IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Oscars 2019: More than half of Best Picture nominees include LGBTQ characters

Five of this year's Best Picture picks — “A Star Is Born,” “Green Book,” “The Favourite,” "Vice” and “Bohemian Rhapsody” — include at least one LGBTQ character.
Image: Bohemian Rhapsody - 2018
Rami Malek performs in Bohemian Rhapsody - 2018.20th Century Fox / Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock

This year’s Academy Award nominees were revealed Tuesday morning, and five of the eight Best Picture nominees — “A Star Is Born,” “Green Book,” “The Favourite,” "Vice” and “Bohemian Rhapsody” — include at least one LGBTQ character.

“Today’s list of Oscar nominees reflect a banner year for LGBTQ inclusion in film and a signal that the Academy and its members are rightfully prioritizing storytelling at a time when audiences and critics alike are calling for more,” Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of LGBTQ media advocacy organization GLAAD, said in a statement shared with NBC News.

While the five LGBTQ-inclusive Best Picture nominees racked up a combined 36 nominations, LGBTQ inclusion was not limited to those films. “Can You Ever Forgive Me?,” a true crime drama featuring Melissa McCarthy as lesbian writer-turned-criminal Lee Israel, received three Oscar nominations. And “Marguerite,” an LGBTQ-inclusive short film, was nominated for Best Live Action Short. GLAAD also noted there were a number of behind-the-camera LGBTQ nominees, too.

While this year’s Academy Awards will see a record number of LGBTQ-inclusive Best Picture nominees, according to GLAAD, the past two winners in the category — ”Moonlight” and “The Shape of Water” — also highlighted LGBTQ stories. “Moonlight,” 2017’s winner, made history by becoming the first LGBTQ film to ever win the Oscar for Best Picture.

FOLLOW NBC OUT ON TWITTER, FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM