GLAAD Board Members Reality TV Ask

GLAAD Board members Peppermint & Frankie Grande together with a coalition of LGBTQ celebrities, advocates & allies have called on producers, casting directors & creators to embrace authentic, diverse LGBTQ representation across the Reality Television genre. Peppermint stated, “I think there needs to be an industry wide change, not just casting & I'll use my experience on The Traitors as an example…I wanted so desperately to be able to show the rest of the world, the rest of the audience, the rest of the viewership that trans people are just like anybody else. I think that really does reflect how a lot of trans people feel right now. I really would love for producers & people who create these shows to give people the opportunity to see the beauty in the relationships that trans people form. It's all about managing relationships & trans people deserve to be a part of the story. The world needs to see that & I think reality TV is a great place to do it.” Frankie Grande concluded, “It's the responsibility of casting directors, producers to make sure that there is inclusivity within our community represented on the show. Otherwise, we're a monolith. Otherwise, I am representing the entire queer community…There is a formula that has been in place for decades that is no longer working for our community. It is no longer representing the world & the people that are watching your shows.” Celebrity signers who joined to launch the open letter included Alan Cumming, Monét X Change, Bob The Drag Queen, Britney Haynes, Derrick Levasseur, Jazz Jennings, Elliot Page, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Christian Siriano & more.

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