LGBTQ critics honor year’s best TV with Dorian Awards
There are a lot of awards given out in the entertainment industry, but until very recently, none of them were chosen from a queer perspective.
Then came the Dorian Awards. The Dorians are the brainchild of GALECA, the Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, which was formed in 2009 as the Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics’ Association (hence the acronym now used as their moniker), a volunteer professional organization currently comprised of 360 queer professional film and TV journalists who work in print, TV, and radio/podcasting for noteworthy outlets in countries from the U.S.
and Canada to the UK and Australia, and others in between. Covering both mainstream and LGBTQ content, the awards are intended as a reminder to (as their mission statement puts it) “bullies, bigots, and LGBTQIA+ communities’ at-risk youth that the world loves the Q+ eye on entertainment.” Since 2018, the Dorians have been split into two divisions, one each for film and television, which are awarded separately approximately six months apart.
GALECA doesn’t just exist to give out awards, however. The group places heavy focus on advocating for better pay, access, and respect for its members, along with all undervalued pop culture journalists who continue to struggle against the kind of “don’t ask, don’t tell” inclusion that still takes place behind the scenes in Hollywood, where – despite improvements on the sets and on our screens – homophobia still maintains a lingering hold.
