The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), the nation’s foremost lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) media advocacy and anti-defamation organization, has announced the nominees for the 23rd annual GLAAD Media Awards. We are excited to report that “Making It Work“, Rod McCullom’s piece on Black same-sex couples in the South from the October 2011 issue of EBONY has been nominated in the category of Best Magazine Article! Also nominated: “The Secret I Don’t Want to Keep Anymore” by Janet Mock, as told to EBONY.com Editorial Director Kierna Mayo, Mock’s compelling account of revealing herself to be a transgendered woman to friends and co-workers. McCullom’s blog Rod 2.0 is also up for Outstanding Blog.

Other notable nominees include the AIDS documentary We Were Here (Outstanding Documentary), TheRoot.com’s “Black and Transgender: A Double Burden” (Outstanding Digital Journalism Article), and Pariah (Outstanding Film-Limited Release).   View the entire nominee list here.

“As media continue to tell new stories about LGBT people and families, a majority of Americans now support full equality of LGBT Americans,” said Mike Thompson, GLAAD’s Acting President.  “This year’s nominees enlighten and entertain, while spotlighting the diversity of our community. Audiences expect to see their own worlds reflected in media, and today more than ever, those include the lives of LGBT people. Viewers know that LGBT characters and stories are simply natural extensions of, and glimpses into, their own experiences from across America.”

The GLAAD Media Awards ceremonies will be held in New York on March 24, 2012 at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square; in Los Angeles on April 21 at the Westin Bonaventure; and in San Francisco on June 2 at San Francisco Marriott Marquis. Special Honorees for each city will be announced in the coming weeks. Congrats to all the nominees!