Archive for December, 2008

Out Front Blog Looks Back on 2008

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CG9A What a year. Is it just us or did 2008 seem like a Technicolor explosion of ideas, events, history and controversy? If 2007 was the year when the “blogosphere seemed to touch every aspect of our lives,” then 2008 was the year when every aspect of our lives was reported, analyzed, discussed, and broadcast over and over again. And not just in the blogosphere, but everywhere (and from members of our own community as Laura and Michael point out below). We did our best to address many of the high- and lowlights in gay and lesbian communications in 2008 and we’ll keep going in 2009. 

As has become our custom at the end of the year, we’re going to take a moment to consider the year that was 2008. Just as we did last year, we asked the Out Front blogging team to give us their take on one question:

  • What was the most significant/important/memorable LGBT communications breakthrough or LGBT communications campaign of 2008?

Here are our responses:

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| December 31st, 2008 No Comments »
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The Year’s Latino LGBT Progreso in Review

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One of my favorite things about the end of the year is the opportunity we have to look back at what was accomplished (or wasn’t) in the past year. Despite the Prop 8 hold up, and recent news on Obama’s choice of pastor (Rick Warren) for the inauguration, there are a number of things that happened this year which we should still celebrate and continue their momentum.

Some great things happened this year in regards to Hispanics and the gay and lesbian community.

On the celebrity front:
Late last year, we had the first current chart-topping music group announce one of their members is gay and People en Español ran a story about it earlier this year. Cristian Chavez’s news was taken surprisingly well by fans and media and their success carried on into 2008.

The GLAAD Spanish media awards recognized Puerto Rican Ivy Queen as the first reggaeton singer to openly support the gay and lesbian community.

Mexican hottie and award-winning actor Gael Garcia Bernal graced us on the cover of OHM, a gay Mexican magazine, to show his support to our community. See my past blog post on that here.

Lucia Méndez, began work with non-profit organizations to reach parents and raise awareness on suicide rates among closeted gays and lesbians and move the needle on the acceptance of our community. Read more.

There was a posting earlier this year on AfterEllen.com on the first Latina lesbian model walking the runways and we have a Latina lesbian character on Grey’s Anatomy this year.

On the Hispanic community front the Dallas chapter of the Latino United League of American Citizens was nationally recognized – it’s a gay chapter.

On the media front, the Ad Council launched the “Think before you speak” campaign designed to raise awareness of the negative effects of using “gay” as an adjective. 

J0399931I know there are handfuls of positives that I have not mentioned, in both Hispanic and general market sectors.  What are those famous little sayings people always say? “It’s darkest before the dawn” and others like it.

It’s important not to lose sight of the big accomplishments we are still making and give ourselves a pat on the back. Our work is paying off, bit by bit, but it’s there. For us, I think the glass is half full.

| December 30th, 2008 No Comments »
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Familial Acceptance Fights Depression, Suicide

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Depression A recent study by San Francisco State University, whose findings will appear in January’s edition of the American Academy of Pediatrics journal, has established for the first time a link between serious LGBT youth health problems and their family’s rejection or other specific negative reactions to the youth’s sexual orientation. While the general results seemed somewhat intuitive as I read over the study’s media coverage today, the harsh realities of the findings and dialogue on this issue were somewhat unsettling.

Director of the Family Acceptance Project Dr. Caitlin Ryan and her team found that LGBT young people who had experienced greater rejection by their families were:

  • 8.4 times more likely to attempt suicide
  • 6 times more likely to become depressed
  • 3.4 times more likely to use drugs
  • 3.4 times more likely to engage in unprotected sex

Those numbers give pause when considered in context with the fact that more and more LGBT individuals today are coming out at earlier ages. And despite the growing number of LGBT role models and discussion of top LGBT issues at the national and local levels, conversations on the health of LGBT teens before, during and after their coming out are largely relegated to the occasional media story or study issued around the time of an LGBT teen’s death.

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| December 29th, 2008 1 Comment »
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Praise for A Day Without a Gay

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Day Without A Gay T-Shirt When I called in sick to work on Wednesday two weeks ago with a fever, a handful of my colleagues e-mailed me articles about calling in "gay" for  A Day Without  A Gay. Although I had accepted an invitation to participate on Facebook, I was not really planning on ditching work and protesting. Apparently, I was not the only one on the sidelines as the AP reports that only few were actually willing to protest.

A Day Without A Gay was inspired by independent movie A Day Without A Mexican. In the latter, Californians wake up one day to find millions of Mexican immigrants have disappeared. The impact on the day to day status of the state is immense, with businesses falling apart, trash accumulating to create unsanitary conditions, etc. The creators of A Day Without a Gay liked the idea of showcasing the gay community this way as well simply because many don't realize the large number of people who make up our community, and protest anti-gay marriage laws.
 
Many critics have commented on the economic timing of the protest and claim that people are less likely to risk their jobs when there are no other jobs for them. The creators of the protest saw the poor state of the economy as an advantage in which gays and lesbians would have a larger economic impact.

Were the number of people who protested large enough to make a difference? Or were they too small to make an impact and be laughed at instead? Did we really affect change?

I consider the viral aspect of the communications campaign of  A Day Without A Gay. It used viral marketing tactics to promote and generate support. It caught the attention of media giant CNN and local California and national bloggers. It formed partnerships with grassroots organizations who collaborated to assign December 10 as The Day Without Gays. All in all, a success when you consider its viral, grassroots and social media tactics, but as my colleague Bryan mentions, it lacked campaign focus. 

So why the harsh criticism? I think it's just poor timing for two main reasons: one being the economy and the fears that come with it, and the other is the holiday time frame. People shop more than ever during this time of the year. Do you agree? Did you chose to or not to participate in this cause? 
 

| December 23rd, 2008 No Comments »
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Presents with a Purpose

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Jitcrunch Whether you are the eternal procrastinator or holiday traveler unwilling to sacrifice precious clothing space in your luggage to cart presents home (like me), those of us still holding a to-do list of holiday presents are down to the wire to finalize our purchases. And while the economy has its obvious effects on decisions this holiday retail season, many LGBT consumers are looking beyond sales and deals for ways to make an impact with their holiday spending.

A month ago, I blogged on the Human Rights Campaign’s 2009 “Buying for Equality” Guide, and its listing of 260 businesses that received a perfect 100 score on the 2009 Corporate Equality Index. And while it is important to communicate our support of these businesses through patronage, I recently came across even more ways to use holiday spending to support LGBT organizations and the messages they advocate.

Many LGBT organizations and non-profits have set-up or amplified online stores and offerings this holiday season to raise visibility of their mission and our community. From t-shirts to baby bibs to pet clothing, there is an endless array of products that gets LGBT organizations’ messages out into local communities.

Over at Mombian, LGBT shoppers and allies can find just the right gift for proud soccer moms or the newest addition to the family. GLSEN and HRC similarly offer branded products that capture the organizations’ mission creatively in attire and décor. And our friends at GLAAD launched great new gifts this holiday season with catchy phrases such as “I’m GLAAD I have two mommies” and “I’m GLAAD I have two uncles.”

Former Out Front blogger and current national director of public relations for GLAAD, Rich Ferraro said, “Purchasing and wearing these LGBT-friendly gifts not only helps our organizations, but continues the dialogue about our community that has resulted from this year's election. This holiday season and moving forward, it’s so important for us to share our stories with friends and family.”

So for those of you still shopping, consider how your gifts this season can also extend and expand LGBT messages and visibility throughout your local communities. These products are perfect for the holiday and all-year round – for birthdays, graduations and other major events – because our need to engage in dialogue is always present.

Shop wisely and happy holidays!

| December 22nd, 2008 No Comments »
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