In a few short weeks, the organization designed to protect the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community -- GLAAD -- has turned into one of the biggest bullies in Hollywood.
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation has loudly taken three big media companies to task in the past few weeks over words used in films and TV shows.
>> The group scolded Ron Howard and Universal Pictures for calling electric cars “gay” in the upcoming comedy feature “The Dilemma.” Howard didn't budge, but Universal took the joke out of the trailer.
>> Last week GLAAD demanded an apology from MTV -- and got one -- after the reality show "Jersey Shore" used the word "tranny" mockingly.
>> Last month, in a blog post on its website, GLAAD criticized the Fox hit musical series “Glee” for using the word “tranny” in a recent “Rocky Horror Picture Show”-themed episode.”
“Words and images matter,” GLAAD president Jarrett Barrios told TheWrap.
Well, yeah, they do -- but so does getting what you want without declaring open season on your friends.
"GLAAD is much better served when they work with us instead of coming out and hitting us in the jaw in front of everybody," said one fearful Hollywood publicist.
Also read: Ron Howard Insists He Won't Cut "Dilemma's" Gay Joke.
A network official, meanwhile, noted that while GLAAD issued a statement hammering away at one of his series for its word selection, it wasn't until the fourth paragraph that the advocacy group explained what was wrong with the term the show used.
"It seemed more about what we did wrong than educating us," he noted.
In its quest for fair media representation, GLAAD seems quick to take off the gloves … even when dealing with its friends.
“Glee” just got an award from GLAAD for an episode in which showrunner Ryan Murphy wrote about a bullied gay high-schooler. MTV was lauded by the group in July for its gay and lesbian representation.
And while GLAAD officials take Howard to task for purging the bisexually themed source material for "A Beautiful Mind," he's also condemned by conservatives for being a typical Hollywood liberal.
See also: GLAAD Beware: "You Know How I know You're Gay?" (video)
Even the blogosphere thinks GLAAD is going too far.
“Good lord, can GLADD (sic) just die already?” wrote annoyed commenter Ryan on EW.com’s story about the ‘tranny’ complaint. “I hate all these groups that make a huge fuss about minor things. In my eyes it does more to hurt the cause they are supposed to be helping than it helps. PETA is another group I feel this way about.”
GLAAD may be “spinning its wheels and squandering its resources” by picking fights with media personalities, wrote Scott Stiffler on a leading LGBT portral, Edge, last year after the group got into a pissing match with Perez Hilton and “South Park’s" Trey Parker and Matt Stone.
