Olympian Adam Rippon Launches GLAAD Campaign for LGBTQ Youth

New York – GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, today announced that Olympic medalist Adam Rippon launched a fundraising campaign to support GLAAD’s culture-changing LGBTQ youth programs. The announcement was made during Rippon’s appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Ellen also surprised him with a check for $10,000 from Shutterfly to kick off his GLAAD campaign.

GLAAD also announced that Adam Rippon will appear at the 29th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles at Beverly Hilton on Thursday, April 12, 2018. GLAAD previously announced that global icon Britney Spears will receive the Vanguard Award at the event for her LGBTQ allyship.

For more on the campaign or to support visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/adamrippon

To view Rippon’s appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vN-9kXivHZ8

Rippon won the nation’s heart while competing as an openly gay athlete in the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang and helping the U.S. Figure Skating Team take home a bronze medal.

“This year America fell in love with our LGBTQ Olympians, and Adam Rippon stood out in that esteemed crowd with his activism, passion, humor, and willingness to always be himself,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD. “Adam is a champion who will accelerate acceptance for LGBTQ youth and inspire them to achieve their dreams while proudly living their truth.”

Rippon’s desire to show up to life out and proud fueled his partnership with GLAAD.  According to recent data from GLAAD and The Harris Poll, 20% of Millennials identify as LGBTQ. GLAAD and The Harris Poll’s latest Accelerating Acceptance report also shows a decline in LGBTQ acceptance. Rippon and GLAAD agree that the key to changing hearts and minds is our nation’s youth.

Speaking about his relationship with GLAAD to Ellen, Rippon said, “I’m working with [GLAAD's] youth engagement program and you know this is so important because we’re reaching these kids and they’re becoming activists in their community. When I was young, to have somebody out there that I could’ve looked up to, it would’ve made a world of difference, and it would’ve changed my life. To have these young kids out there changing the world, this is something that I need to be a part of”

GLAAD’s Campus Ambassador Program primes LGBTQ young people to become the next generation of LGBTQ advocates by telling their personal stories, organizing local and national advocacy campaigns, and producing dynamic digital content and events. GLAAD works at colleges across the U.S. to recruit Ambassadors to serve as local media activists, and offers Rising Stars grants to provide financial support to help LGBTQ youth create real change in their communities. Earlier this month, GLAAD also launched “amp,” a digital platform for LGBTQ youth to share their own stories and speak about issues that matter most to them: /amp.

Rippon wore a GLAAD '&' pin on today’s appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to show solidarity for those most vulnerable to discrimination in the current cultural and political climate. GLAAD’s ‘&’ pin represents the Together Movement, which seeks to unite marginalized communities to resist, persist, and prevail against discrimination. Stars including Tina Fey, Trevor Noah, Sting, Emma Watson, Millie Bobby Brown, Tatiana Maslaney, the cast of Moonlight, Imagine Dragons, Cynthia Erivo and more have sported the pin at events including the Academy Awards, MTV VMAs, Grammy Awards, Emmy Awards, Tony Awards, GLAAD Media Awards, and LGBTQ Pride celebrations around the country. Learn more about the ‘&’ at glaad.org/together now.

GLAAD also announced today that Adam Rippon will join Britney Spears and GLAAD onstage at the 29th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles at Beverly Hilton on Thursday, April 12, 2018.

The GLAAD Media Awards honor media for fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of LGBTQ people and issues. Awards will be given to films, television shows, news, and other media that has accelerated acceptance of the LGBTQ community. Additional special guests and honorees from the GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles will be announced in the coming weeks.