GLAAD Announces 2012 Amplifier Award Nominees

Advertising - The Hot Spot (Mainstream Market)
"Care with Pride" (Johnson & Johnson)
"First Pals" (J.C. Penney)
"Make a Difference. Save a Life." (Desert AIDS Project)
"Never Hide" (Ray-Ban) "Testing Makes Us STRONGER" (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Advertising - The Hot Spot (LGBT Market) 
"Lexus Celebrates The Advocate's 45th Anniversary" (Lexus) 
"Mom, Dad, I'm Electric." (General Motors)
"Orbitz Price Assurance" (Orbitz) 
"Outrageous Through the Ages" (Absolut Vodka/RuPaul's Drag Race)
"Red Ribbon Runway" (Gilead Sciences/RuPaul's Drag Race)
"Ride with Pride" (Amtrak)

Digital - Out and Interactive
"Advocate Money Minute Presented by Wells Fargo" (Wells Fargo)
"Be You, With Us" (Marriott)
"Equality Is _____" (Allstate Insurance Co.)
Oreo Pride Cookie (Kraft Foods)
"SAGECAP" (Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders)

Public Relations - Out and Proud
"The Faceoff" (You Can Play Project)
"Land of Dreams" (Brand USA) LGBT Pride 2012 (American Apparel)
"Project Honesty" (KY Brand)
"Weigh It Forward" (Philadelphia Gay News)

En Route to the GLAAD Amplifier Awards in NYC

I'm currently on a plane to New York, where I'll be attending the 2011 GLAAD Amplifier Awards. I'll be attending with execs from Allstate, who will be accepting the 2011 Corporate Responsibility Award, as well as the 2011 Outstanding Outdoor Campaign, which I worked on. So excited for this and grateful to both Allstate and Leo Burnett for giving me this opportunity. Hard work and passion does pay off!

Kim Cattrall Honored at GLAAD Media Awards

Actress Kim Cattrall was honored with the Golden Gate Award in recognition of her vocal support for the LGBT community this past weekend at the GLAAD Media Awards. As Samantha Jones on HBO’s “Sex and the City,” Cattrall became a pop-culture icon who showed fans across the world that there’s nothing wrong with being who you are – especially when it comes to love. Cattrall has spoken out publicly in support of marriage equality, and was featured on the cover of The Advocate in May 2008. Here's a clip of her speech from this weekend: 

MetLife Wins 2011 Straight For Equality in Business Award

PFLAG has named MetLife the 2011 Straight for Equality in Business honoree. The award will be presented March 14 in New York City as part of PFLAG National's third annual Straight for Equality Awards Gala. 

Since the launch of Straight for Equality in 2007, MetLife has provided education and support for LGBT and straight ally employees of the corporation. As part of its activities, MetLife has hosted over 30 Straight for Equality in the Workplace training sessions around the country. MetLife also has been a strong financial supporter of PFLAG National programs, such as Safe Schools.

In the workplace, MetLife offers its U.S. employees and their domestic same- and opposite-sex partners a variety of health and other benefits.  MetLife also has a recognized LGBT affinity group, GLAM, which provides support and guidance for MetLife's LGBT marketing strategy and recommends best practices and strategies to increase recruiting in the LGBT market. Beyond GLAM, MetLife has as a strong diversity community comprised of more than 30 employee-led groups.

Through MetLife's research and education arm, the Mature Market Institute, the company produced the Out and Aging and Still Out, Still Aging reports in collaboration with the American Society on Aging. These reports focus on the financial and long-term care needs of LGBT boomers.

Additionally, MetLife has earned a perfect score of 100 percent on the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index for eight years running. Read more here. 

2010 TripOut Travel Award Winners Announced

BEST GLOBAL DESTINATION: 
New York City

BEST U.S. DESTINATION: 

San Francisco, CA

BEST AIRLINE
: American 

BEST HOTEL COLLECTION
: Axel Hotels 

BEST LGBT TOUR OPERATOR: 
Zoom Vacations 

BEST ANNUAL GAY DESTINATION PARTY OR EVENT
: 
Madrid Gay Pride 

BEST ULTIMATE LUXURY HOTEL/RESORT
: Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme – Paris, France 

BEST BREAKOUT DESTINATION
: Toronto, Ontario, Canada 

THE SEXIEST PLACE ON EARTH: 
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 

BEST GAY BAR IN THE WORLD
: The Abbey, Los Angeles, CA

Levi's, Progressive, American Airlines pick up top GLAAD awards

  Levi's, Progressive Insurance, American Airlines and Wells Fargo were among those honored with this year's GLAAD Media Awards in Advertising this week.
  Levi's won the outstanding-TV award for a Gay History Month campaign by agency Logo. American Airlines received the corporate-responsibility award for its longstanding public commitment to the LGBT community.
  Outstanding print targeted to the mainstream market went to K-Y for its "America's Top Couple" effort from agency J3. Outstanding print targeted to the LGBT market went to Progressive Insurance for "Works in Progress" from Arnold.
  Outstanding interactive went to Wells Fargo for sponsoring "The Advocate Money Minute," developed by here! Media, on The Advocate's Web site. Outstanding social marketing campaign went to SAGE (Service and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Elders) for its "SAGECAP: The Caregiver's Caregiver" ads from Arthur Korant & Partners.
  See all the nominees here.

Effies Launch LGBT Category

For readers outside the industry, Effies are awards that recognize the most effective advertising efforts in the United States and around the world each year. The little treasures have been around since 1968, and they've become tokens of success that every planner and agency aspires to rack up. And recently, the Effies announced that they are creating a new category to recognize advertising targeting the LGBT community. By the way, the only time you'll hear the phrase "targeting the LGBT community" in a non-derogatory way is in the context of marketing. I know this from Google Alerts. Anyways, the category is among several new ones including recession marketing, insurance, and energy/nutrition. I don't get the first one. Aren't we all recession marketers amidst a recession? Hmmmm...

2010 Tripout Gay Travel Award Nominations Announced

This year, Dallas has been nominated for "best breakout destination" and The Round-Up has been nominated for "best gay bar in the world." So make sure you vote here to give props to the big D and our favorite hangout! Click here to see last year's results. 

Second Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Advertising Nominees

GLAAD has announced the nominees for its second annual Media Awards in Advertising. 

Videos from the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards - Los Angeles

Mississippi teen Constance McMillen at the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles on April 17, 2010. Constance McMillen presented the Stephen F. Kolzak Award to Wanda Sykes at the event.



Wanda Sykes accepts the Stephen F. Kolzak Award from Constance McMillen at the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles on April 17, 2010.



Drew Barrymore accepts the Vanguard Award at the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles on April 17, 2010.



Glee accepts the Outstanding Comedy Series award at the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles on April 17, 2010.



Chaz Bono and Johnny Weir talk about GLAAD's important work and its young adult program at the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles on April 17, 2010.



Richard Buckley accepts an award for A Single Man on behalf of his partner Tom Ford at the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles on April 17, 2010.



RuPaul accepts the award for Outstanding Reality Program for RuPaul's Drag Race (Logo/VH1) at the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles on April 17, 2010.

10-Year-Old Will Phillips Speaking at the GLAAD Media Awards

This is truly inspiring. Will Phillips is a 10-year-old boy whose simple act of civil disobedience (refusing to say the pledge until there is truly liberty and justice for all) made national headlines a few months ago. Here he is speaking at the GLAAD awards a few days ago:



And if you never saw it, here's the original CNN story:

Subaru takes top spot in GLAAD's 2009 Media Awards in Advertising

GLAAD, The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, recently presented its first Glaad Media Awards in Advertising, which recognize what the organization calls “fair, accurate and inclusive representations” of gay men, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people. Subaru of America received the Corporate Responsibility Award, considered the top honor. Mitchell Gold and Bob Williams, of the furniture company that bears their names, received the Public Visibility Award. Other winners included Absolut vodka; Allstate; Bertolli, sold by Unilever; Kenneth Cole; Levi’s jeans; Orbitz; Progressive insurance; and the Toyota Scion. The awards are based on the annual awards previously presented by the Commercial Closet organization, which Glaad absorbed. Subaru's win should not come as a surprise, as they were one of the first brands to feature gay couples in television advertising in the US, something they've been doing for several years now. And if you know a lesbian that drives a Subaru (and who doesn't), you have proof that their efforts have been successful.
Watch one of Subaru's ads featuring a lesbian couple here

LOGO Announces 2009 TripOut Gay Travel Awards

Best global destination: Rio De Janeiro

Best US destination: NYC

Best breakout destination: Curacao

Best gay bar in the world: The Abbey 

Sexiest place on earth: Paris

Best annual gay party or event: Madrid Gay Pride

Best LGBT tour operator: Atlantis Events

Best airline: American

Best hotel chain: W Hotels

Best ultimate luxury hotel/resort: Wynn Las Vegas 

Click here to learn more