Nominations for the 23rd annual GLAAD awards have been announced
- with Lady Gaga, Chaz Bono and Rachel Maddow.
The accolades - an annual highlight of the Gay and Lesbian
Alliance Against Defamation - celebrate media personnel and
broadcasters for progressive LGBT representation.
Rachel Maddow and Anderson Cooper are both nominated for
Outstanding TV Journalism, while Chaz Bono's biopic -
Becoming Chaz - is nominated for Outstanding Documentary.
Clint Eastwood's new release J.Edgar - starring Leonardo DiCaprio
- made the shortlist for best film, as did Beginners: a story about
a widowed father who comes out to his son, starring Christopher
Plummer and Ewan McGregor.
Television shows Shameless, The Big C, Glee, Modern Family and
Dancing With the Stars were all nominated for best television
programme.
"As media continue to tell new stories about LGBT people and
families, a majority of Americans now support full equality of LGBT
Americans," Mike Thompson, GLAAD's acting president, told E!
Online.
"This year's nominees enlighten and entertain, while spotlighting
the diversity of our community. Audiences expect to see their own
worlds reflected in media, and today more than ever, those include
the lives of LGBT people.
"Viewers know that LGBT characters and stories are simply
natural extensions of, and glimpses into, their own experiences
from across America."
Photo: Paul Shultz.
