This week GLAAD announced a new public service campaign to fight homophobia by leveraging the support of openly gay celebrities and straight “allies.” Towleroad posted a first look at one of the public service announcements that can be viewed here.
The “Be an Ally & a Friend” series of 25 commercials features twenty-two famous faces from the worlds of TV, beauty pageants, music, and sports. To keep the campaign fresh over the next year, a new commercial will premiere every two weeks.
A campaign like this will help promote the importance of tolerance and bring attention to homophobic language and actions but, the project shines the spotlight on two positive trends – one is that a “gay agenda” has been incorporated into celebrity’s public relations and publicity tactics. Learning from celebs that have built up their careers by embracing gay followings like Cyndi and Cher, the straight celebrities in the campaign are both performing social responsibility and gay outreach. It’s encouraging to see that where celebrities used to shy away from gay issues, they are now out in front,
calling for tolerance and understanding, and being our "allies."
Celebrities include basketball player John Amaechi, Jamie Bamber (Battlestar Galactica), Lance Bass, Alexandra Billings (Grey’s Anatomy), Wilson Cruz (Noah’s Arc), Rachel Griffiths (Brothers & Sisters), T.R. Knight (Grey’s Anatomy), Rex Lee (Entourage), Jason Lewis (Brothers & Sisters), Eric Mabius (Ugly Betty), Alec Mapa (Desperate Housewives), Marlee Matlin (The L Word), Martina Navratilova, Becki Newton (Ugly Betty), Jerry O’Connell (Carpoolers), Ana Ortiz (Ugly Betty), Sara Ramirez (Grey’s Anatomy), Shaun Robinson (Access Hollywood), Rebecca Romijn (Ugly Betty), former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres (Watch Over Me), Michael Urie (Ugly Betty), and Kate Walsh (Private Practice).
Another encouraging point of the campaign comes from where the PSAs will be shown. GLAAD reports that “The PSAs will also be available through broadcast collaborations with Access Hollywood, national cable networks such as Game Show Network (GSN), Independent Film Channel (IFC), Lifetime, The N, SCI FI Channel and Sundance Channel; local cable systems and network affiliates; online at LiveVideo, YouTube, AOL Video and MySpace; and others to be announced."
These channels are giving, in essence, free ad time to GLAAD and their cause, and helping
out the GLBT audiences. Networks ranging from those targeted at teens (The N) to those with an older boomer audience (GSN) are taking steps to be inclusive of all of their viewers – in a responsible and helpful way.
The “Be an Ally & a Friend” campaign shows more than ever that the community has friends in high places – with the number and prominence of these friends still rising.
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