Contact: press@glaad.org
Join GLAAD and take action for acceptance.
Trending
- Are You Ready for Election 2024?
- The GLAAD Wrap: Julia Fox and Alan Cumming in new projects, a “Grotesquerie” teaser, new music from Queen Priyanka, the Mississippi Medicals, and more!
- Here’s How Rotten Tomatoes’ New Verified Audience Score Will Better Serve LGBTQ Films
- DNC Night Three: Out Newsmakers and Issues Included in Calls for Freedom
- The Future Is Queer: GLAAD Shares New Accelerating Acceptance Report, Briefs DNC Delegates and Press on State of LGBTQ Equality
- Out Writer, Director, and Producer Greg Berlanti to Receive Television Academy’s Governors Award at The Emmys
- People Living with HIV Can No Longer Be Prohibited From Joining the Military, Federal Court Rules
- GLAAD Honorees Oprah Winfrey and Maren Morris Appear at the DNC Night 3: “When we stand together, it is impossible to conquer us.”
GLAAD LAUNCHES GUIDE FOR MEDIA COVERING STATE LEGISLATION TARGETING LGBTQ PEOPLE; URGENTLY CALLS ON MEDIA TO REPORT THE FACTS AND INCLUDE LGBTQ VOICES
GLAAD, the world’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, is releasing its Guide for Media Covering State Legislation Targeting LGBTQ People, a look at the 2022 wave of bills in the states and how journalists locally and nationally can cover them accurately and inclusively.
Just one month in, 2022 is a record-setting year for state legislation targeting LGBTQ people, with nearly 150 anti-LGBTQ bills proposed. This follows 2021’s record of proposed bills targeting transgender Americans’ access to education, athletics, healthcare, and bathrooms.
According to Freedom for All Americans, most bills (83) target transgender people and youth, followed by a surge of school policy bills (54) banning classroom conversation and books about LGBTQ people under the guise of “parents’ rights,” like Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
The GLAAD Guide can be read here.
The Guide includes a checklist for media covering the bills:
- Include expertise over opinion proposed in the bills and lawmakers behind them. Every major medical association supports transgender youth healthcare and access to sports; the American Library Association, the National Coalition Against Censorship, GLAAD and 600+ groups and individuals support LGBTQ and race inclusive books and access to them.
- Challenge lawmakers and others targeting LGBTQ people to provide evidence to their claims.
- Seek interviews with LGBTQ families and parents in discussions about “parents’ rights” in schools. At least 3 million LGBTQ people are raising children, 6 million children have at least one LGBTQ parent, and more young people are out as LGBTQ than any previous generation.
- Include context about the bills’ impact on vulnerable youth – even as 90% of bills failed to become law last year, youth still suffer from the targeting and rhetoric – crisis contacts to The Trevor Project suicide and risk prevention rose 150% last year after Texas’ record-setting number of bills targeting transgender children.
- Include LGBTQ voices. Any story about LGBTQ people or issues should include interviews with LGBTQ people.
Quote from GLAAD President and CEO, Sarah Kate Ellis:
“We are facing an even more extreme year of legislation aimed at LGBTQ people and youth, with bills filled with harmful misinformation. GLAAD urges reporters to rigorously cover these bills and refer to our guide for more accurate storytelling. We are in a dangerous time of increasing authoritarianism and silencing. The media must hold public servants accountable for targeting LGBTQ people with state-sponsored discrimination.”
Additional research:
- Freedom for All Americans tracks anti-LGBTQ legislation across the U.S.
- Polls show wide support for laws protecting LGBTQ people – 76%. Less than one in five Americans (19%) oppose nondiscrimination protections for LGBT Americans.
About GLAAD: GLAAD rewrites the script for LGBTQ acceptance. As a dynamic media force, GLAAD tackles tough issues to shape the narrative and provoke dialogue that leads to cultural change. GLAAD protects all that has been accomplished and creates a world where everyone can live the life they love. For more information, please visit www.glaad.org or connect with GLAAD on Facebook and Twitter.
Add A Comment
Related posts
Share this
Our Picks
Join GLAAD and take action for acceptance.
Topics
Don't Miss
The Democratic National Convention is underway and is as inclusive of LGBTQ people as ever…