March 29, 2023 The Newspaper Serving LGBT Los Angeles

Sam Smith inadvertently spotlights a long history of out LGBT Oscar winners

Sam Smith thanks his writing partner Jimmy Napes during his February 28, 2016 Oscar acceptance speech
Sam Smith thanks his writing partner Jimmy Napes during his February 28, 2016 Oscar acceptance speech.

BY TROY MASTERS  |  When Sam Smith bested favorite Lady GaGa and snagged an Oscar for Best Original Song at last night’s Academy Awards ceremony, he sparked a major online frenzy:  In his acceptance speech Sam boasted he might be the first out gay man to win an Oscar.  OOPS!

We won’t go into some of the darker, unbelievably nasty tweets from one recent out gay Oscar winner, a tweet that got more than a little hot and TMI personal (but it’s posted below, LOL).

Smith’s claim nearly broke the internet.


black


Smith can be forgiven.  He’s only 23 and most 23 year olds need a history lesson (and perhaps a keep your hands off my boyfriend smackdown or two) on LGBT issues, even people as interested in LGBT causes as Sam.  Let’s be generous and assume that was Black’s intention.

The list of gay and lesbian Oscar winners in general is actually quite a long one. There are probably dozens, perhaps even many dozens if you consider all categories of Oscars and not just the marquee prizes. However, among the top awards the list is impressive and long enough that culling a complete list is difficult.

Do you include Joel Grey, for instance? He won best supporting actor way back in 1973 for a scandalously gender bending role in “Cabaret,” but he was not what we would consider out today.

Or, more bafflingly, Jodie Foster? She won 2 Best Actress Awards.  We had known at least since her days on campus at Yale that Jodie was was a lesbian, but the world did not until she announced it obliquely at the Golden Globes in 2013.

If you count people like them, people who “came out” later in life, then the list expands exponentially.  Hollywood once had an entire industry built around heterosexualization of gay and lesbian stars.

It still does for those who dare to hide.


But there is a short list of Oscar winners who were out when they won a major category Oscar (in alphabetical order):

Pedro Almodóvar
Original Screenplay, 2002
“Talk to Her”

Dustin Lance Black
Best Original Screenplay, 2009
“Milk”

Debra Chasnoff
Documentary, 1992
Deadly Deception

Melissa Etheridge
Best song, 2007
“I Need to Wake Up” for the Al Gore documentary “An Inconvenient Truth.”

John Gielgud
Best Supporting Actor, 1981
“Arthur”

Elton John
Best Original Song, 1994 (when Sam Smith was an infant)
“Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” from “The Lion King.”

Stephen Sondheim
Best Song, 1990
“Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man),” from “Dick Tracy,”.

 

 

in LOCAL, NEWS
Related Posts

Long Beach Businesses with LGBTQ Flags Vandalized

March 24, 2023

March 24, 2023

By Susan Payne Three businesses in Long Beach have reported windows smashed in with one common denominator: visible LGBTQ symbols. ...

Newsom Calls Huntington Beach City Council Decision ‘Rank’

March 24, 2023

March 24, 2023

By Susan Payne Huntington Beach garnered disapproval from Governor Gavin Newsom on its recent decision to ban the flying of...

California’s Affordable Housing Crisis Disproportionately Impacts LGBTQ Adults, UCLA Study Finds

March 24, 2023

March 24, 2023

New Report by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research highlights the connection between lack of affordable housing, delayed access...

Santa Monica Place Invites LGBTQIA+ Artisans to Apply for Made With PRIDE Marketplace

March 21, 2023

March 21, 2023

Partnering with Streetlet, the marketplace will take place each weekend in June and showcase local goods made in Southern California....

Gus Kenworthy’s Gay Kiss Scene in ‘80 for Brady’ Cut Out

March 14, 2023

March 14, 2023

By Susan Payne “80 for Brady,” a 2023 comedy/drama film that follows a group of longtime friends who want to...

Abbey Founder Declares Drag is Not A Crime

March 14, 2023

March 14, 2023

By Susan Payne “Drag is not a crime.” In solidary with drag performers, David Cooley, founder of The Abbey Food...

Grants Available for Long Beach LGBTQ-Owned or Allied Restaurants

March 14, 2023

March 14, 2023

By Susan Payne LGBTQ-owned or allied restaurants in Long Beach are invited to apply for Grubhub’s Community Impact Grants ranging...

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Moves to Ease Restrictions on Blood Donations from Gay and Bisexual Men

March 9, 2023

March 9, 2023

The City of West Hollywood is getting the word out that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued proposed...

Board of Supervisors Approves Motion to Fly Progress Pride Flag in LA County Offices

March 9, 2023

March 9, 2023

Flags will be flown at Los Angeles County facilities where American and California flags are flown each year ​​Los Angeles...

Donatella Versace Visits the Los Angeles LGBT Center

March 9, 2023

March 9, 2023

Hosts master class with CFDA designers This week, the Los Angeles LGBT Center welcomed Donatella Versace, the Chief Creative Officer...

Versace Partners With CFDA on LGBTQ-Focused Initiative

March 6, 2023

March 6, 2023

By Susan Payne Donatella Versace is launching a masterclass at the Los Angeles LGBT Center on March 6 in partnership...

Suspect Pleads Guilty to Killing Los Angeles-Born Gay Man in 1988

March 6, 2023

March 6, 2023

By Susan Payne Last month, an Australian man pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the 1988 death of an American who...

Bill Introduced for K-12 Statewide Gender-Neutral Restrooms

March 6, 2023

March 6, 2023

By Susan Payne A bill to require K-12 schools in California to provide appropriate and equitable access to gender-neutral restrooms...

UCLA’s New Volleyball Coach’s Gay Journey Reaches Full Circle

March 1, 2023

March 1, 2023

By Susan Payne Playing volleyball in a West Hollywood gym is where Alfred Reft became comfortable with his sexuality, alongside...

Girl Scouts Make Sales at WeHo Bars

March 1, 2023

March 1, 2023

By Susan Payne A Glendale, California Girl Scout has found a new market for cookie sales in West Hollywood.  In...