The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) are fuming because they found out that two Fox News anchors attended the GLAAD Media Awards in New York City on March 16.
The GLAAD Media Awards, which are given in New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco each year, celebrate “outstanding images of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community” in the media. GLAAD boasts of over 5,000 attendees during last year’s show.
Fox News anchors Kimberly Guilfoyle (“The Five”) and Jamie Colby (“America’s News HQ”) attended the event and posed for a picture. Seeing this picture from the event sparked an angry backlash from the organization. GLAAD’s Vice President of Communications Rich Ferarro gave this warning to Fox News, via “Equality Matters”:
“If Kimberly and Jamie expect to attend future GLAAD events, they will first need to sit down with us to discuss Fox News' embarrassing, biased and misinformed coverage of LGBT issues. The invitation is open. Fox News's track record on LGBT issues is abysmal, and it makes no sense to me why any LGBT people or allies would want to be a part of that.”
Banning journalists from attended a media event? That doesn’t sound very inclusive and tolerant, for such a self-proclaimed group.
Openly gay journalists like CNN’s Anderson Cooper were welcome to attend the show of course. Plus, his network has a questionably cozy relationship with GLAAD. CNN’s parent company is a sponsor of the Media Awards and GLAAD lavishes nominations and awards on the network each year. (Cooper got one this year – Madonna presented to him in her anti-Boy Scouts get-up. His openly gay colleague Don Lemon received his last year.)
It seems like GLAAD’s supposed tolerance only extends to those they agree with. But if Fox really wants to attend next year, some sponsorship money and a gay anchor or two may be just the ticket.
