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VIDEO: Marc Lamont Hill Wins GLAAD Award for EBONY Article

Over the weekend, one of the standouts of the GLAAD Media Award ceremony in San Francisco was author, scholar and Huff Post Live host Marc Lamont Hill's win in "Outstanding Digital Journalism Article" for EBONY.com's "Why Aren't We Fighting for CeCe McDonald?"

The award was presented by actress, reality star and activist Laverne Cox, and Kortney Ryan Ziegler, the Bay Area-based filmmaker, writer, scholar and activist. Watch the presentation and Hill's speech AFTER THE JUMP ...

The article focused on the case of CeCe McDonald, the Black transgender woman who was targeted in a racist and transphobic attack in June 2011. McDonald fatally stabbed the man that attacked her and her friends. She plead guilty to second degree manslaughter in June 2012. McDonald was sentenced to 41 months in prison.

"No issue has been more important to me, none has been more special to me than writing about CeCe McDonald," said Hill. "This speaks to the many, many battles we have in front of us as an LGBT community, as an ally community, as a community of people who are struggling to create a world that is more fair, more just, more democratic and ultimately just more free. We have so much work to do."

Watch the presentation and Hill's speech AFTER THE JUMP ...

Rod 2.0 Wins GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Blog

Hooray! Rod 2.0 won the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Blog at the GLAAD Media Awards presented last night  in San Francisco.

Rod 2.0 was nominated for "Outstanding Bog" for the third consecutive year. The other nominees: Autostraddle, Blac(k)ademic, The New Civil Rights Movement and Towleroad. All the nominees are terrific.

Last year we had the honor of being nominated in two categories—"Outstanding Magazine Article" and "Outstanding Blog." The article was "Making It Work: Black Same Sex Couples Raising Kids in the South" in EBONY.

More good news for EBONY this year. Marc Lamont Hill has won "Outstanding Digital Journalism Article" for EBONY.com's "Why Aren't We Fighting for CeCe McDonald?" Other nominees in that category included CNBC.com, Advocate.com, Huffington Post and Buzzfeed's Chris Geidner.

The complete list of nominees and winners is HERE.

Thanks so much for everyone's support. Muah!

VIDEO: Wilson Cruz and Janet Mock on "Melissa Harris Perry"

GLAAD's Wilson Cruz, writer and activist Janet Mock and New York City Council candidate Mel Wymore appeared on a Sunday segment of MSNBC's The Melissa Harris Perry Show. The panel discussed the announcement made by GLAAD President Herndon Graddick at the recent GLAAD Media Awards that the organizational mission would now include a focus on transgender and bisexual equality.

Watch the segment AFTER THE JUMP ...

"The organization has formally dropped the words 'Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation' from its name and will be known going forward as simply GLAAD, the LGBT media advocacy organization," reports the organization. "Accompanying the change in name is a renewed commitment to incorporate bi and trans people, as well as allies from diverse backgrounds in GLAAD's work to shape the media narrative and build public support for the LGBT community."

Numerous studies have shown that Black and Latina trans women are at the greatest risk of violence and the murders of Black transgender women are often unsolved. Black trans women face "extreme discrimination and poverty", and are more than likely to suffer from violence, physical or sexual abuse, police brutality, HIV/AIDS and bullying, according to a first of its kind survey conducted by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Black Justice Coalition.

Watch the segment AFTER THE JUMP ...

GLAAD Media Award Nominations Announced: R20 Included

The 24th Annual GLAAD Media Award Nominations were announced this morning. The list includes several pleasant surprises, such as the The L.A. Complex nominated for "Outstanding Drama Series." The series and its delicious storyline about a closeted gangsta rapper attracted a cult fanbase ... but not nearly enough viewers to avoid cancellation last month.

Rod 2.0 has been nominated for "Outstanding Bog" for the third consecutive year. The other nominees: Autostraddle, Blac(k)ademic, The New Civil Rights Movement and Towleroad. The nominees are terrific. So delighted to be included among them.

The full list of nominees HERE.

Last year we had the honor of being nominated in two categories—"Outstanding Magazine Article" and "Outstanding Blog." The article was "Making It Work: Black Same Sex Couples Raising Kids in the South" in the October 2011 EBONY.

More good news for EBONY this year. Marc Lamont Hill and EBONY.com were nominated for "Outstanding Digital Journalism Article" in "Why Aren't We Fighting for CeCe McDonald?" Other nominees in that category include CNBC.com, Advocate.com, Huffington Post and Buzzfeed's Chris Geidner.

The GLAAD Media Awards are intended to recognize and honor "culture-changing LGBT images and stories." The awards will be celebrated in three ceremonies: New York City on March 16, Los Angeles on April 20 and San Francisco on May 11.

Bravo and congratulations to all of the talented nominees. The full list of nominees HERE.

JET Magazine Features Wedding of Dr. Ravi Perry and Paris Prince

PHOTO: INSTAGRAM/Ravi Perry Facebook

Very, very nice. JET magazine features the wedding of Dr. Ravi Perry and Paris Prince in its December 10 JET LOVE series. Rod 2.0 readers will recall the 29-year-old Perry made history in March 2011 when was elected president of the NAACP chapter of Worcester, Massachusetts

GLAAD notes:

Ravi, an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Mississippi State University, and Paris, a licensed real estate broker and anti discrimination compliance expert, were married in August at their home in Worcester, Massachusetts. The biweekly feature, which traditionally showcases straight couples, includes a short bio of the couple and explains how the couple fell in love.

"We are excited and honored to have our wedding featured in the historic yet ever-current JET Magazine. Long the hallmark in publishing news, culture, and events pertaining to the Black American experience, Jet's publishing of our union is historic" said Ravi and Paris.

"JET Magazine has an extensive legacy of covering the lives of LGBT African-Americans," said Herndon Graddick, President of GLAAD. "This is yet another opportunity to applaud JET Magazine for continuing to highlight the diversity of the African-American community and to urge other media outlets to recognize that it’s these stories that help grow acceptance of our community and give a voice to LGBT people of color who are too often invisible in the media."

Ravi Perry was a political science professor at Clark University when he was elected to the NAACP position last year. He became the youngest and first openly gay president in that chapter's history. Perry also became one of the very few openly gay chapter president's in the NAACP's history.

The Mississippi State University professor is also a contributor to EBONY.com. He recently wrote "A Kappa Man Speaks on the Viral Video 'Controversy'", a response to the homophobic backlash over so-called "Kappa Wedding" video.

JET is a weekly publication and boasts more than 7 million readers. Last year, JET featured its first same-sex wedding, telling the amazing story of Nyema Vernon and Dr. Tenika Jackson. JET has featured Black gay males couples in recent years, too. The biweekly magazine also  featured Kye Allums last year, the former George Washington University student who made history as the first out transgender Division I college basketball player.

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VIDEO: Laverne Cox: "I AM" Series on Trans Awareness

The Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition and GLAAD have created "I AM: Trans People Speak", a new campaign to create awareness around the diversity in transgender communities. Actress, reality star and trans activist Laverne Cox is featured in one of the new videos. Cox shares why she feels the need to "own" her identity.

"After I transitioned, I had this fantasy that I would take hormones for a few years and then 'blend in' effortlessly," says Cox. "There are [many] trans women who do that and that is sometimes presented as the goal. When I realized that I wasn't 'blending in' effortlessly, I had to re-evaluate things. Then I thought it was time to 'own' [being] transgender."

The campaign was created for Transgender Awareness Week, which ends today with the 14th Annual Day of Transgender Remembrance. Laverne's testimony is beautiful. Watch AFTER THE JUMP ...

HOT: Andra Fuller Discusses His Role on "The L.A. Complex"

GIF/SCREENCAPS: SON OF BALDWIN/ALAYE MEN

The L.A. Complex has become must-see Monday night television ever since the Canadian series made its stateside debut. One obvious reason: The ample servings of beefcake and the scorching same-sex love scenes featuring actor Andra Fuller.

The Toronto-based series has also attracted a cult following among Black gay and bisexual men because of its delicious narrative and characters. Black Enterprise chats up Andra Fuller who portrays the "volatile gangsta rapper Kaldrick King... who also happens to be gay [and] closeted. ... Fuller had no trepidations about taking the part, but those around him were leery about his decision."

"When I accepted this role and what it entailed, my family and friends were like, 'Why do you want to play a gay dude?' They also wanted to know why every time a Black man is shown on TV as gay; he has to be on the down low. But they didn’t look at the ramification: I’m playing a very successful down low rapper on a network television show. That’s never happened before."

Fuller's impeccable performance is buoyed by sharp writing [and] navigates it all — from suicide attempts to intense love scenes — with incredible ease. "As an actor, you don’t run away from a role because it doesn’t coexist with your personal lifestyle," he explains. "If I take a role as a mass murderer, I don’t think I would ever have the gall to kill someone in my real life. But I’m not going to run away from it because I don’t believe in murder."

Very refreshing to hear a Black actor embrace a multi-dimensional gay character with such intensity ... and will not shy away from the sexual component. .

Television depictions of the LGBT community remain overwhelmingly white, according to a recent report by GLAAD. CW remains the top broadcast network for LGBT impressions and has the most diversity—thanks to programming such as The L.A. Complex and America's Next Top Model.

"The gay and lesbian community has been super-supportive and appreciative of what I’ve been putting into Kaldrick," Fuller told Black Enterprise. "It’s definitely an honor to be chosen to play this character in this storyline. I try my damndest every day I step on set to do it justice."

The L.A. Complex will air tonight and Mondays at 8P through October 1. Very much looking forward to tonight's episode after last week's scorcher with the legal fierceness. Kaldrick has met his match. Yasss.

Watch a video clip from last week's hotness AFTER THE JUMP ...

Wilson Cruz Joins GLAAD Staff as Strategic Giving Officer

Actor and LGBT activist Wilson Cruz will join GLAAD's staff as the Strategic Giving Officer, announced the organization.

Cruz exploded on the pop culture radar as the openly gay teen Rickie Vasquez on My So-Called Life. At that time in the early 1990s, the teen actor was among the earliest openly gay faces on television.Cruz was seen more recently in the groundbreaking Noah's Arc and Party of Five. Cruz has a long history in LGBT activism—from delivering the keynote speech at this year's Creating Change to raising awareness around HIV/AIDS.

Cruz notes that GLAAD has used its platform to change the national narrative on LGBT issues and perceptions of the community. "GLAAD is also using its media expertise to create a culture that is accepting and safe for all young people," said the actor. "GLAAD shares the stories and sparks the discussions that make the world a better place for LGBT people everywhere. I am proud and excited to grow this culture-changing work."

GLAAD President Herndon Graddick added that Cruz's "commitment to supporting local and national LGBT organizations exemplifies GLAAD's mission to move LGBT equality forward."

Good decision by Graddick and GLAAD. Cruz injects some star wattage in GLAAD's development team. And he's a great guy and very committed to activism. Bravo.

Watch Wilson Cruz discuss his activism AFTER THE JUMP ...

GLAAD: CW Leads with Most LGBT Inclusive and Diverse Programming

Television depictions of the LGBT community are overwhelmingly white and male, according to the sixth annual Network Responsibility Index released by GLAAD. Some sixty-nine percent of LGBT impressions on broadcast networks are made by gay men. Two-thirds of those "broadcast hours showcas[e] white people," notes the report.

CW remains the top broadcast network for LGBT impressions and the most diversity—thanks to programming such as America's Next Top Model and The L.A. Complex , with its intriguing gay storyline around a closeted rapper. "29% of its primetime programming hours [is] LGBT-inclusive. The CW also registered the most racial diversity with 62% of impressions made by LGBT people/characters of color."

For the fourth year in a row CBS remained in last place with 8% LGBT-inclusive hours of primetime programming, dropping 2 percentage points from last year. The leading cable network is Showtime with some 46% of its programming LGBT inclusive. Others include ABC Family (34%), TNT (34%) and HBO (33%).

One final note and disturbing note:

"Transgender representation continues to be low on nearly every television network. Transgender inclusive hours recorded on broadcast television went from 0.002% last year to 0.01% this year, the number also remained extremely low for the cable networks tracked at 0.005%. Transgender storylines are often exploitative and overtly negative"

The report surveyed primetime programming on the five broadcast networks and original primetime programming on 10 major cable networks. The full report HERE.

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May 2012 EBONY: "Mother's Day Special: She Calls Us Both Mom"

The May 2012 issue of EBONY drops today with a brilliant cover editorial on Michelle Obama. The print edition includes a special eight-page report on motherhood that begins on page 120. Included are two features written by yours truly including "She Calls Us Both Mom" on page 126, a profile of a lesbian mother.

This was our second assignment for the magazine. Our first report—"Making It Work: Black Same Sex Couples Raising Kids in the South"—was in the October 2011 issue. That article was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Magazine Article.