Rami Malek as the rock icon Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. Photo / Supplied
Rami Malek as the rock icon Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. Photo / Supplied
GLAAD announced the nominees for its 30th annual media awards on Friday, celebrating what it referred to as a "banner year for LGBTQ images in film."
"Bohemian Rhapsody," which earned multiple Oscar nominations this week, failed to make the list.
The advocacy organization deemed the Queen biopic ineligible for the outstanding film category in response to sexual misconduct allegations against director Bryan Singer, as Variety first reported. A roughly 9,000-word article published Wednesday by the Atlantic detailed the accounts of four people who said Singer assaulted them while they were underage. The article says accusations have trailed the director for the past 20 years.
On Wednesday, Singer issued a statement firmly denying the allegations and referred to the Atlantic's article as a "homophobic smear piece." He also asserted the publication had been "conveniently timed" to capitalize on the box-office success of "Bohemian Rhapsody."
A representative for Singer has not returned The Washington Post's request for comment on GLAAD's action.
"This week's story in the Atlantic documenting unspeakable harms endured by young men and teenage boys brought to light a reality that cannot be ignored or even tacitly rewarded," GLAAD wrote in a statement issued Thursday. "Singer's response to the Atlantic story wrongfully used 'homophobia' to deflect from sexual assault allegations, and GLAAD urges the media and the industry at large to not gloss over the fact that survivors of sexual assault should be put first."
GLAAD, which had previously praised "Bohemian Rhapsody" around the time of its release, wrote in the statement the team that worked on the film "as well as the legacy of Freddy [sic] Mercury deserve so much more than to be tainted in this way."
"The impact of the film is undeniable," GLAAD continued. "We believe, however, that we must send a clear and unequivocal message to LGBTQ youth and all survivors of sexual assault that GLAAD and our community will stand with survivors and will not be silent when it comes to protecting them from those who would do them harm."
While much of Hollywood has remained quiet in response to the Atlantic article, GLAAD's statement notes that Time's Up, an organization founded in response to the #MeToo movement, also spoke out against Singer. The Hollywood Reporter confirmed Thursday that the director is still slated to direct a remake of "Red Sonja," for which he could receive a paycheck of up to $10 million.
Bryan Singer has been accused of sexually assaulting minors. Photo / AP
"Those who hire alleged abusers must recognize that these decisions not only subject their employees to possibly unsafe working conditions, but also perpetuate a broken system that rewards powerful people and allows them to act without consequence," Time's Up wrote in a tweeted statement.
Twentieth Century Fox fired Singer partway through the production of "Bohemian Rhapsody" due to his unreliable behavior. Dexter Fletcher took over for the remainder of the principal photography and editing, but Singer retained the directing credit.
Critics disagreed with GLAAD about the merits of "Bohemian Rhapsody." The movie opened to lukewarm reviews, many of which criticized the portrayal of Freddie Mercury's sexuality. Vox's Aja Romano wrote that the film "fears his queerness" and instead fixates on the platonic relationship Mercury (Rami Malek) maintains with an ex-girlfriend. Daily Beast writer Kevin Fallon referred to the film as a "sanitized, mean-spirited, gay-shaming, and altogether lame biopic," claiming it vilifies the gay men in Mercury's life and misrepresents events surrounding his AIDS diagnosis. RogerEbert.com critic Sheila O'Malley stated there is "no other word for this approach than phobic."
The GLAAD Media Awards ceremonies, which will be held March 28 in Los Angeles and May 4 in New York, strive to celebrate "fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of LGBTQ people and issues" found in media throughout the 2018 calendar year, according to a news release.
This year's ceremony will also give special recognition awards to "Nanette," comedian Hannah Gadsby's Netflix special; "TransMilitary," a Logo documentary on transgender service members; and "House of Mamis," a docuseries about an LGBTQ voguing community in Mexico City.
