On Feb. 10, GLAAD and the NFL hosted "A Night of Pride," sponsored by Pepsi Stronger Together, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
The evening featured a performance by Big Freedia as well as panel discussions on advances in LGBTQ inclusion in sports as well as the NFL's commitment to LGBTQ former and current players.
Guests included Alyssa Milano, Anthony Bowens, August Getty, Braunwyn Windham-Burke, Jai Rodriguez, LZ Granderson, Bitch and others as well as Pamela Stewart, chair of GLAAD's board of directors.
Granderson, host of the ABC News podcast Life Out Loud with LZ Granderson, moderated a discussion on LGBTQ inclusion in the NFL with out NFL player Ryan O'Callaghan and NFL free agent R.K. Russell, who came out as bi in 2019. Stewart moderated a panel on LGBTQ inclusion in advertising featuring Mohit Jolly, senior director of marketing at Google; trans actress model and producer Jari Jones; and Brent Miller, senior director for global LGBTQ equality at P&G.
GLAAD's Visibility Project, a program dedicated to growing LGBTQ inclusion in advertising, announced that (based on ads released ahead of the game) only one ad is set to expressly feature LGBTQ people or issues. The ad for the Google Pixel 6 features a queer couple. Additionally, Vrbo will air a "pre-game" ad that features LGBTQ people. GLAAD will track ads during Super Bowl LVI at GLAAD.org .
During the event, GLAAD Media Awards Executive Producer Anthony Allen Ramos presented GLAAD awards to the following previously announced recipients of Special Recognition of the 33rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards:
"Coded: The Hidden Love of JC Leyendecker," a documentary short that chronicles the evolution of LGBTQ images in advertising;
the podcast Life Out Loud with LZ Granderson; and
Outsports.com's 2021 coverage of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
The 33rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards will take place on April 2 in Los Angeles and May 5 in New York City.