GLAAD

GLAAD (formerly the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) is a U.S. non-governmental media monitoring organization founded by LGBT people in the media. Before March 2013, the name "GLAAD" had been an acronym for "Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation," but became the primary name due to its inclusiveness of bisexual and transgender issues. Its stated mission, in part, is to "[amplify] the voice of the LGBT community by empowering real people to share their stories, holding the media accountable for the words and images they present, and helping grassroots organizations communicate effectively."

History

General

Formed in New York City in 1985 to protest against what it saw as the New York Post's defamatory and sensationalized AIDS coverage, GLAAD put pressure on media organizations to end what it saw as homophobic reporting. Initial meetings were held in the homes of several New York City activists as well as after-hours at the New York State Council on the Arts. The founding group included film scholar Vito Russo; Gregory Kolovakos, then on the staff of the NYS Arts Council and who later became the first executive director; Darryl Yates Rist; Allen Barnett; and Jewelle Gomez, the organization's first treasurer. Some members of GLAAD went on to become the early members of ACT UP.

GLAAD Media Award

The GLAAD Media Award is an accolade bestowed by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and the issues that affect their lives. In addition to film and television, the Awards also recognize achievements in other branches of the media and arts, including theatre, music, journalism and advertising.

Honorees are selected by a process involving over 700 GLAAD Media Award voters and volunteers and are evaluated using four criteria: "Fair, Accurate and Inclusive Representations" of the LGBT community, "Boldness and Originality" of the project, significant "Cultural Impact" on mainstream culture, and "Overall Quality" of the project. Results are then certified by a "Review Panel" who determine the final list of recipients based on voting results and their own "expert opinions".

The 1st GLAAD Media Awards ceremony honoring the 1989 season was held in 1990, and recognized 34 nominees in 7 competitive categories.

Harry Shum

Heung-Yeung "Harry" Shum (born 1966 or 1967) is an American computer scientist. He is the Executive Vice President, Technology & Research at Microsoft. He is known for his research on computer vision and computer graphics, and for the development of web search engine Bing.

Early life and education

Shum grew up in Nanjing, China. He got his bachelor's degree from Southeast University, Nanjing, China, and a master's degree from Hong Kong University. He studied at Carnegie Mellon University and earned a Ph.D. in robotics from its School of Computer Science in 1996.

Career

In 1996, Shum joined Microsoft Research in Redmond. He then moved to Microsoft Research China (later renamed Microsoft Research Asia) when it was founded in 1998. In 2004, he became the Managing Director of Microsoft Research Asia. In 2006, he was promoted to Distinguished Engineer of Microsoft Corporation. In 2007, he became Corporate Vice President of Bing Product Development at Microsoft. In 2013, he took on the responsibilities as Microsoft's Executive Vice President, Technology & Research including oversight of Microsoft Research.

Harry Shum, Jr.

Harry Shum, Jr. (born April 28, 1982) is a Costa Rican-American actor, dancer, singer, and choreographer. He is best known for his roles as Mike Chang on the Fox comedy-drama television series Glee and as Magnus Bane on the Freeform fantasy television series Shadowhunters. He has appeared in the films Stomp the Yard, You Got Served, Step Up 2: The Streets, and Step Up 3D. He also played Elliot Hoo in The Legion of Extraordinary Dancers.

Early life

Shum was born in Limón, Costa Rica. His mother is a native of Hong Kong, and his father is from Guangzhou, China. They relocated to Costa Rica, where Shum and his two older sisters were born. When Shum was six years old, the family moved to San Francisco, California. He stated: "I feel I have the best of so many worlds. I speak Cantonese and Spanish. Spanish is actually my first language before I learned Cantonese and English." In an interview, he said that his earliest motivations to dance were from watching Ginuwine, Dru Hill, and Usher, before becoming influenced by iconic dancers like Gene Kelly and Michael Jackson.

Matthew Daddario

Matthew Daddario (born October 1, 1987) is an American actor best known for his roles in the films Delivery Man and When the Game Stands Tall. He portrays Alec Lightwood on the Freeform fantasy series Shadowhunters.

Early life

Daddario was born and raised in New York City, the son of Christina, a lawyer, and Richard Daddario, a prosecutor and former head of NYPD Counterterrorism under Mayor Michael Bloomberg. His older sister is actress Alexandra Daddario, and his younger sister is named Catharine. Daddario's paternal grandfather was Emilio Q. Daddario, a Democratic representative to the United States House of Representatives for the state of Connecticut from 1959 to 1971. He is of Italian, Irish, Hungarian, and English ancestry. Daddario attended the Collegiate School, before studying business at Indiana University Bloomington from which he graduated in 2010.

Career

Daddario made his major film debut as Aaron in the romantic drama film Breathe In, directed by Drake Doremus. That same year, he had a supporting role as Channing in the Vince Vaughn-led comedy film Delivery Man, directed by Ken Scott. In 2014, Daddario portrayed Danny Ladouceur in the sports drama film When the Game Stands Tall, co-starring alongside Jim Caviezel, Laura Dern, and Alexander Ludwig. The film is based on the achievements of football coach Bob Ladouceur and the De La Salle Spartans, who set a record 151-game winning streak.