Today, GLAAD announced its nominees for the best in LGBTQ representation in all forms of media. According to Joe Palmer, the criteria for nomination are:
1) Fair, Accurate and Inclusive Representations: Rather than portraying the LGBT community in broad stereotypes, the project deals with the characters or themes in a fair, accurate, and multi-dimensional manner. (This is different than a “positive role model.”) Inclusive means that
the diversity of the LGBT community is represented. This includes economic, geographic, and political diversity, as well as people of color, seniors, differently abled, etc.
2) Boldness and Originality: The project breaks new ground by exploring LGBT subject matter in a way not traditionally explored, and handles the LGBT content in a fresh and original
manner. Is this project cutting-edge?
3) Impact: The project impacts society in a significant way. Does this project
dramatically increase the cultural dialogue about LGBT issues? Or, does this project reach an audience that is not regularly exposed to LGBT images and issues?
4) Overall Quality: The overall quality of the project is considered. A project which is of extremely high quality adds impact and significance to the images and issues portrayed. Fair, accurate and inclusive images can sometimes be weakened when they are part of a poor-quality project.
Of course, I went right to this category:
OUTSTANDING COMIC BOOK
The Alcoholic by Jonathan Ames (Vertigo/DC Comics)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer by Drew Goddard, Jeph Loeb and Joss Whedon (Dark Horse Comics)
Final Crisis: Revelations by Greg Rucka (DC Comics)
Secret Six by Gail Simone (DC Comics)
Young Avengers Presents by Ed Brubaker, Brian Reed, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Paul Cornell, Kevin Grevioux and Matt Fraction (Marvel Comics)
I’ve never read The Alcoholic, so I can’t speak to that, but I’d cast my votes for either Final Crisis: Revelations (because it’s the most comprehensible and exciting of the whole Final Crisis extravaganza) or Secret Six (because I love Gail Simone). Buffy hasn’t been doing it for me the last few issues, so I can’t believe it’s a serious contender (Ooh! The ego!). And if GLAAD nomination refers to the chaste Young Avengers Presents with Wiccan (and a momentary appearance by his “boyfriend” Hulkling), which was a mess on so many levels, then they must really be desperate.
Of all the film nominated:
OUTSTANDING FILM – WIDE RELEASE
Brideshead Revisited (Miramax Films)
Milk (Focus Features)
Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (Columbia Pictures)
RocknRolla (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (The Weinstein Company)
OUTSTANDING FILM – LIMITED RELEASE
The Edge of Heaven (Strand Releasing)
Noah’s Arc: Jumping the Broom (New Open Door Productions)
Save Me (First Run Features)
Shelter (Regent Releasing)
XXY (Film Movement)
I’ve seen two – Milk and Shelter. As much as I loved Milk, Shelter needs to win. I found it to be one of the most honest and moving gay love stories I’ve seen in years. No one died. No one was abused. No one got some random chick pregnant to prove he’s a real man. It avoided all the stereotypes rife in gay media like (dare I say it?) Noah’s ARC. Ugh! Terrible terrible terrible!
OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
Brothers & Sisters (ABC)
The L Word (Showtime)
South of Nowhere (The N)
Torchwood (BBC America)
True Blood (HBO)
Go Brothers & Sisters!!!!!
While GLAAD will not give the comic book awards first, I’m going to report them first. I’m not familiar with The Boys nor The Outsiders (though I’m guessing it has little to do with the S. E. Hinton book, as hot as that would be). From the list, it looks like GLAAD doesn’t do novels. I guess they let the Lambda Literary Awards take care of that (the fact I’ve only heard of only a handful of these books makes me feel horribly under-read).
Now the nominees:
Comic Book
American Virgin by Steven T. Seagle (Vertigo/DC Comics)
The Boys by Garth Ennis (Dynamite Entertainment)
Midnighter by Garth Ennis, Brian K. Vaughan, Christos Gage, Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti, and Keith Giffin (Wildstorm/DC Comics)
The Outsiders by Judd Winick, Greg Rucka, and Tony Bedard (DC Comics)
Strangers in Paradise by Terry Moore (Abstract Studio)
