Game of Thrones nominated for GLAAD Media Award

GLAAD, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, announced the nominations for their 26th Annual GLAAD Media Awards. The awards “”recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the LGBT community and the issues that affect their lives.” Thanks to increasing visibility for LGBT people in media, GLAAD has expanded their nominees from five to 10–and Game of Thrones is a beneficiary, getting a nod for “Outstanding Drama Series.”

But this was also Thrones‘ best season for LGBT representation…

Season 4 of Thrones also had the show’s most prominent portrayal of an LGBT character, thanks to the memorable presence of Pedro Pascal as Oberyn Martell. The Red Viper, along with his paramour Ellaria Sand, is voraciously pansexual. Generally media treats bi- or pansexual men as untrustworthy, two-dimensional stereotypes.

But Game of Thrones allowed Oberyn to have depth, and command power and respect. Both the characters within the world and the camera treated him as a fully-rounded human. For this, Game of Thrones is worthy nominee–although I wouldn’t necessarily expect it to win, given that Oberyn and Ellaria’s (and Loras’) queerness was not a major story focus. The nomination is still worth celebrating, though.

• Published on 01/22/2015 at 8:00 AM CDT
• Last updated on 10/21/2016 at 1:07 PM CDT