GLAAD Applauds LGBT-Inclusive Academy Award Nominees

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), the nation's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) media advocacy and anti-defamation organization, today congratulated the creative teams and casts of Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire and A Single Man which received a combined 7 Oscar nominations during today's announcement of nominees for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards. Lee Daniels, honored for his work on Precious, became the first openly gay African American director to receive a nomination.

A list of LGBT-inclusive Academy Awards nominees appears below.

Both films are also nominated for Outstanding Film – Wide Release at the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards. The GLAAD Media Awards, a benchmark for the media industry, recognize and honor media for outstanding images of the LGBT community and complement GLAAD’s work to bring LGBT images and stories to Americans.

“These films tell inclusive and diverse stories of our community which grow awareness and understanding of the lives of gay and transgender people,” said GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios, President of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).

“Images like the love and commitment between Ms. Rain and her partner in Precious and the isolation felt by George in A Single Man spark conversations that help Americans embrace their gay and transgender friends, family members and neighbors,” Barrios said. “We need to advocate for more gay-inclusive stories to be shared with mainstream audiences because as more people see these images, they realize that we have the same aspirations, hopes, and deserve the same chances to take care of our loved ones and families.”

Actor Colin Firth received a nomination for PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE for his turn as George in A Single Man.

Precious is among the leading Oscar nominees in major categories with 6 nominations:
BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE – Gabourey Sidibe
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE – Mo’Nique
ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING – Lee Daniels
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY – Geoffrey Fletcher
ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM EDITING – Joe Klotz

“GLAAD congratulates the talented director Lee Daniels for this much deserved honor. His bold storytelling has opened a door for other talented storytellers to share more inspiring stories about gay and transgender people,” said Barrios.

Daniels previously received the Stanley Kramer Award, which recognizes work that dramatically illuminates provocative social issues, by the Producer’s Guild of America on January 20, 2010.

In the film Precious, actress Paula Patton portrays out lesbian teacher Ms. Rain whose emotional support assists and inspires the film’s protagonist. In the film, viewers meet Ms. Rain’s partner and hear of the rejection that the loving couple face from their families.

Daniels and Sibide appeared on a panel during GLAAD’s programming at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival where they spoke on the theme of “being an outsider.” Video from the panel is available here: http://glaadblog.org/2009/01/21/feel-like-an-outsider/.

In A Single Man, lead character George’s longtime partner is killed in a car accident and he is banned from attending the funeral. Taking place in the homophobic world of the early 1960s, the film shows a man presenting one self to the world, and forced to live an entirely different life in private.

GLAAD will announce award recipients for the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards in ceremonies in New York City on March 13, 2010, in Los Angeles on April 17 and in San Francisco on June 5. The list of nominees is available online at http://www.glaad.org/mediaawards/21/nominees.

The 82nd Annual Academy Awards airs Sunday, March 07, 2010, at 8PM ET/5:00 PM PT on ABC.