GLAAD: Monitor & Mobilize


	Introduction		Responding
	Definitions		Appendices
	Monitoring

Monitor & Mobilize

PART 2: DEFINING FAIR, ACCURATE AND INCLUSIVE REPRESENTATIONS

Before you begin monitoring the media coverage of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, it's important to understand the type of coverage that GLAAD advocates. With so much media out there, monitoring can be challenging. It is vital to develop both a critical sense of what to look for, as well as strategies to help deal with what you find.

Fair: Fair representations in the media treat LGBT people and issues with the same respect due to any community, minority or otherwise. Just as fair representations of racial or ethnic minorities do not assume the validity of racism, xenophobia, religious intolerance, etc., so too should representations of LGBT people not assume the validity of homophobia. Media professionals may engage in the controversy that often surrounds LGBT issues without pandering to blatantly homophobic positions.

Accurate: Accurate representations portray a broad range of LGBT people, communities and issues: lesbian lawyers and drag queens, leather folk and gay men of color, trans and bisexual people, HIV positive women and poor and working class people of all stripes. Accurate representations acknowledge every aspect of LGBT communities, not merely the most sensational or controversial, nor the most "fitting" with mainstream culture.

Inclusive: Inclusive representations acknowledge the presence of LGBT people, communities and issues in every facet of life and culture: child rearing, sexuality, relationships, politics, business, health, education, art, spirituality, aging, etc.

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