The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) was founded in 1985. This week they announced the nominees for their 2019 Media Awards. “(The Awards) recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community and the issues that affect their lives.”
Here are some of the highlights.
Outstanding Film – Wide Release
- Bombshell (Lionsgate)
- Booksmart (United Artists Releasing)
- Downton Abbey (Focus Features)
- Judy (Roadside Attractions)
- Rocketman (Paramount Pictures)
I’ve managed to see all five of these! Rocketman is the only one solely focused on a non-straight protagonist but I found the all-inclusive world of Booksmart to be the most revolutionary.
Outstanding Film – Limited Release
- Adam (Wolfe Releasing)
- Brittany Runs a Marathon (Amazon Studios)
- End of the Century (The Cinema Guild)
- The Heiresses (1844 Entertainment)
- Kanarie (Breaking Glass Pictures)
- Pain & Glory (Sony Pictures Classics)
- Portrait of a Lady on Fire (NEON)
- Rafiki (Film Movement)
- Socrates (Breaking Glass Pictures)
- This Is Not Berlin (Samuel Goldwyn Films)
Pain & Glory was fantastic and I’ve heard great things about Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Adam is a controversial pick. It’s about a cis man mistaken for trans who gets woke (sorta).
Outstanding Drama Series
- Batwoman (The CW)
- Billions (Showtime)
- Euphoria (HBO)
- Killing Eve (AMC)
- The L Word: Generation Q (Showtime)
- The Politician (Netflix)
- Pose (FX)
- Shadowhunters (Freeform)
- Star Trek: Discovery (CBS All Access)
- Supergirl (The CW)
I was disappointed with The Politician and have not caught up on Pose. The rest I have yet to see.
Outstanding Comedy Series
- Brooklyn Nine-Nine (NBC)
- Dear White People (Netflix)
- Dickinson (Apple TV+)
- One Day at a Time (Netflix)
- The Other Two (Comedy Central)
- Schitt’s Creek (Pop)
- Sex Education (Netflix)
- Superstore (NBC)
- Vida (Starz)
- Work in Progress (Showtime)
I love what I’ve seen of Dear White People and The Other Two. I adore David and Patrick on Schitt’s Creek but have not been won over by the show as a whole. Sex Education was too crass for me but I’ll check out the second season when it premieres later this month.
Outstanding TV Movie
- Deadwood: The Movie (HBO)
- Let It Snow (Netflix)
- Rent: Live (FOX)
- Transparent: Musicale Finale (Amazon)
- Trapped: The Alex Cooper Story (Lifetime)
Rent: Live was tanked when the star broke his leg, forcing them to air an uneven dress rehearsal. Let It Snow focused on two straight couples but included a lesbian subplot. Trapped was about conversion therapy. I appreciated Boy Erased and The Miseducation of Cameron Post in 2018 and would be curious to learn what Trapped adds to the conversation.
Outstanding Limited Series
- Mrs. Fletcher (HBO)
- The Red Line (CBS)
- Tales of the City (Netflix)
- When They See Us (Netflix)
- Years & Years (HBO)
I thought the new Tales of the City was a misfire. I’m unfamiliar with the rest.
Outstanding Kids & Family Programming
- Andi Mack (The Disney Channel)
- The Bravest Knight (Hulu)
- High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (Disney+)
- The Loud House (Nickelodeon)
- “Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone” Arthur (PBS)
- Rocko’s Modern Life: Static Cling (Netflix)
- She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (Netflix)
- Steven Universe: The Movie (Cartoon Network)
- “A Tale of Two Nellas” Nella the Princess Knight (Nick Jr.)
- Twelve Forever (Netflix)
Cyrus and TJ’s friendship on Andi Mack was electric, though some major developments were held off till the season finale. Carlos and Seb’s subplot in High School Musical TMTS feels it is already going places they weren’t allowed to, though it gets considerably less screen time.
Outstanding Video Game
- Apex Legends (Electronic Arts)
- Borderlands 3 (2K Games)
- The Outer Worlds (Private Division)
- Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment)
- The Walking Dead: The Final Season (Skybound Entertainment)
I’m interested in The Outer Worlds. The rest aren’t on my radar.
Click here for the full list of nominees. The winners will be announced in May. What have you seen? What would you add to the list? For my review series on LGBT media click here.