ABC's General Hospital Airs GLAAD Public
Service Announcement
Promoting Awareness of LGBT Issues to Millions of Viewers
Click here to watch
the General Hospital PSA
Dear Friend of GLAAD:
This week on ABC's longest-running soap, General
Hospital's Lucas, one of the show's principle youth characters, was
a victim of a brutal gay bashing.
To help counter the impact of hate and violence, the
producers of the Emmy-winning program paired the episode with a public
service ad (PSA) urging the show's loyal audience to become "an ally
and a friend" to gay people. Ben Hogestyn, (Lucas) and Lindze Letherman
(Georgie) send viewers to GLAAD.org to find resources for parents,
youth, families and friends who, as straight allies, can help LGBT
people in the coming-out process, and help convey the importance of
equality, fairness, tolerance, and mutual respect.
The General Hospital episode and accompanying
PSA will introduce millions of viewers to GLAAD and our programs,
thanks to multiple airings over the next two weeks on both ABC and on
the national cable network SoapNet.
Turning a plot development on ABC's leading daytime
drama into a "teachable moment" for millions of viewers followed many
months of work by Damon Romine, GLAAD's entertainment media director,
including media training for actor Ben Hogestyn and story ideas and
resources to General Hospital's writers.
Click on http://www.glaad.org/PSA2006/ to view the General
Hospital PSA and explore the "Be and Ally. Be a Friend" resource.
Even better, copy this address (http://www.glaad.org/PSA2006/) and send
it to your straight friends and allies and urge them to help spread the
word about this valuable resource.
And please don't forget to click on http://www.glaad.org/support/
to help support the continuing work that makes things like this PSA
possible.
Warmly,
Neil Giuliano
President
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