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Weekend – 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards – Binational Story Nominated

Saturday, March 13, 2010 Marriott Marquis in Times Square

Posted by Editors and Staff Writers – , 3/11/10. The  21st Annual New York GLAAD Media Awards – will be held at the Marriott Marquis in New York City on March 13, 2010.  The GLAAD Media Awards recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives.

Online ticketing for the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards – New York is now closed. To purchase tickets or for additional information, please contact the GLAAD event company, STAMP Event Management for availability at (212) 219-0111. Thank you.

After posting and writing this piece, we realized our own connection to the nomination of Mike Swift of San Jose Mercury News who received a nomination for Best News Article. Here is the short version of the inside story to the story…

Lezgetreal’s  Senior Editor  Melanie Nathan- was the original bi-national spouse to be featured in the Article that has received this nomination. Mike Swift of the Mercury news had interviewed Melanie and her partner Dorit for the Story  about the plight of same-sex binationals,  that was to appear in the San Jose Newspaper.  However a week before it was due for publication, Melanie succeeded in resolving Dorit’s immigration problem.

At the same time Melanie was approached by  Molly McKay of Marriage Equality, in San Francisco.  Molly introduced Shirley Tan and Jay Mercado to Nathan, coincidentally from the Pacifica area, home to the Mercury News,  citing a similar immigration problem.  However Shirley Tan was on the brink of deportation.  Melanie said  “When Molly referred the case, I knew it would blow the lid off UAFA.  I told Shirley and Jay that I would help them, pro bono, and that all I wanted in return was for them to agree to advocate for UAFA, The Uniting American Families Act.  They agreed.”   

Melanie then called Mike Swift and extended the publication of the article by a few days, promising to deliver a much “hotter” story than hers and Dorit’s.  Mike Swift agreed to pend the report – on  the basis of exclusivity and trusting that Melanie would deliver a big story.

In the meantime Melanie had been planning to remove the file of  Tan from Senator Boxer’s office to the Office of Senator Feinstein. LGBT organizations such as Immigration Equality had turned Tan and Mercado away, stating they were unable to help.  Regardless  of the odds,  Melanie took the case and made the decision to approach Senator Feinstein for the introduction of the very rare private bill.  Melanie was told that this would be impossible to accomplish, but she was relentless in her pursuit.

One of Melanie’s reasons to hold the story up by a few days, was to get the couple’s congressional representative, Congresswoman Jackie Speier, to support the endeavor.  In doing so, Melanie called the communications director at the Congresswoman’s office and informed him that Shirley Tan had approached their Pacifica office for help, but that she had been turned away by reception, with the response that the Congresswoman was too new and had never worked to do a Private Bill before.   “I called Jackie Speier because I know she is a great ally and I wanted to give her a fair chance to comment on the case that concerned her constituents. I  did not believe she would be content to have the quote stand as what reception had said.”

Congresswoman Speier was eating a late dinner in D.C. when the communications staffer made the call and within minutes Mike Swift had received an incredibly  supportive and compassionate quote from the Congresswoman, who placed her support on the public record through through the publication of this newspaper article.   That quote was used in the strategy employed by Melanie as she lead the couple to successfully obtain the introduction  of Private Bill # 867, by Senator Feinstein, which effectively served to save Shirley Tan from deportation.

Nathan still marvels at how the swift action of Mike (Swift) and trust in a great story helped in what seemed like an impossible endeavor.

It should also be noted that Nathan, the owner of Private Courts,  a Conflict Resolution and Personal Advocacy firm, started writing for LezGetReal at the invitation of Editor Paula Brooks, after Melanie had started her own Blog, www.oblogdeeoblogda.wordpress.com as a consequence of the Tan case.  Now Melanie has become Senior Editor in charge of Immigration, for LezGetReal.  She still advocates for bi-national couples and for the passage of UAFA.  She has a column on Lezgetreal where she showcases the desperate need for immigration equality for Bi-national same-sex partners.

“Binational, same-sex couples face immigration problems -By Mike Swift, Mercury News.

Shirley Tan’s calm and happy life — San Mateo County housewife, mother of twin 12-year-old boys, singing in the church choir — blew up at 6:30 a.m. on Jan. 28, with a knock on the front door.

Within minutes, the immigration agent standing there had the 43-year-old Tan in handcuffs. She is scheduled to be deported to her native Philippines on Friday.”

MIKE SWIFT for the Mercury News.

Photo: Shirley Tan, Melanie Nathan and Jay Mercado with Twins, Jashley and Jorienne on either side. Taken in D.C. on June 3rd at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings for UAFA.

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Event Details:
Saturday, March 13, 2010  4 pm – midnight Marriott Marquis, 1535 Broadway New York City

4.00 pm Cocktail Reception & Silent Auction
6:00 pm Dinner & Media Awards Show

H O S T   ALAN CUMMING

Celebrity After Party immediately following Awards Show

21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards -
English Language Nominees

Outstanding Film – Wide Release
Everybody’s Fine Miramax	I Love You, Man DreamWorks SKG	Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire Lionsgate Films	A Single Man The Weinstein Company	Taking Woodstock Focus Features
Outstanding Film – Limited Release
Casi Divas Maya Entertainment	The Country Teacher Film Movement	Little Ashes Regent Releasing	Phoebe in Wonderland THINKfilm	The Secrets Monterey Media
Outstanding Drama Series
Brothers & Sisters ABC	Grey’s Anatomy ABC	Mad Men AMC	Skins BBC America	True Blood HBO
Outstanding Comedy Series
Beautiful People Logo	Glee Fox	GREEK ABC Family	Modern Family ABC	United States of Tara Showtime
Outstanding Individual Episode in a series without a regular LGBT character
“Homeward Bound” Private Practice (ABC)	“Lisa Says” The Listener (NBC)	“Pawnee Zoo” Parks and Recreation (NBC)	“The Real Ghostbusters” Supernatural (The CW)	“Wait and See” Private Practice (ABC)
Outstanding TV Movie or Mini-Series
An Englishman in New York Logo	Pedro MTV	Prayers for Bobby Lifetime	Torchwood: Children of Earth BBC America
Outstanding Documentary
Ask Not PBS	Be Like Others HBO	Derek The Sundance Channel	The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls Diva Productions	U People Logo
Outstanding Reality Program
The Amazing Race 15 CBS	Kathy Griffin: MY Life on the D-List Bravo	Making His Band MTV	The Real World: Brooklyn MTV	RuPaul’s Drag Race Logo/VH1
Outstanding Daily Drama
All My Children ABC	As the World Turns CBS	Guiding Light CBS	One Life to Live ABC
Outstanding Music Artist
Brandi Carlile Give Up the Ghost (Sony)	Lady Gaga The Fame Monster (Interscope)	Gossip Music for Men (Sony)	Adam Lambert For Your Entertainment (19 Recordings / RCA Records)	Otep Smash the Control Machine (Victory Records)
Outstanding Talk Show Episode
“Ellen DeGeneres and Her Wife, Portia de Rossi” The Oprah Winfrey Show (syndicated) “Hell to Pay – Gay Teen Exorcism” The Tyra Banks Show (The CW) “Mormon Church & Gays” The Joy Behar Show (HLN) “The Science of Intersex” The Dr. Oz Show (syndicated) “Sirdeaner Walker Interview” The Ellen DeGeneres Show (syndicated)
Outstanding TV Journalism – Newsmagazine
“40th Anniversary of Stonewall” In the Life (PBS) “Angie Zapata Murder Trial” InSession (truTV) “Bullied to Death?” Anderson Cooper 360 (CNN) “Gay Killings in Iraq” CNN Newsroom (CNN) “Uganda Be Kidding Me” (series) The Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC)
Outstanding TV Journalism Segment
“Gay Teen Mutilated” Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell (HLN) “Lt. Col. Victor Fehrenbach ‘I Was Utterly Devastated’” CNN Newsroom (CNN) “Reverend’s Revelation: Minister Speaks Out About Being Transgender” The Early Show (CBS) “Total Transformation: Why Chaz Bono Decided to Change” Good Morning America (ABC) “Why Will Won’t Pledge Allegiance” American Morning (CNN)
Outstanding Newspaper Article
“Binational, Same-Sex Couples Face Immigration Problems” by Mike Swift (San Jose Mercury News) “Kept From a Dying Partner’s Bedside” by Tara Parker-Pope (The New York Times) “Militias Target Some Iraqis for Being Gay” by Paul Wiseman and Nadeem Majeed (USA Today) “Minister Kept Secret for 27 Years” by Christine McFadden (The Portland Tribune [Portland, Ore.]) “Transgender Vets a Hidden Population” by Carol Ann Alaimo (Arizona Daily Star [Tucson, Ariz.])
Outstanding Newspaper Columnist
Leonard Pitts, Jr. (The Miami Herald) Deb Price (The Detroit News) Frank Rich (The New York Times) Rev. Byron Williams (The Oakland Tribune) Craig Wilson (USA Today)
Outstanding Newspaper Overall Coverage
Greeley Tribune [Greeley, Colo.] Los Angeles Times The New York Times Portland Press Herald [Portland, Maine] The Washington Post
Outstanding Magazine Article
“Coming Out in Middle School” by Benoit Denizet-Lewis (The New York Times Magazine) “Either/Or: Sports, Sex and the Case of Caster Semenya” by Ariel Levy (The New Yorker) “Gay on Trial” by Gabriel Arana (The American Prospect) “Trouble in Paradise” by Jeannine Amber (Essence) “What’s Right with Utah” by Lisa Duggan (The Nation)
Outstanding Magazine Overall Coverage
The Advocate Entertainment Weekly The Nation Newsweek People
Outstanding Digital Journalism Article
“Former College Football Captain Was Openly Gay” by Cyd Zeigler, Jr. (Outsports.com) “McMackin’s Slur Reveals Larger Problem” by LZ Granderson (ESPN.com) “On the Road to Refuge” by Pete Muller (ColorLines.com) “‘We Love You, This Won’t Change a Thing’” by John Buccigross(ESPN.com) “Why Can’t You Just Butch Up? Gay Men, Effeminacy, and Our War with Ourselves” by Brent Hartinger (AfterElton.com)
Outstanding Digital Journalism – Multimedia
“AIDS Lifecycle: On the Road” by Derrick Shore (Advocate.com) “From Stonewall to Mainstream” written by Jessica Bennett & Rebecca Shabad, photos by Kathy Jones & Margaret Keady, video by Jennifer Molina (Newsweek.com) “The Stonewall Riots: 40 Years Later” produced by Dave Singleton (AARP.org)
Outstanding Comic Book
Buffy the Vampire Slayer by Jane Espenson, Steven S. DeKnight, Drew Z. Greenberg, Jim Krueger, Doug Petrie, Joss Whedon (Dark Horse Comics) Detective Comics by Greg Rucka (DC Comics) Madame Xanadu by Matt Wagner (Vertigo/DC Comics) Secret Six by Gail Simone (DC Comics) X-Factor by Peter David (Marvel Comics)
Outstanding Los Angeles Theater
40 is the New 15 book and lyrics by Larry Todd Johnson, music by Cindy O’Connor Anita Bryant Died for Your Sins by Brian Christopher Williams Battle Hymn by Jim Leonard Bingo with the Indians by Adam Rapp Lydia by Octavio Solis
Outstanding New York Theater: Broadway & Off-Broadway
A Boy and His Soul by Colman Domingo The Brother/Sister Plays by Tarell Alvin McCraney Next Fall by Geoffrey Nauffts Soul Samurai by Qui Nguyen The Temperamentals by Jon Marans
Outstanding New York Theater: Off-Off Broadway
Abraham Lincoln’s Big Gay Dance Party by Aaron Loeb Devil Boys From Beyond by Buddy Thomas and Kenneth Elliott, based on an original script by Buddy Thomas The Lily’s Revenge by Taylor Mac She Like Girls by Chisa Hutchinson Wickets created and conceived by Clove Galilee and Jenny Rogers, adapted from Fefu and Her Friends by Maria Irene Fornes
Special Recognition
Hair book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni, music by Galt MacDermot

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• GLAAD Announces Nominees, Special Honorees for 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards (bilerico.com)
• ABC Leads GLAAD Awards Nominees (joemygod.blogspot.com)
• Wanda Sykes and Drew Barrymore to Recieve GLAAD Awards (lezgetreal.com)
• Weekend – 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards – New York (lezgetreal.com)
• Immigration Reform Must Include LGBT Couples (lezgetreal.com)
• Bi-nationals – Take Back your Right to your FIGHT (oblogdeeoblogda.wordpress.com)
• Comprehensive Immigration Reform Symposium: – Keeping our eye on Equality (oblogdeeoblogda.wordpress.com)
• Melanie Nathan Calls for Moratorium as US Citizen’s Brazilian same-sex husband denied asylum .. (lezgetreal.com)
• Shirley Tan Advocate Magazine’s Activist of the YEAR! (oblogdeeoblogda.wordpress.com)
• BREAKING: Out 4 Immigration Spearheads New All Inclusive Plan for UAFA (lezgetreal.com)