Posts Tagged ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’

GLAAD for the Glee-ful Single Drag Racers

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Happy Monday! Or, I can't believe it's Monday! Spent the weekend on domestic chores as the BF is trapped in Germany due to the volcano. I swear it feels like a really cheesy Lifetime movie– he's trapped over there, and I am left having to mow the lawn. And my swearing while mowing was very similar to a volcanic eruption. Come home soon.

Speaking of things important to me– Glee has its Madonna-centric episode this week, and I could not be more excited! Even Madonna loves the show (about Madonna!). Those kids on Glee must be the hardest working cast in show business, and the accolades keep on coming in. On Saturday night, the show picked up the "Outstanding Comedy Series" award from GLAAD as part of the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles. No surprise here– Glee is one of the most progressive shows in terms of portraying the LGBT community in a positive– and realistic– light, whether that means showing how Kurt deals with being openly gay in high school, or how Rachel is raised by her two dads. Any show-choir themed show has an inherent LGBT story to tell, and I am proud of creator Ryan Murphy, and for GLAAD, for recognizing the invaluable opportunity Tuesday nights at 9PM can provide.

Glee wasn't the only entertainment program recognized on Saturday night. The film A Single Man picked up an award for "Outstanding Film," and RuPaul's Drag Race scored for "Outstanding Reality Program." Both Drew Barrymore and Wanda Sykes also picked up awards for their commitment to our community, and Telemundo walked away with recognition for Spanish-language journalism segment.

GLAAD has really turned these awards into a forum for discussing how important it is for the media and entertainment worlds to accurately portray, and include, the LGBT community in programming and news coverage. While these awards have the glitz and glamour of Hollywood red carpet events, there is an important educational overlay into using media coverage…of media coverage.. to spread GLAAD's mission of promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of people and events in the media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. Thank you GLAAD!

P.S. Super-excited that the mega-LGBT musical, La Cage Aux Follies opened to rave reviews last night on Broadway. This means that we have yet another forum to talk about the importance of owning and respecting the LGBT identity. As the song from the musical goes, "I am what I am, and what I am needs no excuses." Checking out the show in May– so I will let you know how it is!

Have a great week.

(Photo courtesy of 2010 Chris Weeks/WireImage)  

 

| April 19th, 2010 No Comments »
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Powerful People

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As we end yet another week, some powerful people are being recognized for their contributions to the LGBT community and their prominence in the national spotlight. And no, I'm not talking about the return of Glee or the series finale of Ugly Betty, though both merit my praise for raising awareness of our community while being consistently entertaining.

Let's start with Out's "4th Annual Power 50." This list recognizes America's most influential gay men and women. After I didn't find my name on the list (must have been #51), I spent some time reviewing those individuals who earned the spotlight. Among my favorites (with their corresponding Out descriptions):

  • #50: Urvashi Vaid: "In her 25 years as an LGBT rights activist, attorney, and author, Vaid has lead the NGLTF and held positions at the ACLU and the Ford Foundation. Currently the executive director of the Arcus Foundation, a key grant-maker supporting gay rights charities, she was honored in 2009 by the Equality Foundation as an LGBT Icon."
  • #30: Dustin Lance Black (friend of Bryan's): "The Oscar-winning Milk screenwriter came off the award hot last year, finishing his directorial debut, What’s Wrong with Virginia?, which stars Ed Harris and Jennifer Connelly, narrating a documentary about Mormon influence on Prop. 8’s defeat, and writing a screenplay for a biopic of J. Edgar Hoover, which has attracted Ron Howard’s production team, the directorial interest of Clint Eastwood, and, in turn, super-early Oscar buzz."
  • #28: Dan Choi: "With his stirring speech at the National Equality March on Washington in October, discharged Lt. Dan Choi became the face and voice of the rally and underscored the personal aspect of our political fight for gay marriage equality and the repeal of DADT. He clashed with the HRC among other gay groups when he was arrested for chaining himself to the White House gates in March, Choi continues to be the U.S.’s most outspoken serviceman."
  • #24: Anthony Romero: "Under Romero’s fearless leadership, the membership of the ACLU has doubled since he started to serve as executive director in 2001, and the organization has taken to task everyone from the state of California for its ban on gay marriage to President Obama, whose administration the group is urging not to back down from prosecuting the 9/11 terrorist subjects in civilian court."
  • #12: Rich Ross: "Disney reaffirmed its status as an outpost of progressiveness in the movie industry last October by making Rich Ross the first openly gay studio chief in history. Having steered the careers of both Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers as president of Disney Channels Worldwide, Ross has wasted little time in bringing in fresh blood and cutting the number of movies on the slate (C’est la vie, Wild Hogs 2). With Steve Jobs as the studio’s biggest individual investor, expect to see a radical new approach to distribution with Apple’s new iPad."
  • #8: Joe Solmonese: "This year the Human Rights Campaign celebrates its 30th anniversary. As president since 2005, Solmonese oversees the largest LGBT group in the country, numbering more than 750,000 members. Despite criticism because the president does not support gay marriage per se, the HRC hosted Obama at its 2009 annual dinner, which preceded the National Equality March in Washington in October. The event garnered much-needed coverage in mainstream media and momentum and counted Lady Gaga among its guests."

Each one of the 50 individuals recognized give us the opportunity to do what we do every day– to openly advocate for and market to the LGBT community. By using their prominence for the good of the cause, they open doors for us to follow. Their "mainstream" status takes us one step closer to acknowledgement and inclusivity. Who were your favorites on the list?

The other news about a powerful person in our community came last night. In a memo to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, President Obama ordered most hospitals in the country to grant the same visitation rights to gay and lesbian partners that they do to married heterosexual couples. This means that any hospital receiving Medicare and Medicaid money honor all patients' advance directives, including those designating who gets family visitation privileges.

Thank you, Mr. President. I can't imagine what our community has gone through specifically related to this issue– being turned away from visiting the ones we love most in a final hour of need. To know that soon we may have the right to be at the bedside to say goodbye to someone who was our most important hello is a huge step in giving us the rights we deserve.

 

| April 16th, 2010 No Comments »
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Out Front…On the Road

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Happy Friday everyone!

Sometimes we get the opportunity to take our little blog show out on the road. This weekend marks the start of an April blitz to talk about how to connect with the LGBT consumer. Here's a sampling of the great opportunities we have in store for Out Front:

  • Saturday, April 10: I'll be appearing (sounds like I am a stand-up comic) at Equality Ohio's C.A.U.S.E. Conference 2010, which is described as a summit for LGBT and allied leaders in the college community working for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender equality. I'm excited to interact with LGBT leaders from the youth community to talk about how to ensure that the LGBT voice is heard, and more important, recognized as a critical element of our broader Ohio community. And even more fun? It's at the University of Cincinnati..it's like returning to college, except I didn't go to this college! But, Cincy is known for its awesome chili, and know it can be known for its awesome LGBT activism. Even more, more fun? It's a four-hour drive this afternoon, which means that I can perfect my version of "Don't Rain on My Parade," a-la the "Glee" soundtrack, for those fellow drivers on 71-South.
  • Friday, April 30:   Super-excited to be invited to be on a PR/marketing panel at Community Marketing Inc.'s "Gay and Lesbian Marketing Conference" in New York. I'll be talking about our work bringing the Gay Games to Cleveland, but I also am jazzed to hear from my other panel members about their case studies in LGBT marketing. It's a day-long conference, with some awesome speakers. There is still time to register– so if you are in New York, please stop by!

Apparently, April showers bring LGBT marketing flowers. It's awesome that groups like Equality Ohio and CMI host these events for professionals to learn about best practices in LGBT marketing. I love the opportunity to network and learn from others, and I hope more companies recognize these valuable opportunities to gain insight from those in the LGBT-trenches.

Hope everyone has a good weekend. And, I apologize in advance if you hear me singing/screaming as I am driving to Cincy. It's hard to be the ingenue…

| April 9th, 2010 No Comments »
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Staying in the LGBT Loop

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Happy Monday! Hope all enjoyed the unseasonably warm weekend here in the U.S. In Ohio, we were warm/hot each day this weekend, which provided an idyllic atmosphere for my first time hosting an Easter Egg Hunt for my 3 y/o niece. Is it bad that I picked out her "Hello Kitty" basket because I wanted it?!?

We've talked in the past about how important it is for businesses to walk the walk when it comes to marketing to the LGBT community. I came across an interesting story out of Florida that features a licensed therapist who became a LGBT publisher late in her career because of a life-changing event. I'll let Mary Bondi, the subject of the story, tell you about the event:

“In late 1999, around my birthday, I went to a theme park with my partner at the time. I was injured on a ride and suffered some back and neck injuries.I was bed-ridden for about three years and had to be taken care of. I became disabled and had to close my practice as well.”

The article describes how Bondi crossed paths with Dr. Joel Stein, who changed her life, and her outlook on life. “He spent 45 minutes on the phone with me and assured me he would help me get my life back. I began seeing there was a strong possibility that I could regain my life."

As she started down the road to recovery, Bondi was inspired to create a service to give back to the LGBT community. She created "In the Loop," an online community that connects the LGBT community with gay-friendly businesses and services. Bondi had been targeting the LGBT community through advertising and marketing in LGBT publications for her own business, and decided to create a more cost-effective forum to help entrepreneurs like her reach our community. She recently went to print on the first hard-copy edition of the directory, which is receiving positive feedback from subscribers and advertisers.

What I like about this story is that the idea for this community forum came from the community itself. Bondi has been an active member of the Florida LGBT community, and has been a patron of LGBT-owned businesses. She understands the importance of practicing what you preach when it comes to LGBT marketing, and now sets a great example of how the entrepreneurial spirit can have a positive impact on the LGBT community. Impressive all-around.

Have a great week!

(Image: Mary Bondi)

| April 5th, 2010 No Comments »
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Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Bus

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Before moving back to Cleveland, I lived in New York and D.C., where public transportation is a way of life. I took the bus/metro/subway to get to work and to go around town. Here in Ohio, we have a great public transportation system, but because of where I live, I end up driving to work every day.

Part of what appeals to me with public transportation is the opportunity to see how companies use the space to market their products and services to riders. Sometimes, the ads are for public health campaigns. In France, I've seen a lot of advertisements for English classes or movies. In New York, they advertise tourism campaigns. In Toronto? Apparently they are running "homophobic ads."

Here's the story. A Christian group, known as the Bus Stop Bible Studies, has created a campaign to put "God on every bus" in Canada. Their ads feature a series of panels with twenty different “God questions” and a link to a website offering a corresponding answer to each. The ad in question, "Does God Care if I'm Gay?", linked to a Web site where the group shared its spiritual opinion about homosexuality and how being gay can be linked to the "fall of mankind."

The transportation authority in Toronto was flooded with complaints about the ad, and the group behind the campaign decided to voluntarily remove that specific question panel. The answer to the question was also removed from the group's Web site, with an apology that read: "It seems that the whole message of God’s justice and grace was being misinterpreted."

I'm certainly not going to get into a debate about the freedom of speech or the religious viewpoint on homosexuality, but I will point out that I understand the concept behind the original campaign– thought provoking questions to drive attention. However, where I strongly disagree is when thought-provoking campaigns have an element where they are essentially judging and degrading a specific population…in this case, the LGBT community. Everyone has the right to their own opinion and belief, but to market that opinion in a public forum and to try and make the LGBT community feel bad about their "lifestyle" is something that I do not support.

As marketers, we have an obligation to do a culturally-sensitive gut check to make sure we aren't offending or degrading our audience. Do I care if Bus Stop Bible Studies cares if I am gay? Not so much.

What do you think about the ad?  

| April 2nd, 2010 2 Comments »
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