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AN INSTITUTE OF CHANGE

THREE DECADES
OF CHANGE

GLAAD has learned a lot since its founding in 1985 about the media’s role in changing hearts and minds. GLAAD demonstrated not only media’s powerful influence—impacting how people treat others, how they vote, and their daily decisions—but our own authoritative potential to lead the conversation, reshape the narrative, and ultimately, change the culture.

Now it’s time to share that experience more widely, giving people the tools they need to break barriers, champion acceptance, and amplify media impact in today’s culture.

“We won’t settle for anything less than 100% acceptance.”

– SARAH KATE ELLIS, PRESIDENT & CEO, GLAAD

WHAT
WE DO

The GLAAD Media Institute enables people to build the core skills and techniques that effectuate positive cultural change. This is accomplished through three pillars:

TRAINING

Spokesperson and media engagement education for effective storytelling

CONSULTING

Serving industries, corporations, and organizations positioned to take a stand for justice

RESEARCH

Fielding studies, evaluating data, and developing metrics to strengthen our mission and drive action

IMPACT

A nationwide network of 20,000 LGBTQ and allied students, activists, and spokespeople who can move hearts and minds in national and local media markets

Accurate, inclusive stories and messages in media outlets that increase and enhance representation of LGBTQ people

More educated film, TV show, and video game creators to produce compelling, entertaining LGBTQ characters that do not reinforce common stereotypes

Improved reporting and understanding of LGBTQ people and non-discrimination policies by national and local publications and media outlets

A database of research and resources including media guides on best practices, fair and accurate reporting, opposition materials, and responsibility indexes

ACTIVATE
NAVIGATE
AND INITIATE
SOCIAL CHANGE

Nothing is more powerful than the personal stories that humanize our community.

Moving hearts and minds involves so much more than just supporting social justice. It requires the skills to uncover, hone, and communicate your narrative. It demands a keen understanding of your audience and the complexities of today’s media machine. It calls for dedicated follow-up to ensure that your message goes the distance, stays on-target, and is being leveraged and amplified consistently across multiple media platforms.

Using the best practices, tools, and techniques we’ve perfected over the past 30 years, the GLAAD Media Institute turns education into armor for today’s culture war—transforming individuals into compelling storytellers, media-savvy navigators, and mighty ambassadors whose voices break through the noise and incite real change.

Confirmed Training

Taught by GLAAD Media Institute Experts

CONSULTING:
WE MEAN BUSINESS

Using the best practices, tools, and techniques we’ve perfected over the past 30 years, the GLAAD Media Institute turns education into armor for today’s culture war—transforming individuals into compelling storytellers, media-savvy navigators, and mighty ambassadors whose voices break through the noise and incite real change.

Advising

We work with businesses on how to make smart, researched decisions before launching new products, services, and marketing campaigns.

Coaching

We train corporate spokespeople to use best practices on message-making and narrative development.”

Behind-the-Scenes

We work with the television, film, and video game industries to ensure casting reflects the new realities of this generation, and that LGBTQ character presence is authentic.

Training

We train newsrooms and journalists on appropriate current terminology, and how to report on critical issues including hate crimes, nondiscrimination laws, marriage equality, and HIV.

RESEARCH

You can’t move what you can’t measure.

The more we know and understand about the state of acceptance, the more effectively GLAAD can fulfill its mission.

GLAAD currently publishes several reports yearly. Since 2014, we’ve partnered with the Harris Poll to track nationwide sentiments and comfortability surrounding the LGBTQ community, sharing the results in the Accelerating Acceptance report. Other key resources include the Where We Are on TV report analyzing diversity across broadcast and cable networks and streaming services, and the GLAAD Studio Responsibility Index (SRI), a road map toward increasing fair, accurate, and inclusive LGBTQ representation in film.

As the GLAAD Media Institute builds a new network of ambassadors nationwide, our ability to collect data at a granular level will improve. With an expanded, enhancedability to field custom research that best meets the needs of our clients and audience, our goal is to create a more robust, proactive research arm that can undergird and inform more impactful work across communities…and beyond.

In late 2014, GLAAD commissioned Harris Poll to measure attitudes toward LGBT Americans.Download the Executive Summary.2015 is poised to be an historic year for the rights of LGBT Americans. With 37 states having legal marriage for same-sex couples, the Supreme Court may be on the verge of recognizing a constitutional…

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Spirit Day was created to stand against bullying and to show support for LGBT youth. Whether you are in middle school, high school or college, here are some ways that you can get your friends, family, and community, involved in Spirit Day. Be a part of the change and go purple for Spirit Day!

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Spirit Day was created to stand against bullying and to show support for LGBT youth. Whether you are a teacher in middle school, high school or college, or your children are in school, here are some ways that you can get your friends, family, and community, involved in Spirit Day. Be a part of the change and go purple for Spirit Day!

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The GLAAD Studio Responsibility Index (SRI) maps the quantity, quality and diversity of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in films released by seven major motion picture studios during the 2013 calendar year. GLAAD researched films released by 20th Century Fox, Lionsgate, Paramount Pictures, Sony Columbia, Universal Pictures, The Walt Disney Studios and Warner Brothers. The report is intended to serve as a road map toward increasing fair, accurate and inclusive LGBT film representations.

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The Where We Are on TV report analyzes the diversity of primetime scripted series regulars on broadcast networks and looks at the number of LGBT characters on cable networks.Below are some of the most remarkable points GLAAD found in its research this year, download the full report now to read…

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The first annual GLAAD Studio Responsibility Index (SRI) maps the quantity, quality and diversity of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in films released by six major motion picture studios during the 2012 calendar year. GLAAD researched films released by 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Sony Columbia, Universal Pictures, The Walt Disney Studios and Warner Brothers. The report is intended to serve as a road map toward increasing fair, accurate and inclusive LGBT film representations.

Read More

FOUNDING PARTNER

EARLY PARTNERS

Join the ranks of our early Founding Partners, each of whom has made a generous leadership gift to help launch The GLAAD Media Institute. For more information about supporting the GLAAD Media Institute, contact Gwen Pointer, Executive Vice President of the GLAAD Media Institute.

stay tuned!