Pride, The Imitation Game, Looking & Sam Smith get GLAAD Media Awards noms

GLAAD, America’s LGBT media advocacy organisation, has revealed the nominees for its 26th Annual GLAAD Media Awards.

The awards recognise and honour media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the LGBT community and the issues that affect their lives.

The nominees on the television series front include Amazon’s smash hit and Golden Globe winner Transparent, How to Get Away with Murder, Game of Thrones and Looking.

Films in the running include Academy Award nominee The Imitation Game, Golden Globe nominee Pride, Love is Strange, starring John Lithgow and Alfred Molina, and Golden Globe winner The Normal Heart.

Openly LGBT singers Mary Lambert (for the album Heart on My Sleeve) and Sam Smith (In the Lonely Hour) were also recognised for their work.

Due to the increased visibility of LGBT characters and themes in the American media, GLAAD said that it has had to increase the number of nominees in certain categories.

The organisation revealed that in 2005, it considered eight comedy series and 17 drama series with regular LGBT characters for nomination. This year, the pool of shows with regular LGBT characters considered for nomination included 52 comedy series and 83 drama series.

GLAAD also announced that the videogame Dragon Age: Inquisition received a Special Recognition award for the many complex and unique LGBT characters prominently integrated throughout the game.

“It’s been a remarkable year for equality, and nowhere is that more evident than in the visibility LGBT people have gained across media,” said GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “This year’s nominees, including expanded categories in Outstanding Comedy and Drama Series, reflect the widening diversity of LGBT images and storylines that are closing the gap to full acceptance.” 

The GLAAD Media Awards ceremonies will be held in Los Angeles on March 21, 2015 at The Beverly Hilton and in New York on May 9 at the Waldorf Astoria New York.

For a complete list of nominees, click here.