The Gay Stars of Glee Rack Up Emmy Nominations

by Michael Jones · 2010-07-08 07:41:00 UTC
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GleeWho says you can't be successful and openly gay in Hollywood?  Well, sure, there's former Newsweek journalist Ramin Setoodeh, and comedienne Joan Rivers. But if you look at today's list of Emmy nominations, it looks like these two have been proven pretty wrong, at least when it comes to the world of television.

Both Jane Lynch and Chris Colfer of TV's Glee racked up Emmy nods, helping the hit Fox show receive more nominations than any other show on the tube (19 nominations total). Pretty awesome, and it caps off a summer for Lynch that has been quite eventful, given that the star was married in Massachusetts just a few weeks ago.

Glee also picked up a nod for Best Comedy, which is a testament to the show's openly gay creator, Ryan Murphy. And the LGBT television fun doesn't stop there.

Actress/TV host Wanda Sykes? Nominated (for I'ma Be Me). Actor Neil Patrick Harris? Nominated (for How I Met Your Mother). Actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson? Nominated (for Modern Family). Actor/legend Sir Ian McKellan? Nominated (for The Prisoner). Actor Alan Cumming? Nominated (for The Good Wife). Actress Lily Tomlin? Nominated (for Damages).

Sheesh, what a pool of LGBT talent.

Check out the full list here (pdf). And of course, as Maia Spotts wrote here a few weeks ago, it's worth repeating that there are no such things as gay actors, only gay parts. Maia wrote back then, "An actor is an actor is an actor, and each one brings a different set of skills to the stage. Maybe if we can concentrate on the character, and the story, and the emotional arc, which is what we're supposed to do, then it won't matter if someone is out or not. It will just matter if they're good."

So here's to recognizing this pool of actors, actresses and comediennes not only because of their sexual orientation. But rather, because they're damn good at what they do.

Photo credit: AMMY.LOU

Michael Jones is a Change.org Editor. He has worked in the field of human rights communications for a decade, most recently for Harvard Law School.
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