Tampa Bay Times, ‘Love Is Love’ comic among GLAAD Media Award nominees

LOS ANGELES (AP) – GLAAD announced the 2017 Media Award nominees Jan. 31, and the list includes local and national projects done in the aftermath of the Pulse shooting.

“Worthy of Survival,” Kathleen McGrory’s Tampa Bay Times story on survivor Angel Santiago and Love Is Love, the IDW Publishing and DC Comics’ graphic novel tribute to the 49 victims, were among the nominees.

Also nominated in individual episode awards were survivor Tony Marrero’s appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Anderson Cooper’s interview takedown of Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi on his show Anderson Cooper 360 while in Orlando covering the shooting.

The GLAAD awards honor outstanding images of the LGBTQ community in music, movies, TV and journalism. Ceremonies are set for April 1 in Los Angeles and May 6 in New York.

Moonlight and Star Trek Beyond are the only major films found worthy of GLAAD Media Awards nominations, the fewest nods for gay-inclusive movies since 2003.

The advocacy group called the outcome disappointing and a reflection of the mainstream film industry’s dearth of LGBTQ story lines.

While three of the category’s five spots went unfilled, the picture was far different when it came to music artists and comic books: The categories for both were expanded from five to 10 nominees for the 28th annual awards.

A downturn in major-movie depictions also goes counter to TV, which has brought gay and transgender stories to the fore and has 10 contenders each in the TV comedy and drama series categories.

Streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime led the pack receiving nods for shows including Grace and Frankie, The OAOne Mississippi
 and Transparent.

“At a time when progress is at a critical juncture, it is imperative that Hollywood tell more LGBTQ stories that reflect the community’s rich diversity and build understanding that brings all communities closer together,” GLAAD chief executive Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement.

Moonlight, a coming-of-age story about a gay black man, is up for eight Academy Awards nominations on Feb. 26, including best picture.

Among the 115 nominees in 21 English-language categories are Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Black Panther comic book; Lady Gaga; The Daily Show with Trevor Noah; and NewYorker.com.

The 41 Spanish-language nominees in 11 categories include Kany García with the sole music artist nod and, for best TV journalism segment, Orlando reports from NTN 24; Telemundo; Univision; CNN en Espanol; and TV Azteca.

In the limited-release film category, nominees are The Handmaiden, Naz & Maalik, Other People, Spa Night and Those People.

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