisers who include fair and accurate images of our community accomplish more than targeting new consumers, they also send a powerful message about the American cultural fabric of which our community is an integral part."

The GLAAD Media Awards in Advertising will be held in New York on September 29, 2010 at the Grand Hyatt New York, 104 E. 42nd Street.  More special guests and presenters will be announced. 

Nominees for the 2nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Advertising were printed, broadcast or appeared online between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010.

Leveraging GLAAD's media advocacy and anti-LGBT defamation resources, GLAAD's Advertising Media Program monitors all forms of advertising and works to ensure fair and accurate representations of the LGBT community or demand action when defamation occurs. The Advertising Media Program proactively advances inclusion of the LGBT community in mainstream advertising through advocacy work at advertising agencies and corporate advertising departments.

The GLAAD Media Awards in Advertising are presented by Omnicom Group, Publicis Groupe, and Rokk Vodka. GLAAD is also grateful to the event's General Corporate Partners: Deutsch, McCann Worldwide and MillerCoors.

About GLAAD
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) amplifies the voice of the LGBT community by empowering real people to share their stories, holding the media accountable for the words and images they present, and helping grassroots organizations communicate effectively. By ensuring that the stories of LGBT people are heard through the media, GLAAD promotes understanding, increases acceptance, and advances equality.