The Gay And Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Essay

HISTORY GLAAD was formerly known as the Gay Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.[i] It was founded in New York City in 1985 by Vito Russo, Jewelle Gomez and George Kolovakos.[ii] GLAAD is a media monitoring agency that seeks to promote and protect issues affecting the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community. The organization was originally founded in response to the New York Post’s homophobic and defamatory coverage of the AIDS epidemic, which was at its height in the 1980’s. Initially, AIDS was closely linked with gay men within the American psychology.[iii] The first time that AIDS was detected in the United States was in 1981, when groups of men in New York and Los Angeles were diagnosed with Kaposi’s sarcoma and pneumocystis pneumonia.[iv] The media had labeled it as a gay disease. Based upon the statistics compiled by the Center for Disease Control, the AIDS virus disproportionately impacted gay men at a time when Americans had an extremely negative attitude towards homosexuality. â€Å"[I]t was perhaps inevitable that AIDS would be defined in political and cultural terms as well as medically, and that many heterosexuals’ reactions to AIDS would reflect their attitudes toward homosexuality.†[v] Thus, the coverage of homosexuals was extremely sensationalized and a topic that was not generally discussed as a societal norm within the mainstream media. Nonetheless, due to the hard work of its pioneering members, GLAAD enjoyed several earlyShow MoreRelatedThe Depiction of Lesbianism in the Media1450 Words   |  6 PagesThe Depiction of Lesbianism in the Media Name Women and Gender Studies The depictions of lesbians throughout the TV industry and other forms of media is often used to increase ratings, sexually titillate men and for entertainment purposes. 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