The 2025 Oscar nominations were announced by iconic gay comedian Bowen Yang and Bottoms star Rachel Sennott Thursday morning. This year’s queer nominees were few but mighty and proved all good things come in threes. Here’s to Karla Sofía Gascón, Cynthia Erivo, and Colman Domingo making Academy Award history by being their iconic gay selves.
Karla Sofía Gascón Makes History
Karla Sofía Gascón makes Oscars history by being the first openly trans actress to be nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in Emilia Pérez. In the musical crime thriller, Gascón plays a Mexican cartel leader who faked her death and undergoes a gender transition.
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The genre-rebellious film is colored with comedy and absurdity to engage with topics of self-perception, identity, and queerness. The blend of audacious humor and queer discourse in Emilia Pérez pushes boundaries of the depiction of love, loss, authentic identity, and the transgender experience in mainstream media.
Emilia Pérez Breaks Records
Emilia Pérez took a total of 13 nominations this morning, including Best Picture, with Brutalist and Wicked falling behind with 10 nominations each. The film broke the record for most Oscar nominations received by a non-English language film.
Cynthia Erivo To Set The Stage
Cynthia received a nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in Wicked as Elphaba. Erivo’s performance has inspired a fresh interpretation of the role and the story itself. As a queer Black woman, Cynthia’s role in Wicked speaks to the continuous need for diversifying roles and characters traditionally played by white actresses in Hollywood. The desire to see queer Black women on screen, especially in new adaptations of iconic tales, expresses the longing for representation that goes beyond tokenization, where queer Black actresses take on leading roles that are complex, boldly defiant, and empowering. If Erivo wins, she will be the first queer Black woman to win Best Actress.
Wicked Was A 10 Out Of 10… Can It Go 10 For 10 At The Oscars?
Wicked has been nominated for 10 Academy Awards including the categories of Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Film Editing, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup & Hairstyling, Best Original Score, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, and Best Picture.
While the tale of Wicked is not explicitly queer, the themes and relationships in the story lend itself to queer interpretation. The film’s elements of outsider status, nonconformity, and defiance of social norms align closely with the experiences of the queer community. Immediately, due to her green skin, Elphaba is rejected by society and painfully othered. Her experience of facing social rejection parallels the marginalization that queer folk often undergo. The quest for self-acceptance that Elphaba embarks on loudly echoes the experience of those in the queer community who embark on their own journey of self-exploration and self-embracement.
The relationship between Elphaba and Glinda—Sure, they aren’t gay. But can we be for real for a second? The tension is painfully obvious… and the will-they-won’t-they is borderline sinister. In another life, they’d most definitely be in a situationship. If the witches are listening, can we please get a sequel for their friends-to-lovers arc? Every pink needs some green in her life… #Glindaba
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Elphaba and Glinda’s relationship is packed with emotional complexity and evokes a queer read for sure. Their intense bond and unspoken tension bring forth an interpretation of unrequited or even forbidden love. While not explicitly romantic, their relationship speaks to the fluidity and nuanced nature of queer desire, where love and longing adapt to evolve beyond societal and heteronormative expectations. Their experiences in defying gender roles and norms, while welcoming self-transformation, bond them in ways that reflect the experiences of nonconformity and emotional self-discovery of those in the queer community.
Colman Domingo Takes Another Swing
For the second consecutive time, Colman Domingo has been nominated for Best Actor. This year it’s for his role of Divine G in the true story Sing Sing, inspired by the true Rehabilitation Through the Arts Program. After being wrongfully imprisoned, his character joins a theater troupe and finds purpose and life on the stage. If Domingo wins, he will be the first out gay Black man to win an acting Oscar.
We are keeping our fingers, toes, and whatever else goes, crossed. The 97th Academy Awards will air live on Sunday, March 2nd at 7:00 pm EST, hosted by comedian Conan O’Brien. Tune in to root for our queer icons!
