To: Seth Bookey FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Donald Suggs Dir. of Public Affairs GLAAD/NY 212.807.1700 LESBIANS AND GAY MEN GO UNDERGROUND! ------------------------------------ A ground-breaking GLAAD/NY ad campaign aimed at 3 million New York City subway riders New York, New York, June 14 -- The New York chapter of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD/NY) announces its ground breaking "Images" advertising campaign. The campaign is the first designed to bring fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of lesbians and gay lives to the 3 million New Yorkers who ride the subways each day. "While lesbian and gay issues have become highly visible, Americans still don't see us as regular people who have a variety of jobs, lifestyles, genders, colors, and ages," says GLAAD/NY Executive Director Ellen Carton. "Images will educate the public about our lives by putting them on a first name basis with a diverse group of men and women who are active in our community." The images campaign is composed of two sets of images, each spotlighting three community members. These posters will appear in every other subway car, on every line in New York City's five boroughs through July 14. The six individuals depicted in the posters were chosen after a casting call conducted by GLAAD/New York's Images Committee. The committee -- which is made up of lesbian and gay advertising, design, and photography professionals -- is also responsible for the creative content of the campaign. "These six individuals exemplify both the breadth and the depth of our community's accomplishments," says Carton. "They are people New Yorkers can recognize and relate to, but may not have known were lesbian or gay." Founded in 1985, GLAAD/NY works for fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of lesbian and gay lives. # # #