NEW YORK, NY – GLAAD, the world's leading lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LBGT) media advocacy organization, today released Southern Stories: A Guide for Reporting on LGBT People in Georgia in collaboration with Georgia Equality. This media guide comes after GLAAD's Accelerating Acceptance report showed that Southerners feel significantly more discomfort about their LGBT family, friends, and neighbors than is found in other regions of the country. This playbook will be useful for media outlets in Georgia which are reporting on issues related to the LGBT community, and for those reporting on the state from around the country.
Inside, readers can find a timeline highlighting significant moments in the Peach State's LGBT history that will help to provide background and context for any future stories. Other helpful resources include best practices for media coverage in addition to terms, definitions, and pitfalls to avoid.
"LGBT acceptance in Georgia is making progress, but the work is far from done," said Sarah Kate Ellis, CEO & President of GLAAD. "This reference guide will help the media effectively tell the stories of LGBT Georgians to help build understanding and change hearts and minds."
Despite recent advances in LGBT rights nationwide, there is still much work to be done to achieve full LGBT equality and acceptance in Georgia. Marriage equality is ahead of employment protections for the LGBT community, for example. Southern Stories: A Guide for Reporting on LGBT People in Georgia will also feature suggested stories of LGBT military members and people living with HIV, both of whom face discrimination regularly. Another focus point is the intersection of gender, sexual orientation, and race, specifically in the Black and Latino communities.
The new guide is part of GLAAD's U.S. South initiative, which aims to positively showcase the lives of, and build acceptance for, the LGBT community in southern states. This is done through sharing the stories of people from a wide array of backgrounds, including faith-based organizations, sports teams, military personnel, and more. GLAAD will continue to work with Georgian media outlets to ensure positive portrayal of the LGBT community statewide.
