Oscars 2026 accused of being ‘too straight’ after only a few LGBTQ+ projects are nominated
Both Elio and A Friend of Dorothy were nominated at the 2026 Oscars. (Disney/Filthy Gorgeous Productions)
Both Elio and A Friend of Dorothy were nominated at the 2026 Oscars. (Disney/Filthy Gorgeous Productions)
Following the 2026 Oscar nominations announcement, many movie fans were disappointed at the lack of LGBTQ+ representation on the list, with Out.com labelling the event “Oscars so straight.“
Very few queer films and actors made it onto nomination lists for the iconic golden statuette. Notable LGBTQ+ favourites like Sorry Baby, Hedda and Wicked: For Good received no nominations.
Members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), the body which awards the Oscars, will now vote on the winners ahead of the ceremony on March 15.
One particular disappointment for LGBTQ+ film buffs was Wicked: For Good being snubbed. Neither Cynthia Erivo nor Ariana Grande were up for the actress categories despite the fact that, last year, they were both nominated for 2024’s Wicked.
Another snub that movie fans were disappointed about was that Daniel Craig has once again been overlooked for his role in Knives Out. In Knives Out: Wake Up Dead Man, Craig returns to play queer detective Benoit Blanc.
“Daniel Craig getting snubbed for Queer and then his next movie does even worse, getting shut out of the Globes and Oscars despite higher critic and audience scores than Glass Onion,” one fan wrote.
They also continued: “He’s still never won a single individual award for playing Benoit Blanc.”
Additionally, Eva Victor’s acclaimed directorial debut, Sorry, Baby, was completely shut out. Many were convinced that the film, at the very least, would receive a best original screenplay nod.
‘It’s infuriating if they’re ignored any longer…’
“Sorry, Baby didn’t earn any Oscar nominations this morning, but I’m extremely confident in making the following statement: Eva Victor will be back,” one fan posted.
“She will get her Oscar moment. Sure, a few nominations would’ve been great today. But this feels like the start of something great.”
In the film, Victor (who uses she/her and the/them pronouns) plays a non-binary, queer literature professor recovering from sexual assault.
Another highlighted that the performances in the dark romantic drama Hedda should have been recognised.
Tessa Thompson and Nina Hoss play ex-lovers Hedda and Eileen, respectively. Taking place in one night, the film sees Hedda, a bisexual woman, torn between her comfortable but unfulfilling marriage and the lure of a former, all-consuming love.
“Tessa Thompson and Nina Hoss deserve full Oscars for their performance in Hedda, there’s zero hyperbole here,” a fan shared.
“They knocked just about everyone who acted in a movie in 2025 out of the park. It’s infuriating if they’re ignored any longer…”
Here are the projects that did get 2026 Oscar nominations:
Though there were a lot of LGBTQ+ snubs, there are some nominations to celebrate at the 2026 Oscars.
To begin with, KPop Demon Hunters got a nod for Best Original Song for “Golden”. The track was co-written by queer songwriter Mark Sonnenblick.
Furthermore, Come See Me in the Good Light was nominated in the Best Documentary category.
Ryan White’s documentary chronicles the terminal cancer diagnosis of the late poet Andrea Gibson and their wife, Megan Falley.
Also in the documentary category is Mr Nobody Against Putin. Gay creative Pasha Talanki starred, co-directed and narrated the film. The documentary follows Talankin working at a school in Karabash, set against the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war.
Elsewhere, queer filmmaker Adrian Molina earned a nomination for co-directing Pixar’s Elio. Following the film’s release, it came out that the titular character was explicitly “queer-coded” but that got “sanded down.”
Ethan Hawke earned a nomination for Best Actor for his performance as closeted playwright Lorenz Hart in Blue Moon. The biopic follows Lorenz Hart’s life as he reckons with losing his creative partner, Richard Rodgers.
A Friend of Dorothy, Lee Knight’s directorial debut starring Miriam Margolyes, was nominated in the Best Short Film category.
Also, though it may not be explicit LGBTQ+ representation, gay icon Aunt Gladys got an Oscar nod! Actor Amy Madigan was recognised in the best supporting actress category for her work in Weapons, playing the widely memed character.
