Communities of Color and Media

Our work centers and serves the most marginalized voices in the community…

GLAAD’s Communities of Color and Media Department is a leading force driving equitable and accurate representation of Black LGBTQ+ people, people living with HIV (PLWH), and queer communities of color in the realm of entertainment and media.

Our work centers and serves the most marginalized voices in the community, reaching them through both intimate and large-scale programming designed to foster community, connection, and fellowship.

Through consultation, media training, social campaigns, local activations, and curated events, the Communities of Color and Media Team aims to accelerate equality and acceptance while elevating and amplifying the voices of Black LGBTQ+ communities and queer communities of color everywhere.

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Trainings – Telling Your Story: Messaging & Media Tools for Today’s Activist

Nothing is more powerful than the personal stories that humanize our community, and 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 ofr a 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.

As we continue to encounter stigma, bias, and misinformation that disproportionately impacts LGBTQ communities of color and people living with HIV (PLWH), it’s more important than ever for community leaders and individuals to be empowered and equipped to tell our stories. In cities across the United States, the Communities of Color and Media team is offering Telling Your Story: Messaging & Media Tools for Today’s Activist, a free training teaching individuals, activists, and advocates how to tell their stories and navigate the media landscape. Learn more about our upcoming trainings and locations below.

Upcoming Training Schedule

Find locations and click registration link for training details below:

Check back soon for 2025 training dates

GLAAD Hangouts

Each month, the Communities of Color and Media team orchestrates a series of IG live conversations designed to amplify the diversity of voices and experiences of the Black LGBTQ community and other LGBTQ communities of color. Hosted by and featuring industry notables and favorites, the #GLAADHangouts series fosters community dialogue and engagement.

#GLAADHangouts also is an opportunity to continue to garner support for the LGBTQ community and connect to our diverse and inclusive community of 418K+ Instagram followers.

You can find more information on our next #GLAADHangouts or access to our GLAAD Hangout archives if you missed it.

Learn More About GLAAD Hangouts

Find Out How To Watch

Accelerate Acceptance

Your gift allows us to accelerate equality and acceptance while elevating and amplifying the voices of Black LGBTQ+ communities and queer communities of color everywhere.

Support Our Programs

Black Queer Creative Summit

The Black Queer Creative Summit, powered by Gilead Sciences, was a first-of-its-kind in-person event specifically geared towards empowering, educating, and training emerging Black LGBTQ creatives across five sectors of the entertainment industry. The summit spotlights, celebrates, and curates professional growth opportunities for Black LGBTQ creative leaders, fostering a pathway for the next generation of Black LGBTQ artists to accelerate their careers. The inaugural summit presented 20+ keynotes, fireside chats, professional development workshops, and mentorship opportunities for 152 Black LGBTQ creatives, and summit sessions featured 60+ notable speakers and industry professionals.

Meet the Inaugural 2023 Black Queer Creative Summit Cohort >>

To date, the Black Queer Creative Summit has earned the following honors and accolades:

2024 Gold Anthem Award: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – Special Projects
2024 Gold Anthem Award: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – Partnership or Collaboration
2024 Silver Anthem Award: Education, Art & Culture – Special Projects

BQCS Photo Gallery

GLAAD Honors

First celebrated in 2022, GLAAD Honors was created as a community gathering and celebration recognizing Black LGBTQ+ nominees of the GLAAD Media Awards for their efforts, contributions, and visibility to the Black LGBTQ+ community. Powered by Gilead Sciences, GLAAD Honors has grown to include showcases of Black queer artists and talent, providing space for fellowship, dialogue, and expressions of the power of Black queer joy and storytelling.

GLAAD Honors Photo Gallery

Equity in Media and Entertainment Initiative (EMEI)

In 2022, GLAAD launched the Equity in Media and Entertainment Initiative (EMEI), supported by Gilead Sciences. The program was created, and is led by, DaShawn Usher, the Senior Director of GLAAD’s Communities of Color and Media Department, along with Associate Director Julian J. Walker and Associate Kayla Thompson. The initiative is designed as a pipeline program to help address, and begin to resolve, the existing gap in equitable representation in entertainment, particularly when it comes to Black LGBTQ storytellers and PLWH.

This three year long experience will support a different group of Black LGBTQ creatives across various disciplines, with the first year cohort made up of short form filmmakers, second year focused on music artists, songwriters, and producers, and choreographers rounding out the program as the third year cohort.

Articles:

INTO: GLAAD Uplifts Black LGBTQ+ Voices in Music With Second EMEI Cohort
The Hollywood Reporter: GLAAD Announces Inaugural Class for New Equity in Media and Entertainment Initiative (Exclusive)

Learn More About EMEI

NEON x GLAAD

NEON x GLAAD is a digital content series that was founded in 2020 by multi-hyphenate creative Major Nesby with a mission to increase the visibility of Black LGBTQ people. NEON leverages the power of storytelling and GLAAD’s platform to create multi-dimensional, accurate portraits of the Black LGBTQ experience.

The NEON team has produced award-winning work that aligns with the collective’s mission. To date, they’ve received the following accolades:

Winner, Webby Awards Video: Diversity & Inclusion 2022
Winner (Bronze), Shorty Awards “Branded Series” 2022
Best in Show Winner, FCS Portfolio Awards “Corporate Image” & “Multicultural” 2022
Winner, The American Advertising Federation Mosaic Awards 2022

NEON x GLAAD continues to work together to produce impactful programming geared towards advancing the presence of Black LGBTQ people across media and entertainment.

Learn More About NEON Projects