Last night was monumental. Ten candidates vying for the presidency joined One Iowa, The Gazette, The Advocate and GLAAD for the first LGBTQ-focused forum in the 2020 presidential election cycle.

GLAAD’s President and CEO said: “The last time we witnessed a Presidential candidate forum dedicated to LGBTQ issues was 2007 and none of the major Democratic candidates supported marriage equality at the time. Tonight’s forum demonstrates how far LBGTQ acceptance has progressed, while educating Americans about how far we have yet to go to reach full equality and reverse the anti-LGBTQ actions of the Trump Administration. It was the beginning of a conversation that we will keep going until we have a pro-equality President in the White House.”

GLAAD highlighted all of the forum’s key moments on Twitter. Stay tuned this week as we release posts and highlight news coverage of the event.

We have more GLAAD news for you below, including an exclusive interview with Hustlers star Trace Lysette and the launch of GLAAD’s annual Spirit Day campaign.

It’s time to save the date for Spirit Day We are officially less than a month away from Spirit Day, and GLAAD wants to make sure you are prepared to stand with LGBTQ youth against bullying. The worldwide campaign asks everyone to go purple on Oct. 17. To make your pledge to go purple, head on over to glaad.org/spiritday.

Must-See LGBTQ TV: Debut of 'A Little Late with Lilly Singh;' 'American Horror Story: 1984;' and Adam Rippon plays for GLAAD on 'Celebrity Family Feud' ICYMI: Lilly Singh made her late night debut Monday on her new show A Little Late with Lilly Singh. GLAAD congratulated Singh on Twitter, and her debut happened to be on the first day of BiWeek. In other LGBTQ TV, American Horror Story: 1984 premiered, and Adam Rippon played for GLAAD on Family Feud.

How queer women continue to break boundaries in comedy Youth Engagement Intern Audrey Black discusses the impact queer women have had in comedy: “There is of course the age old, slightly tired adage of ‘tragedy plus time equals comedy.’ Being systematically disadvantaged and discriminated against is certainly a tragedy. Therefore, it stands to reason that female comics have a lot to joke about — especially queer female comics, and especially queer women of color. That’s not to say all queer comedians only make sad jokes or jokes about being queer, but rather, that people who have had challenging experiences are often the funniest people.”

Actress Trace Lysette talks to GLAAD about starring in the film ‘Hustlers’ GLAAD’s Anthony Ramos sat down with Trace Lysette to talk about her role in the Jennifer Lopez-led film Hustlers. Lysette talks about the unconventional way she got the role of Tracey and how real the character was to her. Lysette also talks about the musical finale for Transparent and the filming of one of the scenes.

NOW OPEN: Call for Submissions for the 31st Annual GLAAD Media Awards Now through Nov. 27, GLAAD will be accepting submissions for the 31st GLAAD Media Awards. The GLAAD Media Awards recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community, and the issues that affect their lives. Previous winners include Pose, Janelle Monáe, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, Vida, Steven Universe and so many more.

The Highwomen, queerness, and the stories women tell in country music Though the country music airwaves seem to be consumed by male voices, the Highwomen are here to shake things up. Raina Deerwater, entertainment research and analyst associate at GLAAD, writes about her experiences with country music: “‘Follow Your Arrow’ was something revolutionary in country music. Though Musgraves herself is straight, the song was co-written by queer country artists Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally. It felt fresh and celebratory, yet still unmistakably country. It felt like acceptance.”

That’s it for now. Make sure you’re following @GLAAD on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for the latest in LGBTQ representation across all forms of media in 2019 and beyond.