Filipino Community Commends GLAAD, Promotes LGBT Support in the Philippines

Shay Mitchell of "Pretty Little Liars"

Plenty of big names and popular programs were honored at last weekend’s GLAAD Media Awards – and Filipinos played a major role in both the organization of the event and the shows recognized for outstanding work on behalf of the LGBT community.

Stars like Shay Mitchell, the Filipina actress who plays a lesbian character on the hit show “Pretty Little Liars” and Darren Criss, the Filipino-American actor who plays opposite Chris Colfer’s gay character Kurt on “Glee,” spoke of their growing understanding of and support for the LGBT community and the significance of accurate, empathetic portrayal of gay and lesbian characters in mainstream media.
Mitchell explained that her portrayal of a gay teen has allowed her connect with LGBT youth on a wide scale, while Criss’ performance as Kurt’s love interest has been praised for its realism.
Alexis Monsanto, a Filipino-American fashion designer and gay rights advocate, praised GLAAD’s mission to recognize and also encourage support for LGBT equality in the media and expressed a desire to see similar activism on behalf of LGBT communities in the Philippines.
Monsanto grew up in the Philippines and recalls media portrayals of gays being “heartbreaking” in their demeaning and stereotype-driven attitudes.
In the wake of the GLAAD Media Awards, Monsanto and other Filipino LGBT members of GLAAD voiced their desire to help create an organization as powerful as GLAAD to support LGBT individuals in the Philippines and change media portrayal of Filipino gays and lesbians for the better.

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