Mass gay marriage makes history in Cleveland with over 2,000 wedding guests! [PHOTOS] [VIDEOS]

Photo by Vision Video Productions

The Ohio Street Protest for Full Equality took over yet another city in Ohio, this time invading Cleveland this past Saturday (March 24). (Check out this post and this post for details on similar protest last year.) But the protest did more than just disrupt traffic. It made history. After the rally on the steps of Cleveland’s City Hall, near Willard Park at the corner of 9th Street and Lakeside Avenue, participants marched down the street to the Galleria to witness a mass wedding featuring over 250 straight and gay couples. A first for the state, and made even the region.

It was also a historic day for me personally as it was my first pro-gay marriage/equality protest! It was definitely a life changing experience. I was the first speaker (introduced by rally MC Ed Mullen, director of Equality Ohio) and spoke about bullying on behalf of the It Gets Better Project and the Make it Better Foundation. I made a host of new friends (thanks Shannon Glatz, Liberty Manos and Tom Morgan!) and bonded with people from all over the state about issues that I’m passionate about.

It will definitely go down as one of the greatest days of my life. I felt like I was part of something bigger than myself. In that moment in a crowd of 2,000 I felt like I could truly make a difference. I was a very powerful experience that I’ll never forget.

Several organizations came together to plan this amazing event including Equality Ohio, GetEQUAL, Freedom to Marry. And there were several amazing speakers including Captain Steve Snyder-Hill, who is the plaintiff, along with his partner, in a high profile DOMA case and the soldier who was booed at the Republican debate in September; former Cuyahoga County Commissioner Tim Hagan, who is a leader of Freedom to Marry Ohio, which is collecting petitions to have gay marriage added to the 2013 ballot; and a surprise visit from former Congresswoman Mary Jo Kilroy, a long time advocate for gay rights, she’s was just named the new CEO of Freedom to Marry Ohio.

Robert and Joyce Strommen

All the speeches were amazing, but I have my favorite was from Pastor Robert and Joyce Strommen (pictured above) who are a part of the Cleveland Stonewall Democrats but were mainly there representing the Cleveland branch of PFLAG (Parents and Families of Lesbians and Gays). They were an older couple who gave a tear-jerking speech about the importance of acceptance. I kept think about my own grandparents and parents and wishing they were as accepting as the Strommens.

The rally also garnered lots of press coverage. Check out videos from Cleveland’s local ABC, NBC and Fox news affiliates. and since I was there my journalism bug kicked in I took a few pictures and video (video #1, video #2) of my own.

Here are a couple amazing videos of Vision Video Productions. Overall I think they have the best coverage of the event that I’ve seen.

VVP has been posting video and photos of the event on their Facebook page all week. Here are the ones they’ve posted so far. You can continue to follow their videos on their YouTube page.

Star-studded L.A. premiere of ’8′ made history last night with worldwide online live-stream [VIDEO]

Last night the American Foundation for Equal Rights hosted a historic night of theater when they live-streamed the West Coast premiere of the Dustin Lance Black play “8,” based on the Proposition 8 trials in Los Angeles, which sought to reverse a 2008 state-wide vote the declared same-sex marriage illegal in the state.

The premiere last night at the Wilshire Ebell Theater in Los Angeles was directed by Rob Reiner and the cast featured the likes of  George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Martin Sheen, Kevin Bacon, John C. Reilly, Jamie Lee Curtis, Chris Colfer, Matthew Morrison, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Matt Bomer and George Takei.

Here’s a brief description from 8theplay.com:

Uncover the truth about marriage for gay and lesbian Americans. “8″—a new play by Academy-award winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (Milk, J. Edgar)—demystifies the debate around marriage equality by chronicling the landmark trial of Perry v. Schwarzenegger. Learn about the historical context of marriage from expert testimony. See the human cost of discrimination. Uncover the arguments used to justify bans on marriage for gay and lesbian couples. Using the actual court transcripts from the landmark federal trial of California’s Prop. 8 and first-hand interviews, “8″ shows both sides of the debate in a moving 90-minute play.

And here’s the “8″ trailer:

The play saw a star-studded staged reading (Morgan Freeman, Cheyenne Jackson, John Lithgow, Rob Reiner, Ellen Barkin) on Broadway back in September to rave reviews, which has subsequently spawned a national phenomenon of sorts. Over the past few months AFER (the organization behind the plantiff’s lawyers during the Prop 8 trials) has been at the forefront of a nationwide marketing effort to promote the West Coast premiere that live-streamed on their website and YouTube.

Here’s a video of Reiner previewing the big night:

The big event last night was the kick-off to the “8″ national tour. AFER is also sponsoring staged readings at colleges and universities across the country. If you want your city to host a reading visit 8theplay.com for more information.

Now do yourself a favor and take the time to watch the full all-star West Coast premiere below:

Ohio Queers: 400+ pack downtown Cincy for marriage equality rally…is Columbus next? [PHOTOS] [VIDEO]

Local news reports, photos and video are pouring in all over the Web from Saturday’s pro marriage equality protest in Cincinnati. The event was heavily covered by the local news and the final number of participants was a whopping 417.

As planned, Ed Mullen of Equality Ohio and openly gay candidate for Cincinnati City Council Chris Seelbach were the event’s main speakers. The protest mostly took place at the Four Square Plaza in downtown Cincinnati. Here’s a quick Facebook video of the massive crowd. Marchers at one point did go past Occupy Cincinnati protesters, which produced this pretty powerful moment. (If you’re interested in a minute-by-minute breakdown of the day visit Tom Morgan’s Facebook page. He’s GetEQUAL‘s State Lead Organizer in Ohio and he has literally documented every moment of yesterday’s festivities.)

It looks like Columbus may be next on the list for a horde of marriage equality love. A Facebook event page already has nearly 300 “attendees” and it looks like the speakers will be Michael Loch, president of NKY Equality Now at Northern Kentucky University, and GetEQUAL Ohio’s Tom Morgan.

Check out more photos and video from Facebook and YouTube below.

Here’s a YouTube slide show of photos taken by a participant:

This is a speech by Michael Loch, president of NKY Equality Now at Northern Kentucky University:

Ed Mullen of Equality Ohio

Tom Morgan of GetEQUAL Ohio

Chris Seelbach

Happy National Coming Out Day! Celebrate those who can be themselves and remember those who can’t

Wouldn't this be perfect for a Coming Out Party! I must find a cupcake shop that makes these.

Today is National Coming Out Day, a day that recognizes the courage it takes to live openly as a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individual, and reminds us that there are many out there who still can’t be open because of the intolerant communities in which they live. It is more important now more than ever for the lgbt community to stand up and be counted. I’ve always had the same philosophy as the great Harvey Milk: If they know us they are more likely to vote for us.

I do recognize that each individual should come out in their own time and there are many communities where coming out can be down right deadly, such as in Uganda, where they are still considering the Kill the Gays Bill or Jamaica, where it is socially acceptable for citizens to abuse gays openly in the streets. But now more than ever, those who can need to stand up for those who can’t.

Today I’m going to be speaking at a Coming Out Day event at West Virginia University in Parkersburg, a city that I’ve heard is less than accepting. I’ve had many people ask me, “Why are you going down there? You aren’t going to change their minds, and it seems dangerous.” My mother has been trying to talk me out of it all week. She did finally convince me to a least take someone with me. (Being her baby boy has these occasional consequences.)

I’m going because small town communities in states like West Virginia, Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Utah, Colorado, Texas, Minnesota, are where the most closeted of us live. If we don’t start creating communities of inclusion in the most conservative of areas we’ll never win at the ballots, we’ll never see true equality.

That’s why I’ll continue to go to areas that aren’t the most accepting, to encourage their gay citizens to stand up together and be counted, to show the bigoted that we’re not the monsters they think we are. We have families we love, we have jobs, we’re dealing with this shitty economy just like you. Because if I can convince one person to help make their community safer for lgbt people, if I can make one parent see that there’s nothing wrong with their kid, if I can make one preacher come to the realization that we’re not an abomination, then any of the ugliness that I ever endured because of coming out will all be worth it.

 

Ohio Queers: GetEQUAL planning protest outside Statehouse Aug. 26

The Ohio branch of GetEQUAL is putting together an “educational demonstration” to take place outside the Ohio Statehouse, 1 Capitol Square, Columbus, to protest the fact that Ohio is still one of 29 states in the union where gays can be fired or denied housing for being gay (37 if you consider transgenders alone).

The Ohio legislator will be considering the popular Equal Housing and Employment Act (EHEA) when they return to session in the fall. GetEQUAL is hoping this protest will help educate Ohioans and reinvigorate the debate on this very important topic.

The protest is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. t0 5:3o p.m. Friday, August 26 on Broadway Street between Third and High Streets. The group is expecting a large turnout and plan to line that block of Broad Street (which is on the north side of the Statehouse) with protesters.

This is also the same day that’s been deemed the annual GLBT Call Off Work Day by gay rights activists across the nation. A protest that has gays not show up to work to show our presence and impact in the workplace.

For more information visit the protest’s event page on Facebook and the GetEQUAL OH Facebook page.

UPDATE (7/31): Looks like GetEQUAL has started a trend. First Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbus will be hosting a rally at the Statehouse in support of EHEA 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 27.

Ohio Queers: Columbus Pride Festival 2011 [PHOTOS] [VIDEO]

This year the Columbus Pride Festival celebrated it’s 30th year and took on the theme “Trailblazers,” honoring those who came and fought the fight for equality before us. The grand marshals at the parade were 70 lgbt seniors over 70. The 2-day festival at Goodale Park this year was also headlined by Chely Wright, a country music star and budding gay rights activist who came out in a very public way last year.

For me, this was definitely my best experience at Pride yet. I marched in the parade with the Kaleidoscope Youth Center right behind the Trailblazers float that led the parade (the order was a where-we’ve-been-where-were-going kind of thing). I also helped out at the KYC and the AIDS Resource of Ohio (formerly the Columbus AIDS Task Force) booths and of course partook of the following festivities in the Short North. It was definitely a weekend to remember.

In case you missed it, here are some photos and video from the parade, festival and the 5k Jaeger Run for Pride.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Photos from various accounts on Flickr.com. 

Head to the comments and leave a thought on your 2011 Columbus Pride experience!

Ohio Queers: Ohioans marching into Statehouse today for Lobby Day

Equality Ohio is hosting their sixth annual Lobby Day for Equality at the State Capitol today in Columbus. Ohioans from all over the state will be converging on the Statehouse to meet with Ohio Senators and urge them to vote for equality.

The two issues EO is focusing on this year are the Equal Housing and Employment Act and the Safe Schools Act. The EHEA is a bill that would make it illegal for discrimination based on sexual orientation in when applying for housing or while at work. It failed when trying to get through Congress a couple years ago, but we’re hoping it’s reintroduced this year. Currently LGBT people can legally be fired and refused housing for being gay. The Safe Schools Act is a bill that would mandate all schools have policies in the would specifically protect kids from anti-gay bullying.

In order to participate in Lobby Day to day you had to register and go through a short training, but even if you didn’t make the registration deadlines you can still help out by contacting your senator today to help keep the momentum going. Click here and enter your zip code to find out which senator you need to contact.

EO is also holding a reception later today from 5 p.m. t0 7 p.m. in the Ohio Statehouse Atrium for participants to share stories from their experiences at the Statehouse and to generally celebrate the day’s events. Leaders from Ohio’s pro-equality community, Ohio lawmakers, special guests and other supporters of Equality Ohio will be attendance. The reception was also a pre-registered event.

Join the fight and make your voice heard. Contact your senator today!

Kim Cattrall, ‘The Kids Are Alright,’ AT&T honored at last leg of GLAAD Media Awards

After parts one and two in New York and Los Angeles, the 22nd Annual GLAAD Meida Awards came to an end Saturday with the final awards show in San Francisco.

Sex and the City star Kim Cattrall was honored with the Golden Gate Award for her public support of LGBT causes over the years. The Kids Are Alright won Outstanding Film, Dustin Lance Black’s 8: The Mormon Proposition won Outstanding Documentary and AT&T took home the Corporate Leader Award.

Below is a video of Cattrall’s acceptance speech:

The night was hosted by Naya Rivera (she plays Santana on Glee). Here’s a video of her opening the show:

You see a full list of winners from all three of the 2011 GLAAD Media Awards shows here.

UPDATE (5/16): More acceptance speeches from San Fran have been posted on YouTube.

Up first is Dustin Lance Black’s passionate acceptance speech for 8: The Mormon Proposition. He eloquently speaks about the homosexuality-versus-religion debate and how The Mormon Church making strides towards acceptance as a result of the film.

And next, “Mexican pop sensation” Christian Chavez accepts the Outstanding Spanish Language Music Artist award from Mario Lopez.

Is American professional sports becoming gay friendly?

Kobe Bryant apologizes at a press conference for using a homophobic slur.

Ever since Kobe Bryant’s foul mouth got him into trouble for calling a ref a “f–king faggot” during a game a few weeks ago, professional sports has been exploding with verbal gay bashing controversies one after the other. Though homophobia in athletics isn’t a new phenomena, the responses coming from professional sports’ top brass and the sports community at large is definitely changing.

I mentioned a little while ago that Atlanta Braves coach Roger McDowell was under attack for his homophobic rant at an away game in San Francisco. He was suspended and is now under investigation by the league.

Then NC State basketball star CJ Leslie came under fire recently for saying he wouldn’t want a gay teammate in his locker room. After the push back, he immediately sent out a series of tweets apologizing for his comments.

And now the hockey community is up in arms after New York Ranger forward Sean Avery filmed a video in support of gay marriage for HRC’s New Yorkers for Marriage Equality campaign. Uptown Sports, a major hockey agency based in Canada, then released a statement on Twitter calling Avery’s support “misguided.” The tweet was sent by Todd Reynolds, the firm’s Vice President and son of owner Don Reynolds. Don told reporters he supports his son’s tweet and compared gay marriage to beastiality.

Everyone soon began giving their two cents, including Damian Goddard, anchor of Canadian cable television channel Sportsnet, who tweeted: “”I completely and whole-heartedly support Todd Reynolds and his support for the traditional and TRUE meaning of marriage.” He was immediately fired by Sportsnet over his comments. And now a horde of other athletes have also come out in support of Avery.

It looks like the tides have changed a bit when it comes to the simple acceptance of homophobia in professional sports. It used to be that John Amaechi and other out, but retired, pro athletes would just stand on the sidelines yelling about how horrible the homophobia was in locker rooms and on courts around the country. But now the heads of the various professional sports leagues and agencies are actively issuing consequences and the message that this type of discourse is not okay.

Bryant was fined $100,000 for his slip up and the Lakers even released the below PSA against hurtful language.

Other NBA stars also partnered with GLSEN to release a PSA in conjunction with the AD Council specifically focusing on the use of homophobic slurs in sports.

A bevy of professional athletes have also come out in support of marriage equality through posing for the popular NOH8 campaign photo shoots. The photos below include New York Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie, NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas, Carolina Panthers linebacker Nic Harris, Mike Chabala of the the MLS’s Houston Dynamo, pro wrestler Hudson Taylor and professional figure skater Michael Kuluva. (All NOH8 photos by Adam Bouska)

In response to Uptown, other sports agents are expressing their displeasure with the companies homophobia. And Paul Bissonnette, an NHL player for the Phoenix Coyotes, tweeted a response (below) in support of Avery. Change.org has also started a petition against Uptown Sports for their very damaging homophobic stance.

The sports news corps has also been covering the Avery story and the homophobia-in-professional-sports issue with fervor lately. ESPN recently did a poignant segment that featured Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo who also publicly supports marriage equality.

When it comes to out professional sports players, America is way behind globally. Athletes like European rugby star Gareth Thomas are leading the way for equality in athletics around the world. (See his It Gets Better video below.)

One of Thomas’ best friends, Ben Cohen, is a also a professional rugby player and amazing straight ally who’s currently on the U.S. leg of his Ben Cohen Acceptance Tour in support of eradicating homophobia in professional sports. (UPDATE 5/15: Cohen just announced that he’s retiring from rugby to lead the global fight against homophobia full time. He’ll be spending most of his time running the StandUp Foundation, an anti-bullying organization he founded.)

Swedish soccer player Anton Hysen is also just one of the many out professional sports players in Europe. Below is video of his photo shoot and interview with European gay magazine Attitude.

So what do you think? Is the sports world becoming more accepting? Or does the fact that a professional athlete in America still has yet to publicly come out mean we’re just kidding ourselves?

Groundbreaking Google Chrome ‘It Gets Better’ ad premiered during ‘Glee’ tonight

As I was watching Glee (recap coming soon) tonight I was completely surprised during a commercial break when an ad by Google Chrome prominently featuring Dan Savage and other videos from the It Gets Better Project popped up on the screen. (As a contributor who’s featured in the book, it obviously got my attention with a quickness.)

The ad features video clips from various IGB videos including the first video by Dan Savage and his partner Terry Miller, along with shots of the news coverage of anti-gay bullying from the past year. It’s basically saying that the Internet can change the world, use Google Chrome to do it. Many people say the billion dollar company is exploiting a very serious movement and think it’s disgusting. However, I think it’s extremely groundbreaking. And Google Chrome should be applauded for their brave efforts.

Mainstream commercials have always shied away from LGBT representation and if it is included it’s done so subversively. The first image that you see on the screen during the Google Chrome ad are the words “Bullied for Being Gay.” Commercials during the 8-9 p.m. prime-time hour on Fox are not cheap, they’re worth hundreds of thousands of dollars because they are viewed by so many people. Google Chrome using this space to pay tribute specifically to the movement against anti-gay bullying is more than phenomenal. It’s revolutionary.

You can view the Google Chrome ad below:

Ohio Queers: CAUSE Conference 2011 explodes in Columbus this weekend

Equality Ohio’s ever popular CAUSE Conference returns to downtown Columbus this weekend for two days of rallies and workshops in an effort to bring together and nurture young LGBT activists from all over Ohio.

Here’s a brief description of CAUSE (College And University Students for Equality) according to the EO Web site:

The CAUSE conference is a summit for LGBT and allied leaders in the college and university community working for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender equality.  Come to Columbus to meet young leaders like yourself from all over Ohio!

This unique, two day summit sets out to inspire, empower, and support students and young leaders ages 18-24 working hard for equality in their communities.  If you are not between ages 18-24, but know someone who is, please pass along the message!

CAUSE takes place April 2-3 and is hosted by Columbus College of Art & Design at Columbus State Community College in The Center for Workforce Development – Ballroom (WD 435), 315 Cleveland Ave., Columbus.

Here’s a list of weekend’s workshops:

More than Make-Up – The Art of Drag

The Mirror Effect: Effective Outreach to Communities of Color

Three Steps to Organizing an On Campus Group

BRAVO workshop on LGBT Dating Violence

LGBT Diversity Dliemmas & LGBTQ and Emotional Intelligence

LGBTQ Activism 101: Taking Your First Steps Towards Equality

Transgender Legal Protections Against Employment Discrimination

Transgender 101 – The Transgender Student Experience

Trans & GenderQueer Inclusive Organizing

Girl Talk

LGBT Health Overview

The Many Dimensions of Human Sexuality

IDAHO 2011! & the Yogyakarta Principles

Intergenerational Dialogue: A Reflection on the Past and the Future

The Mirror Effect:  Effective Outreach to Communities of Color

LGBTIQ Health Advocacy

To register (registration is free) or for more information visit EqualityOhio.org.

‘It Gets Better’ officially released today! (My top 14 favorite IGB videos in honor of the book’s release)

It’s finally here! It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying and Creating a Life Worth Living hits bookstores today!

Based on the popular YouTube phenomenon kicked off by columnist/author Dan Savage and Terry Miller back in September in response to the eight teens who committed suicide that month because of anti-gay bullying. Today more than 10,000 messages of hope have been posted on YouTube and at the Web site ItGetsBetter.org, by people from all over the country including many celebrities and politicians (President Obama, Hilary Clinton, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Ellen DeGeneres, Suze Orman, Tim Gunn, Chris Colfer, Neil Patrick Harris, Madonna, Kesha, Jason Derulo, Justin Beiber, Chaz Bono, Perez Hilton, Andy Cohen, Kathy Griffin, Gabrielle Union, and the list goes on and on and on).

The book features about 100 people from various backgrounds, including household names and common folk. There are also a host of amazing writers who stepped up and added their voices, including Gregory Maguire and David Sedaris. Make sure you head to your local bookstore and pick up a copy. And as I may have mentioned once or twice, I’m also in the book!

Back in October I posted an It Gets Better video in an attempt to represent for the black gays growing up in small towns. Then late last year I got an email from Dutton (the book’s publisher) and was asked if they could use my video. It was transcribe and an email back-and-forth ensued during the editing process. Then a month or so ago I got an advanced copy of the book with my story appearing on page 264 and my name printed on the back next to the president himself. I still can’t believe it.

It’s been an amazing experience being apart of this book. I was on Fox 28 Columbus a couple weeks ago and appeared on 10tv Columbus this week to talk about my involvement with the book. I was also interviewed by a reporter from Outlook (Columbus’ lgbt publication) for a feature that’s going to run next month. I’ve gotten countless emails, messages comments and phone calls from people all over the world. My cousin even featured an interview with me about the book in her new blog. And I’m in the midst of planning two events to celebrate the book’s release that will take place in April. It’s all been a surreal whirlwind.

This book is for everyone and I behoove you to get a copy. And don’t just get a copy for yourself ,get one for the teenagers in your life. The kids who are bullied need to read this book for hope and the kids who do  the bullying need to read this book so they can see how they are affecting people’s lives. There are also resources in the book for teachers and parents on how to combat anti-gay bullying at home and in the classroom. (Check out my IGB video below.)

Also make sure you head over to ItGetsBetter.org and donate to the cause! Proceeds from the book will go to benefit organizations that support lgbt youth annually, including The Trevor Project (a 24-hour suicide hot line for lgbt youth). But the It Gets Better Project has also started a campaign to have book put in every library and school in America. If you go to ItGetsBettter.org and donate $25 they will send a book to a library or school of your choice.

Dan Savage and Terry Miller kick off the “It Gets Better” book tour in New York City today. Be sure to visit them and support the tour if you’re in the areas they’ll be stopping. (You can see a full list of cities on the tour here.)

If you live near Central Ohio, stay tuned to Queer-Corner.com for details about upcoming “It Gets Better” events. The Kaleidoscope Youth Center, Wexner Center for the Arts and Stonewall Columbus will be sponsoring an event April 14 at the Stonewall Columbus Center on High, 1160 N. High Street. There will be books for sale, equipment set up for people to make their own It Gets Better videos and a panel discussion on how we can make things better for victims of anti-gay bullying right now. Beehive Books in Delaware, Ohio, will also be hosting an event sponsored by ACT OUT Delaware at some point in April. More details on both events is forthcoming.

And lastly, in honor of the book’s release, here are some of my favorite It Gets Better videos:

President Obama

Forth Worth City Councilman Joel Burns

Frank Malaba (founder of It Will Get Better Africa)

It Gets Better Broadway (There’s an entire Web site dedicated to It Gets Better videos made by members of the Broadway community. You should definitely check it out if you haven’t already.)

Ellen DeGeneres

Comedians Jeffery Self and Guy Branum

Neil Patrick Harris

Chris Colfer

Tim Gunn

Michael Urie

The Cast of Brothers & Sisters

ComedySportz Los Angeles

The Wexner Center for the Arts

And of course, the two who started it all: Dan Savage & Terry Miller

Ricky Martin, Russell Simons, Tina Fey among honorees at GLAAD Media Awards

The 22nd Annual GlAAD Media Awards was held in New York City last night, honoring the past year’s best representations of the lgbt community in film, television, theater, blogging and the mainstream media.

Ricky Martin was honored with the Vito Russo Award, which honors a celebrity who contributed to gay rights in a big way over the past year. And as most remember, the Latin pop singer came out in his book Me, and did a big special on Oprah featuring his struggles with his sexuality. (The Oprah special featuring Martin also won Outstanding Talk Show Episode.)

Hip hop pioneer an mogul Russell Simmons received the Excellence in Media Award for his work in support of equality and battling the homophobia prevalent in rap music. Tina Fey was on hand to 30 Rock‘s win for Outstanding Individual Episode (in a series without a regular LGBT character) and True Blood won Outstanding Drama Series, with Denis O’Hare (who plays Russell Edgington, the gay vampire king of Mississippi) accepting on the show’s behalf. Anderson Copper also took home an award for his coverage of the 8 teen suicides due to anti-gay bullying that gripped the nations last summer.

Check out Ricky Martin’s acceptance speech and a list of the winners below:

GLAAD Media Awards 2011 Winners:

Excellence in Media Award: Russell Simmons

Vito Russo Award: Ricky Martin

Outstanding Drama Series: True Blood

Outstanding Individual Episode (in a series without a regular LGBT character):  the 30 Rock episode “Klaus & Greta”

Outstanding Digital Journalism-Multimedia: “Bridal Bliss: Aisha and Danielle” by Bobbi Misick (Essence.com)

Outstanding Talk Show Episode: “Ricky Martin Coming Out as a Gay Man and a New Dad” on The Oprah Winfrey Show

Outstanding TV Journalist-Newsmagazine: “Gay Teen Suicides” (series) Anderson Cooper 360

Outstanding Newspaper Article: “Rutgers Student Tyler Clementi’s Suicide Spurs Action Across the U.S.” by Judy Peet of the Star-Ledger in Newark, N.J.

Outstanding Newspaper Columnist: Frank Rich, the New York Times

Outstanding Newspaper Overall Coverage: the Denver Post

Outstanding Magazine Overall Coverage: The Advocate/Out

Outstanding Music Artist: Scissor Sisters, Night Work

Outstanding Comic Book: X-Factor by Peter David

Outstanding Blog: Joe. My. God

Outstanding Los Angeles Theater: Something Happened by L. Trey Wilson

Outstanding New York Theater: Broadway and Off-Broadway: The Pride by Alexi Kaye Campbell

Outstanding New York Theater: Off-Off Broadway: When Last We Flew by Harrison David Rivers

First reaction: Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way’ video

I feel like I just went on a psychedelic acid trip, yet I don’t remember taking any LSD.

I’m not even sure what to think about the new “Born This Way” video Lady Gaga released this morning. I always get a little squimish when it comes to the birthing process (I nearly fainted just from seeing what was produced when my sister’s water broke when she went into labor for her first baby), so all the gross birth scenes throughout was a bit much for me. I did like the dance scenes and I thought the beginning montage about a new race free of discrimination was clever. You can tell she worked really hard on the symbolism in this video and it’s obvious that it’s specifically targeted at her lgbt fans, so I can definitely appreciate the effort.

Overall, I was somewhat disappointed. I was hoping she’d forgo all the Gag eccentricities and go for a more visual representation of the gay community, our struggle, our triumphs, etc.  There wasn’t anything blatantly gay about the video. I was expecting maybe two guys kissing at a gay wedding, maybe footage of a gay rights march, or even a storyline like Pink did in her “Perfect” video but showcasing a gay kid being bullied and then maybe subsequently being saved by Gaga in the end.

This apparently is the first of two music videos Gaga plans to release for “Born This Way,” one of which will filter its proceeds to an organization that works to end anti-gay bullying. Maybe the second one will be more geared towards the gay rights movement or an anti-bully message somehow.

Here’s the full video. Tell me what you think in the comments below.

Marriage Equality Roundup #4: Hawaii, Michigan, Indiana, Washington, Britain and much more

This week lawmakers around the world have been busy talking about gay marriage. Here’s a quick look at what’s transpired…

Hawaii is on the verge of being the seventh state to legalize gay marriage. The bill is just waiting for a signature from the governor who says he will sign it into law as soon as it come across his desk.

Across the pond, Britain‘s parliament will soon legalize same-sex marriage.

The Indiana House voted Tuesday to add a ban on gay marriages and civil unions to the state’s constitution.

Maryland is also getting closer to legalizing gay marriage in their state, with a majority of the state’s senators coming out in the press saying they’ll vote yes on a bill granting marriage rights to same-sex partners.

Washington lawmakers gave their gays and lesbians a pretty stellar Valentine’s Day present when the introduce a gay marriage bill Monday.

A Colorado senator also just introduced a civil unions bill to the state’s Senate this week.

Republican lawmakers in New Hampshire are trying very hard to repeal the state’s gay marriage law.

In related news…

Michigan lawmakers recently submitted second parent adoption bills that would include gay and lesbian couples.

Reports are coming in saying a Birmingham newspaper has printed the city’s (and maybe even the state’s) first gay wedding announcement in a major newspaper.

Apparently in Shanghai, China the fake marriage market is a booming industry for gays and lesbians there.