The 76thPrimetime Emmy Awards are officially the most LGBTQIA+-friendly we’ve seen for some time, if not the most queer-friendly ever.
The Television Academy announced the nominees on July 17, and it is absolutely dominated by both queer productions and queer people involved in the projects. In a lot of ways, it feels like a direct slap in the face to what Project 2025 plans to do, and we’re totally here for it.
Here are five reasons the Emmys hit a little different for queer people this year:
Showtime
Four out of the five nominees for “Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie” identify on the queer spectrum, including Matt Bomer for Fellow Travelers, Richard Gadd for Baby Reindeer, Tom Hollander for Feud: Capote vs. The Swans and Andrew Scott for Ripley.
Nava Mau also made history as the first trans actress to be nominated for “Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie,” an accolade alone that she told Deadline made her cry with “overwhelming joy.”
Despite a bit of uproar that happened with the Fellow Travelers snub for “Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series,” Jonathan Bailey still got his first-ever nod for “Supporting Actor.”
Plus, we have Ayo Edebiri for The Bear, Jodie Foster for True Detective: Night Country, Holland Taylor for The Morning Show, Lily Gladstone for Under the Bridge, Sarah Paulson for Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and Bowen Yang for Saturday Night Live. The chances of a queer actor winning something are pretty high up there, and we love that.
Paramount+/MTV
Over in the queer projects world of things, it’s no surprise that RuPaul’s Drag Race is up for yet another award for “Outstanding Reality Competition,” where it also faces off against The Traitors, which had some great representation on its most recent season. RuPaul is also up for her ninth consecutive award for “Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program,” but Traitors host Alan Cumming may also snag that title away.
Red, White & Royal Blue also took a nomination for “Outstanding Television Movie,” which is definitely well-deserved. Other queer projects up for various awards include We’re Here, RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked, Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, Ripley, Queer Eye, and What We Do In The Shadows.
Netflix
Listen, it takes strong allyship to make these projects, cast these people, and make sure they get up for the recognition they deserve. We’ve fought really hard and really long to have better representation in entertainment and then to have that talent be further recognized with the ultimate rewards. We’re just so glad we’re finally making some progress with this.
HBO
There’s always going to be things on the awards nomination list that people agree and disagree with. It’s a matter of opinion, and entertainment is definitely a subjective term. As it is, people seem genuinely pleased with the diversity involved across the board. There’s even more BIPOC representation in some award categories, and all of this is long overdue.
With the nominations as they are, it just increases the chance that queer people are going to win across multiple categories, and with the political climate as it is, we’ll take any win we can get.
It still surprises me how people are so against drag, considering that the men who signed the Constitution were literally wearing wigs and makeup when they did so. Men dressed up as women for live theater before women were allowed to play themselves. I could go on, but that's not what this is about.
Queer people have always dominated the entertainment space in some way or another, and it’s great that the year we get so much recognition is also the year there seems to be less pushback over representation. Let’s bask in the peace, my friends, because Lord knows it won’t last long, especially if the election sends us all underwater.
The 76th Primetime Emmy Awards will air on ABC September 15, 2024.
