This year’s GLAAD Media Award nominees prove that while huge progress is being made on TV, Hollywood still has a way to go. Since the 2016 awards season has been dominated by discussions about diversity in mainstream cinema, that last part isn’t a huge surprise.
The GLAAD awards recognize “accurate and inclusive” representations of the LGBT community, highlighting the importance of sitcoms like Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Modern Family. Online streaming services saw a particularly strong showing this year, with Netflix earning five nominations for Tig, Grace and Frankie, Master of None, Orange Is the New Black and Sense8, and Amazon earning one for Transparent.
The “Outstanding Film—Wide Release” category showed slimmer pickings, nominating the Oscar films Carol and The Danish Girl (which has been widely criticized for its historical inaccuracy and decision to cast a Eddie Redmayne as a transgender woman), along with the Ellen Page/Julianne Moore drama Freeheld (which received mixed reviews), teen comedy Dope, and the road-trip comedy Grandma. While this list shows considerable improvement on earlier years, it certainly doesn’t live up to the diverse range of TV nominees.
Elsewhere, it’s clear that Caitlyn Jenner made a splash in 2015. Her show I Am Cait received a nomination in the reality TV category, and numerous Jenner-themed TV reports and interviews were nominated in the journalism categories.
Outside of the TV nominees, the most interesting category may be the slate for Outstanding Comic Book. The shortlist includes DC’s Harley Quinn and Midnighter, Marvel’s Angela: Queen of Hel, BOOM! Studios’ Lumberjanes, and Image’s The Wicked + the Divine. Some comics fans may object to the idea of Marvel receiving a GLAAD nomination considering the overall lack of queer characters in the publisher’s recent relaunch, but this is still a very strong list, with Lumberjanes and The Wicked + the Divine both enjoying widespread popularity in 2015.
Photo via Netflix
