GLAAD President talks about Luke and Noah and Kevin and Scotty...
At the recent GLAAD Awards, I threw a few questions to the organizations president, Neil Giuliano, and here's what he had to say:
Q. How do think things have gone in terms of LGBT representation in the media since last year's awards?
A. "We've certainly made progress. We need more visibility and we need more representation. the ones that we do have are for the most part pretty outstanding but there are not that many. When you look at the number of characters that we are whether it be television or film, or even the way some of our stories are being portrayed in the press, we still have a long way to go."
Q Do we sort of live in a bubble and think there's more than there really is?. I think it's great that we have Luke and Noah and Scotty and Kevin. When I was a kid there was none of that.
A. Because we're so visible in society at-large, we do have an misunderstanding that we';re everywhere from a standpoint of visibility in the media. We';re not as visible in the media as we could be. But, we;re much more visible than we were so we get that kind of perception.
Q. What do you think of the Scotty and Kevin storyline on "Brothers & Sisters"?
A. I think it;s groundbreaking. I'm excited about it. And we;re actually going to have a whole lot of information up on our web site about that for the media to help tell that story fairly and accurately around the country.
Q And what about Luke and Noah on "As the World Turns."? A lot of people have been updset because they didn't kiss for such a long time until last week.
A. I think people have to remember this is daytime drama. Nothing happens quick on daytime drama. They want you to tune in, they want you to come back, they want you to see what's gonna happen next. So they had a kiss, I think that's important. It's great visibility for authenticity of that relationship and we'll see where that storyline goes.
Q. They had seven months without a kiss though. Were you dissapointed?
A. And we had more than seven years without even those characters. So for as frustrated as we are that it hasn't gone as fast as we'd like, we have to acknowledge that we are making some progress.
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in Hollywood
Greg Hernandez has covered the entertainment industry for the Daily News since 2001. He's considered a bit odd by some for his obsession with box office numbers, has been known to camp out near the kitchen at premieres for first crack at the hors d'oeurves, and Greg's never seen a red carpet he didn't want to stroll down.
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This guy contradicts himself. Fist he points out that we could have had a distorted vision about the visibility that we have in the society with that that we should have. Then –when it’s about the Luke and Noah story- surprisingly he says something like “You know, that could be worse, we could have nothing at all”. No, it’s not what I would expect from him to say. I would expect him to say: “Yes, we are right to claim for equal treatment, not a second class, not a “at the back of the bus” treatment.” It’s like listening to a black person saying “You know, before we could not even get a ride ON a bus, so lucky we are that they let us get in the back of it.” If ATWT is not for the job DON’T TAKE IT. Don’t fake that you care. Well, hope it’s changing for good. Shame on you Mr. Glaad President or whatever they entitled you to be. Let the comfort and the “It could be worse” for those who never come out of the closet and feel miserable about it. "Could be worse" policy never ever won a right.