GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ+ media advocacy organization, on Wednesday announced the nominees of the 37th GLAAD Media Awards: 291 nominees across 31 categories honoring outstanding representations of LGBTQ+ people and issues across media.
The Buckeye Flame, Ohio’s LGBTQ+ newsroom, received a nomination in the Outstanding Independent Journalism category.
The awards are selected using the following criteria:
- Fair, Accurate, and Inclusive Representations – The project deals with the characters or themes in a fair, accurate, and multi-dimensional manner. Inclusive speaks to the importance of having the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community represented in our nominees.
- Boldness and Originality – The project breaks new ground by exploring LGBTQ+ subject matter in non-traditional ways, and handles the LGBTQ+ content in a fresh and original manner.
- Impact – The media project dramatically increases the cultural dialogue about LGBTQ+ issues, or reaches an audience that is not regularly exposed to LGBTQ+ images and issues. The project has significant cultural impact.
- Overall Quality – A project of extremely high quality adds significance to the images and issues portrayed and draws more viewers or readers to the material. Fair, accurate, and inclusive images may be less impactful if they are part of a poor-quality project.
The Outstanding Independent Journalism category recognizes creators and independent news organizations that drive journalism and commentary for and about LGBTQ+ people and issues. Queer Kentucky, our close partner in this work, also received a nomination in this category.
“As Ohio’s only LGBTQ+ newsroom and one of only a handful of statewide LGBTQ+ nonprofit newsrooms left in the country, GLAAD’s recognition of our work is an incredible boost to our newsroom,” said Ken Schneck, editor. “That word ‘independent’ is so very important to us and our readers.”
In 2025, The Buckeye Flame received two nominations:
- Outstanding Independent Journalism
- Outstanding Online Journalism Article for “He’s 23 and in an Ohio Prison for Exposing Someone to HIV – Even Though He Couldn’t Transmit the Virus” with Ken Schneck / Rachel Dissell (The Buckeye Flame / The Marshall Project)
Since 1990, the GLAAD Media Awards have grown to be the most visible annual LGBTQ+ awards show in the world, sending powerful messages of acceptance to audiences globally. The GLAAD Media Awards will be held in Los Angeles on Thursday, March 5. 🔥
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