No, I'm not GLAAD

...I'm just curious. GLAAD has picked a new head, Neil Giuliano to replace Joan Garry.

Giuliano is the former Republican mayor of Tempe, Arizona, where he served 4 terms. (Although Tempe elections are non-partisan, Giuliano's political stance was apparently quite well-known, especially during the presidental election last year where he did support Bush.)

I have to say that I don't completely trust this development. GLAAD has been making missteps for quite some time.

For starters, I think the ABC boycott GLAAD made was asinine, because it made no sense to do make it network-wide instead of limited to just 20/20, where the problem was and remained. I have trouble buying that a news organisation that has a slew of out reporters (Jeffrey Kofman, Miquel Marquez, Steve Osunsami, and John Yang to name a few) and anchors (Ron Corning) would have a noxious environment for gays. A show might have a homophobic environment, but not an entire organisation with that many out professionals.

Secondly, I remember GLAAD meekly defending Boat Trip by saying that it was true that gay cruises are full of big muscular men dancing around in their skivvies. THAT WAS NOT THE POINT. The point was that the film suggested that straight = good and gay = weird. You can poke fun without crossing the line, you know. Any educated writer knows that the best comedy comes out of character-specific traits, not by generalisations about an entire community.

I don't know what happened to this once vibrant organisation. Have their teeth disappeared after years of celebrity boot-licking? The GLAAD Media Awards used to really celebrate positive portrayals, now, it seems that it's just a chance for people to rub shoulders with celebrities.

Where is the advocacy?

All that being said, I do believe that GLAAD can return back to the organisation it once was. Perhaps Giuliano is a RINO (Republican In Name Only) like Bloomberg, and he'll actually change things for the better. His pedigree doesn't seem to suggest so, but then again, Souter got to the Supreme Court under a Republican, so who knows?

I know that I will be watching closely to what actions he does take.