PaleyImpact: Salute to LGBTQ+ Pride Achievements in Television

Leading figures from entertainment and sports gather on May 19, 2021, for PaleyImpact: Salute to LGBTQ+ Pride Achievements in Television, moderated by Gio Benitez, to address the wide and diverse accomplishments of LGBTQ+ individuals. Maureen Reidy, Paley Center President and CEO, offers opening comments. Panel topics include: how gay representation on TV has influenced each of the panelists; Chaiken's decision to out herself by co-creating "The L Word" for Showtime; Cox's reaction to being the first trans performer of color to earn an Emmy nomination; why more athletes haven't come out since Collins' groundbreaking actions in 2013; how being told to be less feminine emboldened Rippon to become, in 2018, the first openly gay U.S. Olympic athlete to win a medal at the Winter Olympic Games; the press coverage that surrounded Nixon when she began dating a woman after living with a man for 15 years; and the reason that much LGBTQ+ history remains largely unknown. Participants: Ilene Chaiken, Creator, Showrunner, and Executive Producer; Jason Collins, Athlete and NBA Cares Community Activist; Laverne Cox, Actress, Producer, and Advocate; Cynthia Nixon, Actor and Advocate; Adam Rippon, Artist, Athlete, and Activist. Moderator: Gio Benitez, ABC News Correspondent. Host: Maureen Reidy, President and CEO, The Paley Center for Media.