Last week, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation published its list of nominees for the second annual Media Awards in Advertising. According to GLAAD’s official press release, the awards are meant to “elevate and promote individuals and projects in the advertising and marketing industries for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and the issues that affect their lives.” Which is quite a mouthful, but at heart, it means that GLAAD wants to recognize those companies that provide visibility to our community.

Given the significant number of gay-friendly automakers out there, and given the sizable chunk of change they spend on advertising, we figured there ought to be loads of car companies among GLAAD’s nominees. Seriously, have you checked Gaywheels’ list of gay-friendly automakers lately? Of the 42 automakers we’ve reviewed, only four are on the non-gay-friendly list — and one of those is Suzuki. (Speaking of lost causes.)

Anyway, we sat right down and skimmed the list, and we were pleasantly surprised to find ABSOLUTELY ZERO automakers on it. Which, come to think of it, wasn’t a pleasant surprise at all. In fact, it made us a little angry. Still does.

Bertolli is on there. Absolut, too. Levis Strauss. Miller Lite. Heck, Progressive Insurance made the cut. And yet, nary a sign of our auto industry pals.

Of course, that’s not to say that GM or Ford or Chrysler or Toyota or Honda, or any of the others are unfriendly to us. Off the top of our heads, we know of 38 automakers that offer benefits to our husbands, wives, and domestic partners. But clearly, they have to step up their advertising game. Oh well, as Red Sox fans used to say, maybe next year.

If you’re the type who enjoys going to awards ceremonies, the GLAAD wingding takes place September 29 at New York’s Grand Hyatt hotel, with Bryan Batt and Bethenny Frankel hosting. If you’re the type who enjoys reading press releases, (a) more power to you, and (b) see below.

GLAAD ANNOUNCES NOMINEES, SPECIAL HONOREES FOR 2ND ANNUAL GLAAD MEDIA AWARDS IN ADVERTISING PRESENTED BY OMNICOM GROUP, PUBLICIS GROUPE, & ROKK VODKA

American Airlines and Bob Garfield to be Honored on September 29 at New York event hosted by Bryan Batt and featuring Bethenny Frankel

Absolut Vodka, Levi Strauss & Co., Progressive Insurance, Givenchy Wells Fargo, Among Nominees

New York, NY, August 23, 2010 – The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) announced today the nominees and honorees for the 2nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Advertising Presented by Omnicom Group, Publicis Groupe, and Rokk Vodka. Bryan Batt (Mad Men) will host the event on September 29, 2010 in New York City and Bethenny Frankel (Real Housewives of New York City, Bethenny Getting Married?) will present. Among the nominees are: Absolut Vodka’s “Exceptional Moments: The Absolut RuPaul” commercials, Levi Strauss & Co.’s “Gay History Month/Logo Leaders” campaign, Progressive Insurance’s “Works in Progress” ads, Wells Fargo’s “Advocate Money Minute,” and Givenchy’s “Fall 2010” campaign featuring openly transgender model Lea T. A complete list of nominated ads is included below and can also be found at http://www.glaad.org/advertisingawards/nominees.

GLAAD also announced that American Airlines will receive the Corporate Responsibility Award for its long-standing and public commitment to the LGBT community. As part of the American Airlines Rainbow TeAAM, the company has supported LGBT film festivals, fundraisers and Pride events across the country by serving as an official airline partner. American Airlines was also the first airline to score 100% on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index.

GLAAD will present Bob Garfield with the Public Visibility Award in recognition of his work to advocate for LGBT inclusion in advertising. For 25 years, Bob Garfield’s iconic “AdReview” column in Advertising Age evaluated and deconstructed thousands of ads from hundreds of agencies worldwide. Throughout his tenure, Garfield has been a strong ally for the LGBT community, taking on some of the most formidable agencies in the nation over ads rooted in homophobia and stereotypes and applauding groundbreaking inclusions of LGBT people in mainstream advertising.

GLAAD is pleased to announce that this year’s event is an official event of Advertising Week. Advertising Week is North America’s premier gathering of cutting-edge communications leaders. Advertising Week is a hybrid of thought leadership and special event programming, uniting clients, creatives, media and inspiring figures. Advertising Week’s mission is to galvanize the industry by creating an entertaining, enlightening and engaging platform for disparate parts of the advertising business.

The GLAAD Media Awards in Advertising elevate and promote individuals and projects in the advertising and marketing industries for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and the issues that affect their lives. The GLAAD Media Awards in Advertising also fund GLAAD’s work to amplify stories of LGBT people and issues through all media to build support for equality.

“We celebrate this year’s nominees and special honorees for their inclusive work,” said GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios. “However, this year we witnessed a decline in the number of inclusive advertisements in mainstream media, and as our community continues to strive for visibility, the advertising industry should take note.”

“As we see more gay and transgender characters and stories on television and in film, American consumers are coming to expect images of our community in advertising as well,” Barrios continued. “Advertisers who include fair and accurate images of our community accomplish more than targeting new consumers, they also send a powerful message about the American cultural fabric of which our community is an integral part.”

The GLAAD Media Awards in Advertising will be held in New York on September 29, 2010 at the Grand Hyatt New York, 104 E. 42nd Street. More special guests and presenters will be announced. To purchase tickets for the event, please visit www.glaad.org/advertisingawards.

Nominees for the 2nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Advertising were printed, broadcast or appeared online between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010.

Leveraging GLAAD’s media advocacy and anti-LGBT defamation resources, GLAAD’s Advertising Media Program monitors all forms of advertising and works to ensure fair and accurate representations of the LGBT community or demand action when defamation occurs. The Advertising Media Program proactively advances inclusion of the LGBT community in mainstream advertising through advocacy work at advertising agencies and corporate advertising departments. GLAAD maintains an online library of over 4,000 LGBT-inclusive ads at www.glaad.org/advertising.