(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation slammed the Super Bowl advertisers for “minimal” LGBT representation and insisted that they put in more effort to “put LGBTQ people and issues into the mainstream conversation.”
Today GLAAD released its 10th Studio Responsibility Index. This year counted a trans character in a major studio film for first time in five years, but also noted decreases in racial diversity of LGBTQ characters & LGBTQ character's screen time. Read now: https://t.co/rcZ1xPMt6X
— GLAAD (@glaad) December 15, 2022
GLAAD also complained about the lack of so-called intersectionality in the Fox News broadcast, Breitbart reported.
“It’s unfortunate that LGBTQ-inclusive advertising was not more prevalent during the Super Bowl this year,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD president and CEO, in a post-game report.
“Though we saw a similar quantity of representation to 2022, there was a clear lack of intersectional representation,” Ellis complained. “At a time when LGBTQ rights are being put in jeopardy through harmful legislation across the country, we call on brands to leverage the audience reach and cultural impact of an event like the Super Bowl to bring LGBTQ people and issues into the mainstream conversation.”
According to GLAAD’s count, only four commercials on Sunday’s game were “LGBTQ-inclusive.” The ads from Rakuten, GM and Netflix, Google Pixel and Doritos were the only ones to make the cut, despite none of them featuring “LGBTQ storytelling.”
The organization did credit the NFL for hosting a GLAAD-sponsored event during a halftime commercial featuring tennis player and gay-rights activist Billie Jean King.
2023’s Super Bowl ads fell far short compared to the 2020 slate of advertisements, which featured 11 LGBTQ-friendly ads.
GLAAD started their watchdog project in 2021, partnering with Proctor & Gamble to more effectively call out companies for not featuring gay culture and storytelling in their content, products and storytelling.
GLAAD has a reputation for their impossibly high standards when grading corporations and events for gay inclusion.
Recently, the group bestowed the Walt Disney Company with a failing grade, despite their open promotion of transgenderism; inclusion of homosexual characters in big-budget movies; pride-themed apparel line; and openly advocacy against Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law, which prevents teachers from discussing gender ideology in elementary school classrooms.
All of these moves have proven to be massive financial flops for the company.
