GLAAD NAMED NONPROFIT OF THE YEAR AND HONORED WITH 12 ANTHEM AWARDS

GLAAD AWARDED RECORD-BREAKING 12 ANTHEM AWARDS AND NAMED ‘NONPROFIT OF THE YEAR’ HONORING MULTIPLE CAMPAIGNS, RESEARCH, SPECIAL PROJECTS & INITIATIVES, STAFF AND MORE

GLAAD and Ground Media’s “Here We Are” campaign, championing transgender visibility, leads honors among special projects, nonprofit campaigns and collaborations

GLAAD’s “Equity in Media and Entertainment Initiative,” elevating Black queer creatives and storytelling, leads with honors in special projects and DEI

GLAAD’s “Where We Are on TV” report wins for Best Impact Report

GLAAD’s DaShawn Usher recipient of Anthem Award for Nonprofit Leader

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York, New York – Tuesday, November 19, 2024  – GLAAD, the world’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, today announced it was the recipient of 12 Anthem Awards and named Nonprofit of the Year, for receiving the greatest amount of recognition across this year’s Anthem Awards categories.

The Anthem Awards, presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences’ Webby Awards, is the largest and most comprehensive social impact award, accepting work across five areas of impact work: Awareness, Fundraising, Community Engagement, Product, Innovation & Service and Team & Internal Initiatives for seven causes: Diversity Equity & Inclusion, Education Art & Culture, Health, Human & Civil Rights, Humanitarian Action & Services, Responsible Technology, and Sustainability Climate & Environment. This year, more than 2,300 entries from 34 countries were submitted.

Full list of GLAAD’s winning categories for the 4th Annual Anthem Awards:

• Here We Are (GLAAD and Ground Media) in Partnership or Collaboration: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – Gold
• Here We Are (GLAAD and Ground Media) in Special Projects: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – Gold
• Here We Are (GLAAD and Ground Media) in Best PR or Earned Media Campaign: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – Silver
• Here We Are (GLAAD and Ground Media) in Campaign, Non-Profit – Silver
• Equity in Media and Entertainment Initiative (EMEI) in Networking or Community Organizations: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – Gold
• Equity in Media and Entertainment Initiative (EMEI) in Networking or Community Organizations: Education, Art & Culture – Gold
• Equity in Media and Entertainment Initiative (EMEI) in Special Projects: Education, Art & Culture – Community Engagement Category – Gold
• Equity in Media and Entertainment Initiative (EMEI) in Special Projects: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – Silver
• Equity in Media and Entertainment Initiative (EMEI) in Special Projects: Education, Art & Culture – Awareness Category – Silver
• Nonprofit Leader: DaShawn Usher in Nonprofit Leader: Education, Art & Culture – Gold
• #GLAADHonors in Event: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – Bronze
• GLAAD Where We Are on TV in Impact Report: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion – Gold
• Nonprofit of the Year: Recognizes GLAAD as the most successful nonprofit across all Anthem categories this year.

This year’s wins makes GLAAD the recipient of 10 Gold, 7 Silver, and 2 Bronze Anthem Awards since launching in 2021.

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. Its 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. GLAAD’s Communities of Color Department is led by Anthem Award honoree for Nonprofit Leader, DaShawn Usher.

#GLAADHonors was first held in 2022 and was created as a community gathering and celebration to recognize Black LGBTQ nominees of the GLAAD Media Awards for their efforts, contributions, and visibility to the Black LGBTQ community. Powered by Gilead Sciences, #GLAADHonors has expanded to showcase Black queer artists and talent, providing space for fellowship, dialogue, and expressions of the power of Black queer joy and storytelling.

GLAAD’s Equity in Media and Entertainment Initiative (EMEI), supported by Gilead Sciences, was launched in 2022 and 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. The initiative itself comprises three cohorts of Black LGBTQ creatives across various disciplines who embark on a year-long program to expand their skills and connect into their respective industries. The first year cohort (2022-2023) made up of short form filmmakers, the second year (2023-2024) focused on music artists, songwriters, and producers. Choreographers will round out the program as the third year cohort (2025-2026) and has yet to be announced. Meet the cohorts here.

GLAAD’s annual Where We Are on TV report examines LGBTQ characters across scripted streaming and primetime scripted cable and broadcast series and provides actionable insights to drive progress in inclusive storytelling. GLAAD’s Where We Are on TV report is a cornerstone of GLAAD’s work, leveraging the data to understand the larger picture of how the LGBTQ community is presented by television networks, cable and streaming services and provides this information along with other resources to help content creators and news organizations strive for accurate and inclusive storytelling, depictions and reporting GLAAD’s recent Governors Award honor by the Television Academy solidified GLAAD’s profound impact and long-lasting contribution to the art and science of television. 

Here We Are is a groundbreaking video storytelling campaign created by GLAAD and Ground Media. It amplifies the authentic voices of transgender individuals, offering their real stories at a time when 71% of Americans report never having met a transgender person. Amid increasing anti-trans rhetoric from politicians and media, the campaign seeks to foster understanding, challenge misconceptions, and advocate for acceptance by sharing impactful and deeply personal narratives.

“Here We Are” combats unchecked misinformation about transgender people and supercharges transgender visibility, accelerates acceptance and affirms transgender people should have the freedom to live their lives without discrimination or prejudice. The three transgender adults featured in the campaign’s vignettes are:

• Gio, a 38-year-old U.S. Air Force veteran and community advocate. He’s a brother, athlete and an avid sneaker geek.

• Nadya, is a 20-year-old college student studying performing arts and fashion design, and she is passionate about creative expression.

• Ashton, is a 32-year-old LGBTQ advocate, speaker and consultant who loves to hike and kayak with his dad, play guitar and cook.

Watch their stories here.

Ground Media recently released a randomized control trial that tested the effectiveness of a recent Trump anti-transgender campaign ad. Despite the Trump campaign recently spending nearly $20 million to air anti-transgender TV ads over 55,000 times in battleground states, Ground Media’s study revealed that the ad failed to achieve its political goals. The study compared responses of those who saw the Trump ad to those who saw an unrelated ad, and revealed that the Trump ad yielded no statistically significant shift in voter choice, mobilization or likelihood to vote. This data underscores the importance of the “Here We Are” campaign, that Americans are accepting of transgender people and we must work harder to deliver authentic, factual and fair trans representations in entertainment, news and media.

For press interested in covering the “Here We Are” campaign and to book Gio, Nadya, and/or Ashton for interviews, please reach out to press@glaad.org and learn more at HereWeAreNow.com.

Statement from Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD: 

“This incredible recognition comes at a time when equality for LGBTQ people is once again being debated by politicians, talking heads, and anti-LGBTQ activists. We’re truly grateful to the Anthem Awards for recognizing the importance and opportunity that LGBTQ advocacy has today. Next year, GLAAD will celebrate 40 years of culture-changing advocacy, and we remain steadfast to our founders’ vision and proven tactics to advance LGBTQ visibility and advocacy in order to achieve a more equal culture and a better tomorrow for all.”

Statement from DaShawn Usher, Senior Director of GLAAD’s Communities of Color: 

“Being recognized as Nonprofit Leader: Education, Art & Culture and seeing #GLAADHonors and the Equity in Media and Entertainment Initiative (EMEI) celebrated with several Anthem Awards is deeply humbling. These wins are a testament to the power of community, collaboration, storytelling, and unwavering commitment to uplifting Black LGBTQ+ voices and fostering visibility and representation. I am profoundly grateful to Gilead Sciences for their support of EMEI and the incredibly talented cohort: 2 AM Ricky, Albanus Thierry, Asiahn, Damez, Mylah Muse, Neverending Nina, SHAH, Siaira Shawn, Suni MF, and Victor Jackson; to my incredible team at GLAAD, and to the communities whose resilience and brilliance inspire this work every day.”

Statement from David Rochkind, Ground Media Founder and Creative Director:

“This recognition underscores the power of simply telling the truth. It’s an incredible honor to work with GLAAD to share the stories of courageous trans people who want nothing more than to live their lives free from fear. The stakes couldn’t be higher, as the very freedom to live authentically is on the line, and we are committed to continue working with GLAAD to help protect that freedom.”

###

About the GLAAD Media Institute: The GLAAD Media Institute provides training, consultation, and actionable research to develop an army of social justice ambassadors for all marginalized communities to champion acceptance and amplify media impact.

About Ground Media: Ground Media is a strategic storytelling studio that is pioneering the combination of science and story to change the way mission-driven organizations use video storytelling. By combining their proprietary research platform with award-winning storytelling, GROUND creates research-backed narrative strategies that measurably change minds and motivate action. For more information, please visit www.ground.media or reach out directly to impact@ground.media.