Nominations open for GLORIAs

Nominations are now open for the third annual Gay & Lesbian Outrageous, Ridiculous and Ignorant Comment Awards (or GLORIAs), with statements by the likes of Bob Katter, Peter Madden and Margaret Court expected to feature heavily at the ceremony held to highlight the silliest and most shocking statements made about the GLBTI community in the past year.

Held each year on May 17 to coincide with International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO), the GLORIAs are modelled on former NSW MP Meredith Burgmann’s Ernie Awards for sexist comments and provide an opportunity to expose homophobia and transphobia within the community while having fun at the same time.

In announcing that nominations were now open, NSW Labor MLC Penny Sharpe said it was regrettable there still remained so many public comments about people in the GLBTI community which ranged from being ignorant and unhelpful to “sometimes downright dangerous”.

“Unfortunately there is no shortage of material. In 2012 we have had a former Christian Democratic Party candidate travelling along the east coast of Australia in a truck with a billboard proclaiming that ‘same sex marriage is homosexual sex-ed for your young children’,” Sharpe said.    

“Not to mention the anti-gay marriage ad that Bob Katter’s party ran during the Queensland elections.

“In the sports category there have been several nominations of the comments made by Margaret Court during the Australian Open.”

This year awards will be given in six categories – Media, Sport, Politics/Law, Religion, Silliest GLBTI as well as the International category.

Nominations will be open until Friday, May 4 before voting commences on May 7 and continues until 5pm on the night of the ceremony dinner to be held at NSW Parliament House.

The Golden GLORIA, given for the worst comment of the year, will be decided at the dinner in the same manner as previous years with the traditional ‘boo off’.

It was won last year by Jim Wallace, from the Australian Christian Lobby, for comments made on Twitter on Anzac Day, in which he said Australian servicemen and women never fought for gay marriage.