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GLAAD Responds to Contestant Announcements for ‘Dancing with the Stars’

Aug 30, 2011  •  Post A Comment

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, known for critiquing the level of gay-friendly content in television programming, has given a stamp of approval to ABC’s upcoming season of "Dancing with the Stars," reports EW.com’s Inside TV blog.

With the announcement of the next season’s contestants, GLAAD notes that both a transgender person and an openly gay man are competing, the story says.

“With both gay and transgender contestants represented on this upcoming season, ABC will send viewers a strong message about the diversity within the LGBT community,” said Herndon Graddick, senior director of programs for GLAAD, in a statement.

As previously reported, Chaz Bono, who transitioned from female to male, will be joining the cast, as will Carson Kressley, an openly gay man and the host of his own show on OWN.

Bono’s involvement "is a tremendous step forward for the public to recognize that transgender people are another wonderful part of the fabric of American culture," GLAAD said.

One Comment

  1. There’s something dubious about citing “Dancing with the Stars” as a barometer for LGBT progress.

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