How the Media Portray Us Doesn't Make a Bit of Difference.
It Makes All the Difference.

From the President
Today is the best of times in many ways…
The LGBT community is more visible and more vocal than ever before, and our individual and diverse stories are prominent in the media on a near-daily basis. Yet in other ways for the LGBT community, it remains the worst of times, darkened by hate and homophobia, which forms a wall standing in the path toward our full and equal rights.

I am thankful for all of the LGBT stories we have been able to share in the media during 2006. Our media advocacy for fairness, accuracy and inclusion has reached new heights. And as the voice against LGBT defamation, we have been quick to forcefully and publicly challenge those who ignorantly and wrongly believe that anyone who may be difference should be denied an equal place in our society.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is committed to liberty and justice for all. Our challenge and our purpose is to work with the media to share the facts and the truth about LGBT people – our personal, professional and family lives intertwined with countless others contributing to a betters society for all, sharing our hopes, our struggles and our triumphs. It makes all the difference when we live openly and are willing to engage others about our quest for full equality. This is who we are and this is what we must do.

Today, Americans are engaged in a great clash of values, both abroad and at home. While LGBT men and women are legally stoned to death in some cultures abroad, here at home there are self-proclaimed religious leaders who publicly blame us for hurricanes, floods and worse. When these ridiculous and hateful stories are reported in the media, they are not always identified as the mad meanderings of hateful bigotry. We should make no mistake that this extreme religious-based discrimination is the mortar that holds together that wall standing in our path for full equality.

Yet the times change. We work for positive cultural change so that all Americans can enjoy equal opportunity. We work to make the dream of liberty and justice a reality that automatically includes our LGBT sisters and brothers. We must strengthen our visibility in the media because truth is the best defense against the darkness of hate and homophobia. And because, as you know as a stakeholder and partner with GLAAD: How our lives are portrayed in the media doesn’t make a bit of difference; it makes all the difference.

GLAAD’s 2006 Performance Report demonstrates how we advanced our mission in the last year: through media advocacy, fighting defamation and changing hearts and minds – strengthening our work with the media so that America becomes a better and safer place for all. We will continue to make all the difference we can. For this is who we are. And this is what we must do, together.

Neil G. Giuliano
GLAAD President

Download the 2006 Peformance Report in PDF Format.