20th Annual National Coming Out Day

Celebrities Sara Ramirez, T.R. Knight, Marlee Matlin, Rebecca Romijn, Lance Bass and Others Encourage Acceptance and Inclusion

In honor of the 20th Annual National Coming Out Day on Saturday, October 11, cable networks and local affiliates will be airing public service announcements (PSAs) from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). The "Be an Ally & a Friend" PSA campaign, now in its third year, shares with viewers the importance of accepting gay friends and family members.

"National Coming Out Day gives us a vital opportunity to talk about ensuring that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people feel comfortable being open about who they are with their friends and families and in their communities," says GLAAD President Neil G. Giuliano. "Thanks to the generosity of our broadcast partners, we have a tremendous opportunity to reach Americans across the country with a message of inclusion and acceptance."

Among the networks recognizing National Coming Out Day will be Fox Reality Channel, IFC, Lifetime, The N, SCI FI Channel, Sundance Channel, USA Network, and various ABC affiliates.

National Coming Out Day is observed every October 11. The day was established in 1988 to commemorate the first anniversary of the second national march on Washington for LGBT rights.

GLAAD's ongoing "Be an Ally & a Friend" PSA campaign currently features 22 entertainers from television, film and sports. The spots encourage people to be allies to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and to help combat homophobia, directing viewers to resources at GLAAD.org (www.glaad.org/ally).

Media outlets interested in running the PSAs should email a request to entertainment@glaad.org or call (323) 634-2013. Artwork of select participants can be downloaded here: www.glaad.org/ally/photos.php. The spots can be embedded from LiveVideo here: www.livevideo.com/GLAAD.

The PSAs were directed by Nadine Licostie, and produced by Licostie and Connie Grazia for Red Thread Productions.

About GLAAD
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of people and events in the media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. For more information, please visit www.glaad.org.