Controversy Overshadows Queer Golden Globe Nominees

On Monday morning, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) announced the nominees for the 79th annual Golden Globe Awards.

In the past, the honors would have been greeted with a stream of statements from filmmakers and stars expressing shock and delight about being recognized by the group, but things are little bit different this time. All that was received was thunderous silence.

Earlier this year, the HFPA came under fire for not having any Black members in its roughly 100-person organization, accepting expensive gifts to sway their votes, and other unethical behavior. Because of these revelations, NBC has decided to cancel the telecast in 2022 and had top studios and stars pledging not to work with the group until it instituted reforms.

Since then, the HFPA has diversified its ranks, revamped its bylaws, banned gifts, restricted paid travel, and started to undergo significant foundational change. In a letter obtained by Variety last week, the group’s president, Helen Hoehne, revealed that the 2022 ceremony will be focused on the HFPA’s philanthropic efforts, and she invited celebrities to participate in announcing the nominations, like past years.

Aside from the controversy, we are pleased to see that several LGBTQ actors have earned nominees, including first timer Michaela Jaé Rodriguez for her role as Blanca Evangelista in FX’s critically acclaimed series Pose.

Other notable nominations include Kristen Stewart for her role as Princess Diana in Spencer, Lady Gaga for her role as Patrizia Reggiani in The House of Gucci, Billy Porter for his role as Pray Tell in Pose, and Ariana DeBose for her role as Anita in West Side Story.

Pose is nominated for “Best Television Series, Drama,” while out, Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar’s film Parallel Mothers is nominated for “Best Picture, Foreign Language,” and Flee, a movie about a gay man from Afghanistan who escapes his home country to Denmark as a refugee, is up for “Best Motion Picture, Animated.”

The Globes are still hoping to pull off some kind of non-televised ceremony, but for most, the awards have not recovered enough from their recent scandals to cause much excitement. If you are still interested in the winners, you can find out January 9, when the HFPA announces the recipients.

Photos Courtesy of Social Media