ABC recently debuted a show called “Work It” about two straight guys that are trying to land a job in a recession. They have been on unemployment for a year now and are desperate for a job. They figure out that they could dress up in drag and get a job known normally just for females in the pharmaceutical sales industry. Having worked in sales and applied for several drug companies I do know that you need to be a gorgeous women for this task or a sales person that is highly charismatic.

GLAAD wasted a full page ad on going up against this show. It got canceled today but after watching it online it looked like it certainly would not harm a transgender person. I think there are things that GLAAD should be going after such as Santorum or Romney instead of a sitcom that the gays would enjoy.

One face-book comment on the issue said “It makes your organization look about as uptight as Elton John losing out to Madonna last night. Was your organization offended when George Washington wore a wig? I mean what kind of uptight organization are you?” We also saw some comments against GLAAD for taking this action against ABC and ‘Work It’ saying “Who will they go after next.. Tootsie?”. Seriously, they might go after Britney for lip synching at her shows or yes even Tootsie. Watch out GLAAD is like the new team of elites that will stop at anything and judge.

‘Betty White’s Off Their Rockers’ would be offensive to a senior citizens rights groups if GLAAD was in charge of it. It really was more offensive to elderly and used more stereotypes than ‘Work It’.

Work It proved to show it is not easy to dress up in drag. It showed the main characters going to get help putting on make-up after he tried once and looked like a clown. It then showed toilet paper coming out of his dress while dancing.

It is a shame that this show got canceled before it really had a chance to take off thanks to GLAAD and the HRC throwing a fit and placing ads against the show. It may have also been due to low ratings for the the new ABC Sitcom but it would have aired more than twice.

This brings me to think that the HRC and GLAAD have really disappointed in the last year. HRC going after Chick-fil-a and GLAAD spending all this money against a show that really was not all that offensive. There are bigger fishes to fry or goals these organizations that run off of our donations should be going after such as the presidential candidates or HIV stigma. They might could have worked with the ABC show to make sure it was more understanding of transgendered people.

I just finished two episodes online and just could not find anything that is offensive the way GLAAD was making it out to be. If anything women could be offended but knowing how sales works it is women that get ahead more and they are taking it to the next level of a trans person getting ahead just as easily as a real woman. It seems they are glorifying drag more than anything. I don’t see that they are making fun of it but having fun with it. Am I missing something? I noticed a few comments in the show where they said this would not be allowed in their culture and maybe the signs they hold up that say “Will Do Anything for Work” maybe could have been edited out but other than that it’s certainly not more offensive than “Boat Trip” the movie. Having a drag show on mainstream TV is actually a positive thing especially when it is not associated with violence. How would you compared this to Trannies with Knives? I would like to see what Ru Paul thinks of it. It just seemed to me that that GLAAD press release was saying this would cause more violence against trans or drag. I do not see how that is possible they are not getting laughed at by anyone in this pilot or episode two. Everyone thinks the characters are women(just big boned women). It seems like it is more accepting and that could be nothing but positive. Yeah I am sure someone will have a laugh at someones expense but they are also making fun of the doctors in the episode, the wife, the kid, and the British sales women.

A Facebook Commenter said “I think that it is making light on a complete group of people and their suffrage and saying oh its just funny. Don’t think on the surface of this one. If you recall several of the same things were said about white people playing the roles of other ethnicity… And quite often making complete characterizes out of a race of people. This is pretty much along the lines of black face to transgendered and transsexual people who this is real life for and NOT a joke. I would say that GLAAD is out of line at all or a bad representation of gays in this instant. I would say that comments like this about a part of the gay community that you may not necessarily identify within not only ignorant but a a much worse representation of the gay community. My finger is wagging on this one. Sorry. But until people stop treating TRANS people as a show or comic relief I don’t find shows like this cool. At ALL. Why don’t they make a show that’s about transgendered people struggling to find work.. Which I guarantee is a lot hard than these two guys trying to find work… Because they are ultimately homophobic and cant be a part of the solution easily so they continue the status quo. Its not as simple as GLAAD being whiny…. They expressed the immaturity of a show like this and continue to express their voice every-time an issue comes up…. People are just intellectually lazy enough to call it whining.”

Today ABC announced that the series “Work It” has been cancelled after two episodes. GLAAD and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) advocacy organizations including the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) had spoken out against the series for its potential to cause harm to transgender people. The series debuted on January 3, 2012 to low ratings, and, according to Entertainment Weekly, dropped another 20 percent this week.

“While many of ABC’s positive and groundbreaking portrayals of LGBT people have been critical and popular successes, the public had little interest in this outdated show,” said Herndon Graddick, Senior Director of Programs and Communications at GLAAD. “As a result of this campaign, an important dialogue has been started in Hollywood and mainstream media about the real discrimination faced by transgender people today.”

For more about GLAAD’s campaign and to read critiques from LGBT advocates and organizations visit glaad.org/workit. Last month, after viewing the pilot, GLAAD placed a full page ad in media industry publication Variety with HRC. The organizations also published a joint opinion piece on the Huffington Post. The Variety ad noted that “by encouraging the audience to laugh at the characters’ attempts at womanhood, the show gives license to similar treatment of transgender women.”

GLAAD and HRC included photos of transgender Americans, legal facts and statistics from a recent report from the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force on the discrimination that transgender Americans face:

• Transgender Americans can be legally fired in 34 states today simply for being who they are.
• 97% of self-identified transgender people reported being harassed or abused at work.
• 26% reported losing their jobs because they are transgender.

GLAAD stated on its site that while the show did not explicitly address transgender people, many viewers unfamiliar with the realities of being transgender will still make the connection.

Previously the San Francisco LGBT Community Center, transgender writers including Autumn Sandeen of Pam’s House Blend, the Transgender Economic Empowerment Initiative and the Transgender Law Center spoke out against the show’s promos. Women’s advocacy groups and members of the Puerto Rican community have also criticized the show’s premise and jokes.

According to ABC, ‘Work It’ centered on two unemployed men who have “learned the hard way that the current recession is more of a ‘man-cession’ and their skills aren’t in high demand.” One finds out that a pharmaceuticals company is hiring sales reps, but only female sales reps. He goes to the interview dressed in heels, a skirt, and makeup and gets hired as a woman.

I think it would be great to have more drag or trans type shows and your right would be better that it not be a comedy all of the time. A show with them trying to find work as a trans person would be a great show and I am surprised someone like LOGO or Bravo does not do that.

Who is GLAAD? They are supposed to be a Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) by bringing a voice to the LGBT community by empowering real people to share their stories, holding the media accountable for the words and images they present, and helping grassroots organizations communicate effectively. By ensuring that the stories of LGBT people are heard through the media, GLAAD promotes understanding, increases acceptance, and advances equality. Are they doing their job or bullying certain shows that already have a chance of being canceled? Don’t you think they should be doing more?