By B&TF

 

It was another wonderful year for the GLAAD organization that ended with the GLAAD Media Awards in New York, Los Angeles and upcoming awards ceremony in San Francisco. The year 2011 is also GLAAD’s 25^th Anniversary that they will celebrate later this year.

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation is dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair and accurate representation of people and events in the media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. At their Media Awards, the GLAAD recognizes and honors programs and performers for their accurate portrayal of the LGBT community, including the straight allies for their support.

Jarrett Barrios ©L-Word.com

As the GLAAD President, Jarrett Barrios, told me, they had an exciting year and on the night of the awards they were going to “announce a largest ever PSA campaign to take on bullying during back-to-school season.” The GLAAD is working with NBC Universal, with Edelman, Jonathan Murray who produced “The Real World”, the American Federation of Teachers “to help reach young people when they are going back to school…and we’ll be getting it into every classroom. This is one of our new big initiatives in the social media space.”

The GLAAD Awards in Los Angeles were announcing the winners for the following categories: Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Reality Program, and Outstanding TV Journalism Segment. The GLAAD Awards in LA also honored Kristin Chenoweth with the Vanguard Award that was presented to her by Sean Hayes; and Robert Greenblatt was presented the Stephen F. Kolzak Award by Dolly Parton. If you remember, Robert Greenblatt used to work at Showtime and is now NBC’s Chairman of Entertainment

Red Carpet ©L-Word.com

I’ve been covering the GLAAD awards for a few years now and I always find it very celebratory, energetic and emotional. This year I decided to only attend the Red Carpet and after I arrived and took the spot assigned to the l-word.com, I checked the press list to prepare for the arrivals. The list was impressive and included Marlee Matlin, Kirsten Dunst, Chaz Bono, Melissa Etheridge, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Julie Bowen from “Modern Family”, Mike O’Malley from “Glee”, and Tori Spelling.

While I was waiting for the celebrities arrivals, I pondered the meaning and origin of “the Red Carpet”. Traditionally, a red carpet used to mark the route taken by heads of states on ceremonial and formal occasions, as well as during the gala celebrity events where the celebrities often asked whose dress they are wearing. Historically, the phrase was known as “red carpet treatment” and “rolling out the red carpet” to refer to any special efforts made in the interests of hospitality.

Did you know that the earliest known reference to walking a red carpet in literature can be found in the play “Agamemnon” by Aeschylus, written in 458 BC? When the title character returns from Troy, he is greeted by his vengeful wife Clytemnestra who offers him a red path to walk upon. Gus Portokalos from “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” was right. Everything comes from Greece.

Red Carpet ©L-Word.com

Unexpectedly, the red carpet was blue this year and I found out that the blue replaced red to honor the GLLAD new sponsor Rökk Vodka that has blue color in their logo.