The Recording Academy has donated $150,000 and struck a partnership with GLAAD — the world’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) media advocacy organization — to support its work to diversify the music industry and champion musicians in the LGBTQ+ community, the organization announced Tuesday. According to the announcement, the initiatives include:
- Editorial content spotlighting LGBTQ+ music artists on Grammy and GLAAD.org, as well as each organization’s social media channels;
- Support from the Recording Academy for the 33rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles on Sat, April 2, 2022 and New York City on Fri, May 6, 2022;
- LGBTQ+-focused DEI training sessions hosted by the GLAAD Media Institute for Recording Academy elected leaders and staff to learn more about LGBTQ+ people and issues;
- Participation from key GLAAD executives in the Recording Academy’s DEI speakers series throughout the upcoming year.
The announcement follows similar partnerships the Recording Academy forged with Color of Change to advance inclusion for under-represented communities and the Black Music Collective advisory group; such initiatives as theWomen In The Mix Study to measure inclusion for women in the industry and the project of the same name to promote female including in music production and engineering, among other efforts.
“We’re thrilled to double-down on our commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion in partnership with GLAAD to inspire a culture of belonging and respect within the music industry,” said Recording Academy Board of Trustees Chair Tammy Hurt. “This partnership embodies our joint commitment to accelerate progress for LGBTQ+ voices and ensure that the music community is representative of the many diverse artists who contribute to and call this industry home.”
“The music industry is one of the most powerful avenues for bringing cultural conversations around diversity and inclusion to the forefront,” said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “Our new partnership with the Recording Academy will shape the future of LGBTQ+ inclusion in music and uplift underrepresented voices within the industry who have been overlooked for far too long.”
