There was a time when the EMMY AWARDS were about awarding excellence on US Broadcast TV, but judging from this years nominees and winners its focus is now about rewarding Hollywood and their output on Streaming Services.  However the change that we prefer to focus on and honor on at QUEERGURU is the increasing number on openly LGBTQ+ that are recognized for their art and craft.

I mean the category for  Outstanding Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie was so very queer. With winner Richard Gadd (Baby Reindeer)  beating out other queer stars Matt Bomer, Tom Hollander and  (and Queerguru’s favorite) Ireland’s own Andrew Scott. Gadd also won an award for Outstanding Writing and Baby Reindeer was crowned Best Limited or Anthology Series.  

Baby Reindeer’s Jessica Gunning also collected a trophy for her role in the Netflix hit. She was recognised as Best Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, beating out her trans co-star Nava Mau and fellow queer nominees Lily Gladstone and Kali Ries. 

Scottish queer funny man Alan Cumming, collected the award for Oustanding Reality Competition Program for The Traitors beating out RuPaul’s Drag Race, among others. Last week, Cumming also ended RuPaul’s reign in the hosting category of the Creative Arts Emmys, which the drag queer has won every year since 2016.

Jodie Foster won her first-ever Emmy for her work on True Detective: Night Country. She was recognized as Best Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, kissing her wife Alexandra Hedison when the results were announced.

In her acceptance speech, Foster said: “This is an incredibly emotional moment for me because True Detective: Night Country was such a magical experience.”

However the queer highlight of the evening was when the groundbreaking gay writer, producer and director Greg Berlanti accepted the Governors Award at the 2024 Emmys, which recognizes those who make a “profound, transformational and long-lasting contribution to television”.   So many of the LGBTQ+ community lives have been enriched by Berlanti’s enormous body of work that have always  shone so bright.  For some it may be when he added the first  gay kiss into mainstream Dawsons Creek some 24 years ago .  For us at Queerguru it was when he directed his first feature film, The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy at the grand old age of 32.  What struck us then was how for once it treated homosexuality as normal and its characters were average gay men. The film focused on “the universal themes of romance, acceptance and family“, which after closely following the AIDS pandemic gave us much needed hope.

Berlanti’s acceptance speech is also full of both love and hope BUT we defy any gay man (or woman) to watch it without reaching for a kleenex at least once.