Director Kirby Dick issued a statement to Towleroad on his film Outrage's snubbing by the GLAAD Media Awards, who defended the omission by claiming they weren't "the Academy Awards," and that peeking into closets -- regardless of whose -- "doesn't promote awareness," and therefore doesn't fall under their mandate.
He wrote:
[T]he film meets all four criteria listed on their website: "Fair, Accurate and Inclusive Representations" of "the LGBT Community", "Boldness and Originality", "Impact", and "Overall Quality".
More troubling is their position that the subject of my film - the hypocrisy of closeted politicians and the harm they do the lives of millions of LGBT citizens - is inappropriate for the GLAAD awards. By taking this position, GLAAD is playing into the same philosophy that has kept the closet in place in politics for decades and has caused so much damage. Like the mainstream media which has been silent on this hypocrisy, GLAAD seems to think that by avoiding this complex subject it will go away. Just the opposite, the longer attention is not brought to the subject, the more the damage of the closet will continue, both in politics and in Hollywood.
The Supreme Court has just issued a ruling that exemplifies this country's long history of keeping LGBT concerns in the closet by voting to not allow cameras to cover our country's most urgent civil rights trial. Isn't it time for GLAAD to stop protecting the closet as well?"
Yes, it is. Even a fan of "limited exposure" like Sal Romano would agree.
ยท "Outrage Director Kirby Dick Responds to Awards Snub:
'Isn't it Time for GLAAD to Stop Protecting the Closet?'":http://www.towleroad.com/2010/01/outrage-director-kirby-dick-responds-to-awards-snub-isnt-it-time-for-glaad-to-stop-protecting-the-cl.html [Towleroad]