Colman Domingo, Jodie Foster highlight queer Oscar nods

The actors Colman Domingo and Jodie Foster landed Oscar nominations on Jan. 23 for their roles in “Rustin” and “Nyad,” respectively, and they are making history in the process: It is the first time two out actors have received Academy Award nominations for portraying LGBTQ characters, according to Variety.

Domingo was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of Bayard Rustin in the 2023 biopic about the life of the out gay civil rights icon who organized the March on Washington in 1963. Foster’s Oscar nod — for Best Supporting Actress — stems from her role as Bonnie Stoll, the best friend of a long-distance swimmer, Diana Nyad. It is the first time Domingo has been nominated for an Oscar, while Foster has won two Academy Awards.

Domingo’s portrayal of Rustin has been widely praised since the film hit Netflix in November — and his acting job in that movie has already yielded BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations. He previously won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his performance on “Euphoria” on HBO. 

According to the New York Times, Domingo is only the second out gay man to receive an Oscar nomination for portraying a gay character. He follows Ian McKellen, who was nominated for his role in “Gods in Monsters” in 1999.

David J. Johns, who is the CEO of the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC), a Black LGBTQ civil rights organization, said Rustin’s Academy Award nomination is well-deserved — and he praised the actor for helping to raise awareness of Rustin’s contributions to the civil rights movement and non-violent civil disobedience. 

“This nomination highlights the importance of bringing stories of Black, LGBTQ+ leaders to the forefront, increasing representation in Hollywood, and educating audiences on the Black and Black queer history that some states are actively working to erase,” Johns said in a written statement on Jan. 23.

“Rustin” was rolled out under Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company, Higher Ground, and it is available to stream on Netflix.

Among other notable Oscar nods, the film “Maestro” — in which Bradley Cooper stars as bisexual conductor Leonard Bernstein — pulled in seven nominations, while Lily Gladstone, who told People last year that using she/they pronouns is “partly a way of decolonizing gender for myself,” received an Academy Award nomination for starring as Mollie Burkhart in “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Sterling K. Brown also earned a nomination for Best Supporting Actor for portraying a gay character in “American Fiction,” while “Anatomy of a Fall” — which features a bi lead character — pulled in five nominations in total. The hit film “Barbie” was nominated eight times — including for out singer Billie Eilish’s song, “What Was I made For.” A timely film called “The ABCs of Book Banning” was nominated for Best Documentary Short Film.

The 96th Academy Awards will take place at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles on March 10, 2024