WORDS & IMAGES MATTER

Do you remember the first time you saw a gay character on TV? Or the first time you read a profile of an openly gay or lesbian leader in your local newspaper.

I'm Joan Garry, executive director of GLAAD, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. At GLAAD, we are in the business of changing people's hearts and minds through what they see in the media. We know that what people watch on TV or read in their newspaper shapes how they view and treat the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people around them. And we have a responsibility to make sure those images foster awareness, understanding and respect.

When media images of our lives are fair, accurate and inclusive, we find ourselves increasingly welcomed into a society that respects difference. When they're not -- when stereotypes and misinformation pollute the well of cultural acceptance -- we become vulnerable to anti-gay forces working to create a world in which we do not exist.

Everyday our stories -- yours, mine, those of our families and friends -- open the truth of our lives to the people we share them with. In the same way, when the media tell our stories well, people in small towns, big cities and everywhere in-between find a window on our lives that broadens and deepens their understanding of who we are. Same principle -- infinitely larger scale.

Fair, accurate and inclusive media images shatter stereotypes. They prove that we are connected through common, human experiences. These are stories that we -- and the media -- have a responsibility to share.