Press release - News

June 24, 2020

ABC News Live Presents Trio of Original Specials to Cap Off LGBTQ Pride Month

ABC NEWS LIVE PRESENTS TRIO OF ORIGINAL SPECIALS TO CAP OFF LGBTQ PRIDE MONTH

‘PRIDE on ABC News Live’ Streams Sunday, June 28, Beginning at 9:00 A.M. EDT

ABC News Live will stream a trio of original one-hour specials to cap off LGBTQ Pride Month. With guest interviews and insightful conversation from within the LGBTQ community and its allies, the “PRIDE on ABC News Live” specials will dive deep into the recent Supreme Court ruling banning LGBTQ employment discrimination; LGBTQ storytelling on-screen and behind the camera; the persecution of LGBTQ individuals in Chechnya; the evolution of Pride and its relevancy to current events; the FDA’s blood deferral policy on gay and bisexual men; advancements in the study of HIV; and dating, intimacy and mental health during the pandemic. The three specials begin streaming Sunday, June 28 at 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. EDT, and will encore at 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. EDT with the special live broadcast of New York’s WABC Channel 7 “NYC Pride 2020: The 50th Anniversary of the NYC Pride March,” streaming at 12:00 – 2:00 p.m. EDT.

“Nightline” co-anchor Juju Chang, who has profiled and featured numerous stories on LGBTQ individuals and the community and won a Gracie Award for “Nightline” special “Am I Next? Trans and Targeted,” will anchor the first two hours and “World News Now” and “America This Morning” anchor Kenneth Moton, who married his husband in March before the pandemic, will anchor the third hour.

The first special takes an in-depth look at the Supreme Court’s ruling that employers can’t discriminate against gay and transgender employees under civil rights law and the reaction from around the country. Chang speaks with plaintiff Gerald Bostock, the sister and partner of the late-plaintiff Donald Zarda; activist Raquel Willis; and Chase Strangio, lawyer for the late-plaintiff Aimee Stephens. Plus, analysis from ABC News’ senior Washington reporter Devin Dwyer and NYU Law Professor Melissa Murray on how the court came to the historic decision. 

The second special spotlights a diverse group of directors, screenwriters, actors, authors and producers on the frontlines of filmmaking and television. Their work has shed light on important LGBTQ stories and furthers the representation on- and off-screen. Chang interviews FX’s “POSE” writer, director and producer Janet Mock; Hulu’s “Love, Victor” stars Michael Cimino and George Sears and executive producer Brian Tanen; and Sarah McBride, transgender Senate candidate for Delaware, and Daniel Karslake (director) of documentary “For They Know Not What They Do.”

The third special addresses key issues at stake for the LGBTQ community and recognizing the history that brought it to where it is today. Moton interviews filmmaker David France about his documentary tracking the horrific treatment of the LGBTQ+ community in Chechnya, as well as Alphonso Davis, president of the Human Rights Campaign, and Nadine Smith, executive director of Equality Florida, about equality and supporting the queer and trans communities of color. ABC News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jen Ashton and ABC News contributor Dr. Simone Wildes also join the special to discuss the FDA blood ban and medical advancements in the study of HIV. Plus, ABC News’ Dr. Alexis Carrington and psychotherapist and multicultural counselor Matt Dempsey provide analysis on dating and the effects social distancing has on a relationship in the time of COVID-19.

Steven Baker is executive producer for “PRIDE on ABC News Live.” Katie den Daas is executive producer for ABC News Live special event coverage, and Cat McKenzie is senior producer.

ABC News Live is available for streaming on Hulu, The Roku Channel, YouTube TV, Amazon’s news app on Fire tablets and Fire TV devices, Xumo, Sling TV, Facebook, Twitter, ABCNews.com, the ABC News and ABC mobile apps, and standalone ABC News Live apps on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Roku and Apple TV.

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ABC News Media Relations 

Curt Villarosa

(646) 659-4127

curt.j.villarosa@abc.com

 

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