A history of LGBT films at the Oscars

A number of Oscar categories are easy to predict this year due to sweeps by certain nominees in precursor awards. (We're looking at you, Ms. Blanchett. For the Georgia Straight's predictions, here's Adrian Mack and Craig Takeuchi talking shop on The Commentary podcast.)

If—or rather when, depending on who you talk to—Matthew McConaughey or Jared Leto win their respective acting categories on Sunday (March 2), the two actors will join a history of Oscar wins by films with LGBT content.

Here's a rundown of notable Oscar nominations and wins that show that LGBT–related content, rather than being a deterrent, can translate into Oscar gold.

(Also of note, this year's Oscars will be hosted for the second time by Ellen DeGeneres, who was the first openly gay person to host the show.)

Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971)

This British drama, about a bisexual sculptor who has affairs with both women and men, received four nominations. Peter Finch became the first actor to receive a best actor nomination for a gay role, in this case as a Jewish doctor caught in a love triangle.

Cabaret (1972)

Best director: Bob Fosse

Best actress: Liza Minnelli

Best supporting actor: Joel Grey

Loosely based on the 1966 musical, the film, set in Berlin in 1931, follows a love triangle between a female American singer (Liza Minnelli), a male British academic, and a playboy baron who has sex with both of them. Cabaret received ten nominations, including best picture and best adapted screenplay, and won eight of them.   

La Cage aux folles (1978)

In this France-Italy coproduction, two gay men try to hide the fact that they're gay when the son of one of the men brings his fiancée and her parents for dinner. This comedy received three nominatons, including best director (Édouard Molinaro) and best adapated screenplay, but failed to win any of them.

Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)

Best actor: William Hurt

In this Brazilian-American drama, Hurt portrayed Luis Molina, a gay man imprisoned in Brazil for having sex with an underage boy and who falls in love with his cellmate. Hurt became the first actor to win an Oscar for playing a gay role.

My Beautiful Laundrette (1985)

This British comedy-drama starred Gordon Warnecke as a young Pakistani man in London who revives his uncle's laundrette with the help of his boyfriend (played by Daniel Day-Lewis). Hanif Kureishi received a best original screenplay nomination but lost to Woody Allen's Hannah and Her Sisters.

The Crying Game (1992)

Best original screenplay: Neil Jordan

This British thriller, about an IRA foot-solider who falls in love with a transgender woman, received six nominations, including best picture, best director (Jordan), best actor (Stephen Rea), and best supporting actor (Jaye Davidson).

Philadelphia (1993)

Best actor: Tom Hanks

Hanks portrayed a lawyer who sues his former employers after they fire him for being HIV–positive. It was one of the first Hollywood films to address HIV/AIDS and homosexuality.

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)

Best costume design

Amid a wave of Hollywood films featuring drag, such as The Birdcage, Mrs. Doubtfire, and To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar, this Australian roadtrip comedy-drama about two drag queens and a transgender woman received international acclaim and won its best costume design nomination.

As Good As It Gets (1997)

Greg Kinnear received a best supporting actor nomination for his role in this romcom as a gay artist but didn't win.

Gods and Monsters (1998)

Best Adapted Screenplay: Bill Condon

This British-American drama depcits the final days of film director James Whale, played by Ian McKellen (one of the few openly gay lead actors in Hollywood), who was nominated for best actor but didn't win. Lynn Redgrave was also nominated for best supporting actress.  

Boys Don't Cry (1999)

Best actress: Hilary Swank

Swank portrayed Brandon Teena, a transgender man who was beaten and murdered by male acquaintances after they find out he has female anatomy. Chloë Sevigny, who portrayed Brandon's girlfriend, was nominated for best supporting actress.

Before Night Falls (2000)

Javier Bardem received his first Oscar nomination for portraying openly gay Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas in this biopic, but he didn't win.

Far From Heaven (2002)

Todd Haynes' drama, about a 1950s housewife whose husband is struggling with his sexual identity, received four nominations, including a best actress nod for Julianne Moore, but didn't win any Oscars. Moore would go on to portray queer characters in The Hours and The Kids Are All Right.

The Hours (2002)

Best actress: Nicole Kidman

This ensemble drama about three women connected to the novel Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf picked up nine nominations, including best director (Stephen Daldry) and best picture. Kidman won the best actress award, while Julianne Moore and Ed Harris received best supporting nominations.

Monster (2003)

Best actress: Charlize Theron

Theron swept numerous awards for her portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wuornos who had a female lover (played by Christina Ricci).

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

Best director: Ang Lee

The year 2005 turned out to be a pivotal one for LGBT content in Hollywood. Several LGBT–related films received nominations.
Brokeback Mountain, which is often regarded as a pivotal breakthrough for a same-sex love story, collected eight nominations including best actor (Heath Ledger), best supporting actor (Jake Gyllenhaal), best supporting actress (Michelle Williams), and best picture.  

Capote (2005)

Best actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman

This biopic about writer Truman Capote didn't focus on homosexuality as its subject matter. Instead, it was about Capote who happened to be gay and was writing his nonfiction book In Cold Blood. The film garnered five nominations, including best picture.

Transamerica (2005)

Although the film didn't win any Oscars, Felicity Huffman was nominated for her portrayal of a transgender woman who embarks upon a roadtrip with her estranged son.

Milk (2008)

Best original screenplay: Dustin Lance Black

Best actor: Sean Penn

Another biopic, this time about gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk racked up eight nominations, including best picture (losing to Slumdog Millionaire).

A Single Man (2009)

Tom Ford's adaptation of the Christopher Isherwood novel didn't win any awards but Colin Firth was nominated for best actor for his role as a gay British professor grieving the death of his longtime partner.

The Kids Are All Right (2010)

Unfortunately, there were no wins at the Oscars for this lesbian family comedy-drama but Annette Benning (who won at the Golden Globes) was nominated for best actress and Mark Ruffalo picked up a best supporting actor nomination.

Black Swan (2010)

Best actresss: Natalie Portman

Darren Aronofsky's psychological horror about a ballerina's descent into mental illness included a lesbian sex scene between the female lead characters, played by Mila Kunis and Natalie Portman. Portman won the best actress award, and the film was nominated for four other awards, including best director and best picture. 

Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

This biopic, about an AIDS patient who smuggles pharmaceutical drugs in the U.S., received six nominations, including best picture, best actor (Matthew McConaughey), and best supporting actor (Jared Leto, who portrayed a transgender character).