The past year of queer entertainment had a little something for everyone. From Pose blazing a fierce trail for trans storytelling to Murray Bartlett enthusiastically eating a twink’s butt in The White Lotus, nothing has brought us more joy than witnessing the full range of our community in the cultural looking glass. We sincerely love to see it.
And so does GLAAD, the LGBTQ+ media advocacy organization that doles out annual awards celebrating queer TV, film, music, and journalism. The annual GLAAD Media Awards honor “fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of LGBTQ people and issues,” and this year’s list of nominees include several of our favorites.
RuRuPaul’s Drag Race MVP Gottmik announced the nominations Wednesday morning via GLAAD’s TikTok channel, which itself was an indication of how much the media has evolved since the awards were first held in 1990.
A host of our small-screen picks — including Sort Of, created by and starring Bilal Baig, Russell T. Davies’ AIDS coming-of-age series It’s a Sin, the Hulu original Love, Victor, Showtime’s Work in Progress, and the cannibalism-themed teen drama Yellowjackets were among the TV series nominated in their respective categories.
Lil Nas X is, of course, up for Outstanding Music Artist, alongside Halsey, Mykki Blanco, Brandi Carlie, and more.
Film nods went to West Side Story, for which Ariana DeBose recently won a Golden Globe, Marvel’s Eternals, the drag-themed musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, and more.
“There are more nominees this year than ever before,” GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said in a release. The volume of nominees highlight “a growing landscape of LGBTQ visbility, and [serve] as a reminder to the critical role that film, television, music, journalism, and other forms of media can play in growing LGBTQ acceptance in the face of ongoing attacks against our community,” Ellis observed.
A significant number of nominees “centered transgender people and issues in timely, nuanced, and empowering ways,” according to GLAAD. That includes nearly two thirds of all TV series nominated across categories, including Star Trek: Discovery and Sex Education, which introduced its first nonbinary character played by Dua Saleh.
“Media can create positive change and this year’s nominees represent powerful projects, stories, and creators that positively shifted culture and enlightened audiences with new and impactful LGBTQ stories,” Ellis said.
The 33rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards ceremonies will take place in Los Angeles on April 2 and in New York City on May 6, 2022.
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