The Authors

The inside story, told by the people who lived it

Richard Jennings

Richard Jennings was a founder of both GLAAD and Hollywood Supports, the organization that grew out of GLAAD’s work and that was chaired by entertainment media moguls dealing with LGBT and AIDS issues for the entertainment industries nationwide. In that role he led successful efforts to get domestic partner health benefits for gay and lesbian employees adopted throughout the entertainment industry and much of corporate America; a highly successful AIDS in the workplace seminar program; a first-of-its-kind Sexual Orientation in the Workplace seminar program throughout not only the entertainment industries but also for the federal government, California law firms, and LAPD; and the fostering of LGBT employee support groups throughout the entertainment industries.

Prior to founding GLAAD in Los Angeles in 1988 and becoming its first executive director in 1989, Richard was an entertainment lawyer, working for Paramount Pictures. As executive director of Hollywood Supports, he served as the entertainment industry’s spokesperson on AIDS and LGBT issues, with numerous media appearances on national programs including Crossfire, Nightline, Entertainment Tonight, NBC Nightly News, and All Things Considered. He was quoted as an expert in Time, Newsweek, People, USA Today, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Los Angeles Times.

Richard was born and raised in Pasadena, California. He graduated from Stanford University and Columbia Law School, where he was at the top of his class. He was also a human resources executive for 20 years following his full-time LGBT activism, and a wine writer for several years, including a weekly column for Huffington Post, leading to his being named one of the 100 most influential people in the wine industry. He is now a writer and photographer based in Andalucía, Spain.

Jehan F. Agrama

Jehan F. Agrama has been an activist in the Los Angeles community and is a founder of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). At GLAAD, she served as the first co-president. She wrote and helped produce the first years of the GLAAD newsletter. Jehan co-chaired GLAAD’s Media Awards Show in Los Angeles for ten years, making it one of the most successful national LGBT events, in both media coverage and dollars generated. Her role included contacting celebrities and booking them for the event.

Prior to joining GLAAD in 1989, Jehan had been COO of Harmony Gold, an international television production and distribution company, where she oversaw marketing across the first independent nationwide syndicated network. She has served as keynote speaker, moderator, and panelist at a myriad of conferences and workshops, and appeared in print and TV outlets including CNN, CBS, KCET, Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and Forbes.

Jehan is a graduate of Pomona College and received her MBA from Pepperdine, where she was the youngest presidential honors graduate at the time. L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan tapped her to be an executive committee member of the L.A. Coalition of 100. Her other civic leadership roles include serving as an L.A. City Human Relations Commissioner and on the advisory board of Peace Over Violence. She is currently President and CEO of Harmony Gold. Jehan is an Arab-American Muslim, born in Cairo, Egypt, and has been married to artist Dwora Fried for over 45 years. They live in Los Angeles and have four children.

Why We Wrote This

Jehan always knew she needed to document the unprecedented GLAAD story. She also knew she needed to do it with her partner-in-crime, Richard Jennings. Richard only thought of writing the story of GLAAD after Donald Trump’s election in November 2016. That, along with the growing efforts to turn back progress on LGBT visibility and equality, led him to realize he needed to document how GLAAD’s small band of activists did what they did — educating themselves on community organizing, fundraising, and gaining celebrity and corporate support in the process. He reached out to Jehan, and she told him she’d been waiting to hear from him on the topic.