New York, October 10, 2007

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) announced today a targeted print campaign designed to increase visibility for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people from the Asian-Pacific Islander (API) community. Scheduled throughout October, the campaign is designed for API media outlets across the country to encourage API LGBT community members to share stories about their love and committed relationships.

The visibility campaign features openly gay Filipino actor Alec Mapa with his partner, Jamison Hebert. Mapa is a successful entertainer and has been seen in various television series including Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives, and Half & Half. Photographs of Alec and Jamison follow various highlights throughout their relationship including their commitment ceremony. The ads will appear in AsianWeek, Asian Fortune and Filipinas – publications with a combined circulation of close to 100,000.

“This media campaign was designed to amplify the dreams and aspirations that countless same-sex couples share within the community,” said GLAAD API Media Strategist Andy Marra. “We hope that Alec’s story and similar ones generated from the campaign will visibly demonstrate that love and commitment are values held by everyone regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.”

The GLAAD print campaign targeting the API community is the final installment of three that were launched throughout the year. GLAAD previously debuted similar campaigns in ethnic media outlets geared towards Communities of African Descent and the Spanish-language speaking population.

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.