2006 — 17th Annual GLAAD Media Awards

Outstanding Film - Wide Release
The Family Stone
20th Century Fox
The Stones are a large, liberal, Northeastern family whose world comes crashing down when son Everett brings home his uptight fiancé, Meredith, for the holidays. In this highly dysfunctional family, deaf son Thad is the only one of the children in a stable, long-term relationship. He and his African American boyfriend, Patrick, also end up adopting a child together. The family treats Thad's sexuality as a non-issue, but when Meredith makes it one, they staunchly defend him.

Rent
Sony Pictures
Jonathan Larson's Pulitzer Prize-winning musical comes to the big screen. The rock opera follows the lives of a group of bohemians struggling to pay their rent in New York's East Village. Starring Jesse Martin from Law & Order and Taye Diggs, the cast includes a gay man, a lesbian, a bisexual woman, and a transgender person, all of whom must deal with adversity in the face of the AIDS epidemic.

Outstanding Drama Series
Six Feet Under
HBO
The award-winning series by Alan Ball ends its acclaimed five-year run on HBO. David and Keith take their long-term relationship to the next level by deciding to become parents. Though they find a surrogate mother, she is unsuccessfully inseminated. However, David and Keith bond with two boys, Anthony and Durrell, that they meet at an adoption clinic. They become foster parents and eventually adopt the boys. When the final episode flashes to the future, it is revealed that Keith was killed at work and David, who ultimately found a new partner, died at age 75. Anthony and Durrell are both present at their funerals, and one of them has grown up to be gay.

Outstanding Comedy Series
Shameless
BBC America
In this dark comedy about a dysfunctional family living in a rough Manchester housing project, 15-year old Ian is gay but certainly not out to his friends or family. Ian's mother left them several years ago, his father is a drunk living on the dole, and his brothers and sisters are so concerned with their own problems they pay very little attention to Ian. Ian has to work at a convenience store to help support the family. No one knows that he's having an affair with the older, married Muslim man who owns the store. When their mother unexpectedly reappears in their lives, all the kids are shocked to learn that she's in a relationship with a tough, Black truck-driving woman who isn't thrilled to meet the kids.

Individual Episode (in a series without a regular gay character)
"Best Friends" Cold Case
CBS
When a truck containing human remains is pulled out of the Delaware River, Detectives Rush and Valens must solve a case from 1932. What they uncover is a touching story about lost love. The body in the car is Billie Ducette, an African American butch lesbian who fell in love with a pretty white girl named Rose Collins. When Rose's brother discovered their relationship, he pursued the girls in a car and the girls decided to commit suicide by driving their truck off a bridge. Billie died, but Rose survived and carried her painful secret with her for over 70 years.

Outstanding Documentary
Same Sex America
Showtime
Henry Corra's powerful documentary traces the fight for same-sex marriage in Massachusetts, which became the first state to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples on May 17, 2004. The films chronicles the frantic months leading up to the historic day by featuring seven diverse couples hoping to wed, along with the "traditional marriage" advocates working to prevent their unions. When the big day finally arrives, the cameras are there to capture the events at city hall and the weddings that followed soon after.

We Are Dad
Showtime
This heartfelt documentary profiles Steven Lofton and Roger Croteau who, in the late '80s decided to become foster parents to four African American, HIV-positive children in Florida. When their son Bert became HIV-negative, he suddenly became desirable for adoption by "normal" families. Bert's dads petitioned to adopt despite the state's ban on gay adoption and ultimately moved to Oregon, where they took in two more children. Steven and Roger have given their children the opportunity to be part of a loving family, a chance they otherwise would have been denied.

Outstanding Reality Program
America's Next Top Model 5
UPN
Among the 13 gorgeous women vying to become a top model was Kim, a 21-year-old lesbian student from New York. Throughout the season, Kim used her boyish appearance to her advantage, differentiating herself from the pack and ultimately finishing 5th. Along the way, Kim romanced fellow model Sarah, a straight-identified contestant from Missouri. The fling was cut short when Sarah was eliminated. The show also features judge Miss J. Alexander, and artistic director Jay Manuel.

Outstanding Daily Drama
Passions
NBC
This year Passions explored the coming out process of Simone, a character who's been on the show for several years. While Simone dated men in the past, this year she fell in love with a woman named Rae. After Simone and Rae share a night in bed, (a first for daytime drama), Simone is convinced that she and Rae will be together forever. However, Rae says she wants to keep the relationship casual - after all Simone is just coming out. Simone is devastated but decides to come out to her parents. Her powerful mother is at first shocked, but comes to accept her, while her father is profoundly conservative and rejects his daughter entirely. In one scene, Simone is discusses the civil rights movement with an older relative who has lived through segregation. Simone says she's lucky that segregation no longer exists, but she still feels oppressed because she's gay. Unfortunately, her great aunt shares Simone's father's beliefs and demands that she leave.

Outstanding Talk Show Episode
"When I Knew I Was Gay" The Oprah Winfrey Show
syndicated
Carson Kressley only came out to his mother two weeks before Queer Eye's premiere! Oprah interviews Carson, actor Billy Porter, and author Robert Trachtenberg about their coming out experiences. Later, Oprah welcomes Amanda, a lesbian teenager who came out at 10 and again at 17 when her mother, Kim, walked in on her and her girlfriend. Throughout the show, clips of gay and lesbian teenagers and celebrities are shown in which they share their own experiences if realizing they were gay.

Outstanding TV Journalism - Newsmagazine
"Gay Rodeo" Only In America
Discovery Times Channel
New York Times reporter Charlie LeDuff's series about American subcultures takes him to a gay rodeo in Oklahoma City. Though at first he has reservations and feels the need to assert his heterosexuality, by the rodeo's end LeDuff realizes that gay cowboys and cowgirls are no different, and no less tough, than their straight counterparts. He even participates in a drag event! Along the way, he meets with a state representative to discuss same-sex marriage, confronts homophobic cowboys, and debates an ex-gay minister who claims he can "cure" gays and lesbians.

"Lady Lions: Alleged Discrimination" Outside the Lines
ESPN
ESPN reporter Steve Delsohn investigates the allegations of discrimination filed against Penn State women's basketball coach Rene Portland. Portland is accused of having a policy of not allowing lesbians to play on her teams and kicking out those she suspected. Cindy Davies, who played for Penn State in 1980, quit the team, effectively ending a promising career, after Portland threatened to out her to her family. Several former players, with the assistance of the National Center for Lesbian Rights, have filed suit in federal court against Portland, the school athletic director, Tim Curley, and the university itself.

Outstanding TV Journalism - News Segment
"Coming Out" Live From...
CNN
In one of her first televised interviews after coming out as a lesbian, WNBA star Sheryl Swoopes sat down with CNN's Kyra Phillips to discuss her decision to go public about her relationship with long-time partner Alisa Scott. A very upbeat Swoopes also talks about her new deal with Olivia Cruises and her continued support from Nike, as well as the stereotypes of women in sports.

"Secret Sex Lives" Anderson Cooper 360 °
CNN
Kyra Phillips reports on men who live on the down low: self-proclaimed "straight" African American men who secretly sleep with other men. Activist Keith Boykin disputes the perception of the down low. He claims that it is an activity not limited to black men. It is simply "the closet" by a different name. He also disputes the belief that men who live on the down low causing the spread of HIV/AIDS in the African American community.

Outstanding Newspaper Article
"A House Divided" by Laura Bond
Westword
When he arrived in 1992, Rev. Benjamin L. Reynolds ruffled feathers at the very conservative, largely African American, Emmanuel Missionary Baptist Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado by expanding women's rights. His latest mission is to welcome gays and lesbians into the congregation because he believes that God does not hate gays and that no one in his church should either. Though he was called a "sissy" for being bookish, Reynolds was homophobic as a young man. Reynolds became accepting of gays and lesbians in 2000 when his brother contracted HIV and revealed that he was gay. Now he argues that quoting the Bible to justify homophobia is no different that using it to justify slavery and segregation.

Outstanding Magazine Article
"A Down Low Dirty Shame" by Joshunda Sanders
Bitch
The supposed trend of "straight" black men who carry on secret sexual encounters with other men, popularly known as "living on the down low," has exploded in recent years. For this, Joshunda Sanders blames the media's hunger for sensationalism. Sanders offers a well-researched and intelligent argument against the portrayal of the down low as presented in the media which claimed that men who live on the down low are responsible for spreading HIV/AIDS among women.

"For the Soul of the Church" by Ethan Vesely-Flad
Color Lines
In recent years, the Episcopal Church has been struggling with issues of sexuality and race on a global scale. The debate was thrust into the national consciousness in June 2003 when Gene Robinson became the first openly gay man to be ordained as a bishop. Robinson's ordination has led conservative American Episcopalians to make alliances with conservative Bishops and churches in Africa and other developing countries. Color Lines details the new, emerging alliances, and looks beyond it and suggests that the conflict about sexual orientation may be a "smokescreen for the primary tensions concerning exclusion and power."

Outstanding Digital Journalism Article
"Gender Outlaws" by Emily Alpert
IntheFray.com
In the American penal system, transgender inmates are assigned to prisons based on their sex at birth or their genitals, regardless of their gender identification. Most do not have the financial means to afford the hormone therapy and surgery necessary to make their bodies match their gender identity. Emily Alpert uncovers a brutal world in which transgender inmates face rape, violence, harassment, and humiliation from other prisoners and the guards who are supposed to be protecting them from harm.

"The Lowdown on the Downlow" by Bruce Dixon
BlackCommentator.com
In this comprehensive look at the issue of rising HIV/AIDS rates in the African American community, Bruce Dixon consults with public health experts from around the country to debunk the media's obsession with men on the down low as the primary vectors of HIV into this community. He raises the question of why the media have been so quick to blame "men on the down low" for spreading the disease, but no one is interested in discussing the spread of HIV among African American men in prison, IV drug use or the rate of unprotected sex among heterosexual couples.

Outstanding Advertising - Electronic
"Cupid"
MTVu
Two African American men are shown sitting on a bench as one draws a heart on the cast of the other. Cupid is seen flying overhead, but the arrow he shoots at the seemingly happy couple misses. Unbothered by his poor aim, Cupid descends and tells the camera that even though "they're ready for the arrow of love, Omar's never been tested for STD's. He thinks he got tested at the doctor's office, but you've got to ask for the test." Cupid continues, "People, get tested, use condoms, it's a labor of love!" The ad aired on MTV's college network, MTVu.

Outstanding New York Theater: Broadway & Off - Broadway
Border/Clash: A Litany of Desire
In this solo show, Staceyann Chin explores her life as a half-Chinese, half-Black lesbian raised in Jamaica. Abandoned at birth by her parents, Chin was raised by a series of relatives who really didn't know how to handle her. Chin converted to Buddhism partly because a Catholic priest tried to molest her, and then as an out lesbian college student at the prestigious University of the West Indies, a group of Jamaican boys tried to rape her to cure her of her "illness." Chin relates all these experiences and more, combining storytelling and slam poetry to give her audience a brief glimpse of her eventful first 30 years.

The Color Purple
A new musical based on the novel by Alice Walker and listing Oprah Winfrey as one of its producers, The Color Purple is one of the biggest Broadway productions of recent years. The Color Purple tells the story of a young African American woman named Celie who suffers abuse from her father and her husband. After Celie's beloved sister moves to Africa, the only person to bring light to Celie's world is blues singer Shug Avery. When they first meet, Shug is having an affair with Celie's husband, but as the two women grow closer, they begin a love affair of their own. Avery's love is partially responsible for Celie becoming an independent, self-confident woman.

Ghetto Superstar (The Man That I Am)
Ghetto Superstar showcases Billy Porter, a multi-talented writer/composer/performer who chronicles his experiences growing up in a Pittsburgh ghetto, singing in a Pentecostal church, coming out as a gay man, making it on Broadway and learning to accept himself for who he is. More than just a story of his theatrical career, Porter outlines the spiritual journey that enabled him to come to terms with his identity as a gay, black, Christian man who loves musical theater.

Special Recognition
"First Day of My Life," Bright Eyes music video, dir. John Cameron Mitchell
One of the most beautiful love songs in recent memory, Bright Eyes' "First Day of My Life" is the sweet, touching tale of new romance. When Hedwig and the Angry Inch director John Cameron Mitchell first heard the song, written by Conor Oberst, he was so overwhelmed that he wondered what he looked like while listening to it. This thought was the inspiration for the music video, in which couples, including several gay and lesbian pairs, were filmed as they listened to "First Day of My Life" for the first time. The result is a heartwarming vision of universal love.