Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD, called on the television industry at the Primetime Emmy Awards to share more narratives centred around the transgender community.
Ellis’ “urgent” plea arrived while accepting the 2023 Governor’s Award. Hannah Waddingham and Colman Domingo presented the award in recognition of GLAAD’s efforts to promote fair, accurate, and diverse representation in the media, contributing to the advancement of LGBTQ+ acceptance.
Accepting the award, Ellis implored the assembly of actors, writers, directors, and executives to invest greater efforts in sharing narratives centred around transgender experiences.
She said: “For all of us at GLAAD, this work is personal, for me, it’s about my wife and our kids, because what the world sees on TV directly influences how we treat each other and the decisions we make in our living rooms, schools, at work, and at the ballot box. The world urgently needs culture-changing stories about transgender people. More people say they have seen a ghost than know a trans person.”
Continuing, she added: “When you don’t know people, it’s easy to demonise them. Visibility creates understanding and opens doors, it’s life-saving. Our community has achieved so much, and yet, we are still being victimised and villainised with cruel and harmful lies. Sharing stories is the antidote. And now is the time to take action – to support everyone in the LGBTQ+ community, because this story is still being told, and we all can be the heroes.”
The Governor’s Award recognises outstanding contributions to the world of art or television. Previous award recipients include Comic Relief, American Idol, National Geographic’s Planet Earth, and the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media.
Ellis joins other actors, directors, and writers at this year’s Emmy Awards, representing greater inclusivity. While accepting her award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, Jennifer Coolidge dedicated the accolade to “all the evil gays”. Beef‘s Ali Wong also became the first Asian woman to win an award for a leading role.
