The second celebration of Black LGBTQ Southerners, stories and storytellers, GLAAD Down South, brought together journalists and advocates in Atlanta and elevated essential conversations being amplified in local news by Darian Aaron, GLAAD’s Director of Local News: U.S. South.
Coverage of GLAAD Down South’s event on May 16th includes reporting from Rough Draft Atlanta, and Aaron’s in-depth conversation with Atlanta media legend Rose Scott of WABE.
GLAAD’s Director of Local News: U.S. South Darian Aaron (@darianoutloud.bsky.social) spoke with @wabe.org journalist Rose Scott today about GLAAD Down South, a media event celebrating GLAAD’s critical LGBTQ storytelling work in the South.
“We believe in the power of storytelling,” Aaron told Scott, “to shift culture, change hearts and minds, and accelerate acceptance of LGBTQ people.”
“The good news is, local news outlets are more trusted than ever before. That’s my area of expertise, to elevate stories of LGBTQ people and people living with HIV in local news,” Aaron added. “The largest concentration of LGBTQ people live in the South and it’s more important now than ever to make sure these stories are told with inclusivity and told accurately, and GLAAD is at the forefront of this work.”
Held at MODEx Studio in Atlanta, GLAAD Down South began as an opportunity to accelerate GLAAD’s commitment to developing accurate and inclusive narratives about LGBTQ Southerners and people living with HIV in local news. The event continues to expand and connect communities in real-time with local media to advance the number and quality of diverse LGBTQ stories.
“GLAAD Down South is a visible manifestation of GLAAD’s investment in amplifying LGBTQ and HIV narratives across the South,” Aaron said. “It is imperative that the challenges and triumphs of LGBTQ people of color and people living with HIV are not categorized as niche coverage but are viewed as another complex and dynamic aspect of the Black Southern experience, deserving to be told.”
Dewayne Queen, President of EQUAL at DELTA Airlines, returned as host of the May 16 program, which featured three mini-panel discussions. Rashad Walker, CNN International producer, moderated the first panel, Queering a Radically Inclusive Faith.
The discussion included the importance of finding value in one’s chosen family and the idea that faith is more concrete through self-love.
“Get your connection to yourself first before you get your connection with God,” panelist Dr. Kylan Pew said. “My guidance has always been ‘Know and understand who you are and that will lead you to have a better understanding of who God is for you.’”
Additional panels included Centering Black Trans Voices, which was moderated by SNAPCo. Executive Director Toni-Michelle Williams. The in-depth discussion highlighted the need for visible trans voices in local media, with GLAAD’s presence in local news as a centerpiece for this initiative. Increasing Visibility: Black Queer Women in Media, was moderated by independent journalist LaPorsche Thomas.
“Before we had rights, we had community,” panelist Simaya Charlize-Theresa Turner said. “In real time, I have to remind people that we are still here, we have the strength and have the ability to navigate during this difficult time.”
Turner highlighted the need for community self-care, with resources and infrastructure that are not tied to federal funding or vulnerable to cuts by governments that refuse to accept LGBTQ people. Turner reminded that, until recently, those protections were not even offered.
“We can still get the work done,” Turner added. “We created an underground railroad of resources before there ever were [federal] protections. It’s about remembering what works.”
Additionally, an In Conversation fireside chat moderated by Aaron, featuring author and Senior Director of Global HIV Medical Affairs at GILEAD, Dr. David Malebranche.
During their candid conversation, Dr. Malebranche discussed his own HIV diagnosis and how an unexpected setback turned into a comeback, especially thanks to the support of the people in his life.
At a 2018 HIV-awareness conference in Amsterdam, Malebranche spoke publicly about his diagnosis. The speech and the conference’s closing remarks received a standing ovation and after, a group of 20 or so members of his chosen family engulfed in, almost like a cocoon, Dr. Malebranche said.
“It’s that moment where you realize you have family on all these different levels,” Dr. Malebranche said. “Those are the moments where you feel really welcomed.”
The GLAAD Down South Special Recognition Media Award is a new addition to the program, honoring two Southern LGBTQ or ally journalists who have consistently committed to amplifying queer and HIV stories in their work. The inaugural recipients are DeAsia Paige, Atlanta-Journal Constitution’s culture reporter and Charles Blow, author, MSNBC analyst and former New York Times columnist.
Page’s focus on the arts, culture, and diverse communities at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has always included Atlanta’s rising LGBTQ community, Aaron said.
“Whether she’s interviewed leaders from a local nonprofit, speaking with T.S. Madison about her groundbreaking starter home for Black trans women or examining the impact of the Trump administration’s anti-trans policies on the lives of Atlantic trans community, DeAsia approaches every story with a sense of curiosity and eagerness to get to the truth, while never sacrificing accuracy or the humanity of the LGBTQ people at the center of her story,” Aaron added.
“She understands that the Black experience in the South includes Black LGBTQ people, and that our stories deserve to be told on the pages of the AJC. In DeAsia’s capable hands, I’m never worried about a lack of details or compassion in the final piece.”
Aaron honored Blow with his recognition by highlighting the author and MSNBC analyst’s distinguished career.
“Whether he’s tackling racial inequality, homophobia, or a reimagined South, Charles remains steadfast, unmovable, and unafraid to speak truth to power in his work,” Aaron said. “Since 2014, he has publicly linked to his truth as an out bisexual black man, providing meaningful representation and dialogue around sexual orientation in their identity, while honoring those who were unable to live openly who came before him.”
GLAAD Down South is part of GLAAD’s extended work in the South, with Aaron continuing his work at upcoming events, including the national conference of NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists, who meet this fall in Atlanta.
“GLAAD Down South has been a labor of love,” Aaron said.
