“Pose,” “I May Destroy You” and “Hacks” were among the big winners at GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics’ Dorian TV Awards, which were awarded Sunday night on Here TV and YouTube’s PlanetOut.
West Coast radio personality and LGBT rights activist Karel hosted the pre-recorded special.
FX's “Pose” earned the Best Drama honor for the third year and its star, Mj Rodriguez, was presented with the LGBTQIA Trailblazer Award “for creating art that inspires, truth and equity.” In July, Rodriguez became the first transgender performer nominated for an Emmy in the lead drama category.
In her interview segment, Rodriguez embraced her status as a role model: “There’s a generation behind me that needs to know what transness looks like,” she said. "I’m going to keep trying my best and instill hope.”
Michaela Coel, creator and star of HBO Max's “I May Destroy You,” shared the Best TV Performance accolade with Jean Smart, who led the cast in the streaming service's Best Comedy Dorian winner, “Hacks.”
“I May Destroy You” also won for Best TV Movie or Miniseries and Coel tied with Bowen Yang for the Wilde Wit Award, which recognizes a “performer, writer or commentator whose observations both challenge and amuse,” one of GALECA’s unique LGBT categories.
The Best Supporting TV Performance trophy went to Kathryn Hahn for Disney+'s “WandaVision,” which picked up the prize for Most Visually Striking Show. Hahn also scored the award for Best TV Musical Performance for “Agatha All Along.”
This was the first year for the association’s gender-neutral performance categories with 10 nominees each for Best TV Performance and Best Supporting TV Performance.
Russell T Davies’ AIDS drama “It's a Sin” on HBO Max was named Best LGBTQIA Series, FX on Hulu's “Framing Britney Spears” won for Best Documentary and Hulu's “Love, Victor” earned the prize for Best Unsung Show.
Olivia Newton-John presented the Campiest TV Show, with the Dorian going to the latest edition of the long-running “Eurovision Song Contest,” which aired in May on Peacock. Newton-John noted during the presentation that she placed fourth back in 1974. (ABBA won that year.)
Showtime's “ZIWE” was voted Best Current Affairs Program and “RuPaul's Drag Race” won for Best Reality Show. Accepting the prize, season 13 contestant Kade Gottlieb — without the elaborate makeup and glitter of his drag persona Gottmik — attested to just how wild and real the VH1 phenomenon’s backstage drama unfolded.
Host Karel was visibly affected during his second Dorian Awards.
“To hear Russell T. Davies speak of the real, incurable virus looming — Trumpism — or to hear Michaela Jaé Rodriguez talk about how she learned so much about AIDS to get her character right, well, I’m so glad I can help produce and host a show that amplifies such important voices,” he said. “When Michael Cimino from ‘Love, Victor’ — our Best Unsung TV Show winner — calls the Dorians a ‘safe space,’ I nearly cried.”
SFGN Arts & Entertainment Editor J.W. Arnold is a voting member of GALECA.
GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics’ “Dorians TV Toast 2021” is available to view on demand on the Here TV app, Here.tv, and the PlanetOut YouTube channel.
