Spanish-Language Media

Shares the stories of LGBT people via Spanish-language news and entertainment media to build acceptance of LGBT people and raise support for equality among the fastest growing population in the country. The program also provides vital resources on communicating to this audience to the LGBT movement.

GUÍA DE RECURSOS: DOMA Y LA PROPOSICIÓN 8

Guía para una Cobertura Objetiva de Personas y Temas Transgénero

Guía de Terminologia Gay, Lesbiana, Bisexual y Transgénero

To find out more, contact us at espanol@glaad.org.

Did You Know?

• The number of positive LGBT Latino characters included in Spanish-language media has slowly gotten better – three gay characters were on Telemundo’s Tierra de Pasiones, a primetime telenovela, and a transgender character, Cachita, was on Univision’s El Gordo y la Flaca (2006-2007 season).  Cachita is still on the show and has been on since 1998.
• At the same time, images of gay and transgender Latinos on T.V. are slowly going down – the number of LGBT series regular characters that are Latino dropped from 49 characters (7%) to 40 characters (6%) to 34 characters (6%) from 2006 to 2008.  
• Both NBC’s The Office and Fox’s Sit Down, Shut Up have characters that are Latino gay men. 
• According to surveys, almost all adult children of Latino immigrants are really comfortable with English, but their parents frequently are not (only 23% report being skilled English-speakers) – making it even more important for Spanish-language media to be inclusive in order to change hearts and minds in Latino communities.
• Spanish-speaking viewers around the globe watch a lot of the same T.V. – and the same LGBT images, too – because more than three-quarters (80%) of Spanish-language programs in the U.S. are made in Latin America.  Of the networks produced in the U.S. (Univision, Telemundo, CNN en Español), many of them are shared with Latin American audiences as well.
• According to a Harris Interactive Survey commissioned by GLAAD, Hispanics were often more supportive around key issues facing the LGBT community than Whites and African Americans, even showing the most support among all segments on allowing openly gay military personnel to serve in the armed forces (76% Hispanic, 63% White, 61% African American).  See the full results of the Harris Interactive Survey.