The 2014 Emmy Award nominations are out and this year there are so many LGBT-inclusive nominations! Orange is the New Black racked up 12 nominations, with one of them going to Laverne Cox and making her the first transgender person to be nominated for an acting category. You go, Laverne! This year’s nominations include many out actors and LGBT characters and storylines. Let’s take a look at who you’ll be rooting for on August 25 when the Emmys air on NBC.
In its first season to be eligible for the awards, Orange is the New Black earned some top nominations including Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actress (Taylor Schilling), Outstanding Supporting Actress (Kate Mulgrew), and Outstanding Guest Actress (Uzo Aduba, Laverne Cox and Natasha Lyonne). OITNB writers Liz Friedman and Jenji Kohan and second-time OITNB director Jodie Foster were nominated for Writing for a Comedy Series and Directing a Comedy Series, respectively.
SNL’S first out lesbian Kate McKinnon snagged her first nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on SNL.
American Horror Story‘s lesbian Sarah Paulson received a nomination for Outstanding Actress in a TV Movie or Mini-Series for her work in Coven, which received a whopping 17 nominations.
One glaring omission from the Lead Actress in a Drama category is Orphan Black‘s Tatiana Maslany because, um, hello she plays eight thousand clones.
Funny gay lady Jane Lynch was nominated for the Host For A Reality Or Reality-Competition Program category and for Outstanding Narrator for her work in Penguins: Waddle All The Way. Whoopi Goldberg was also nominated in the Outstanding Narrator category for her work on her documentary about out lesbian comedian Moms Mabley.
The Normal Heart, a TV drama about the rise of HIV/AIDS awareness in New York in the 80s, earned 16 nominations including three nominations (Matt Bomer, Joe Mantello and Jim Parsons) for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a TV Movie or Mini-Series.
Modern Family, a consistent Emmy nominee and winner since 2010, is on the list again with nominations going out to Jesse Tyler Ferguson for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and Nathan Lane for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series.