Oscars So Straight: A list of very few LGBTQ+ nominees

The 98th Academy Awards ceremony scheduled to be broadcast on Sunday, March 15 on ABC has a dizzying low number of LGBTQ+ nominations.

Notably, Paul Tazewell — costume designer in Wicked: For Good who Oscars history in 2025 for his work in the first Wicked film — and Cynthia Erivo (lead actress who played Elphaba Thropp in Wicked: For Good) were both shockingly snubbed.

As was Ariana Grande (supporting actress who played Glinda in Wicked: For Good and was considered a shoo-in for this year's Oscars). Neither of the original songs in Wicked: For Good — "The Girl in the Bubble" and "No Place Like Home" — were nominated, either.

Zero nominations for LGBTQ+ projects like Twinless, The Wedding Banquet (2025), Kiss of the Spider Woman, Peter Hujar's Day, Plainclothes, Hedda, The History of Sound, Ponyboi, and Enigma… to name a few.

So, without further ado — or much to include — see below the list of LGBTQ+ nominees at the 2026 Oscars.

KPop Demon Hunters (2 nominations)

The girls, gays, and theys love KPop Demon Hunters, which has been one of the most exciting contenders during this 2026 awards season. The animated film's song, "Golden," also gained a life of its own that went beyond the Netflix animated feature itself.

"Golden" was cowritten by Mark Sonnenblick — who was an honoree in the 2025 Out100 list and is now an Academy Award-nominated songwriter.

See below a list of nominations for KPop Demon Hunters at the 98th Academy Awards.

• Best Animated Feature Film
• Best Original Song - "Golden"

Come See Me in the Good Light (1 nomination)

Come See Me in the Good Light was nominated for one Oscar. The documentary centers late Colorado poet laureate Andrea Gibson alongside their wife, Megan Falley, as they navigate Gibson's medical issues with incurable ovarian cancer.

• Documentary Feature Film

Elio (1 nomination)

Disney/Pixar's Elio, co-directed by out filmmaker Adrian Molina, only received one nomination at the 2026 Oscars.

• Best Animated Feature Film of the Year"Two People Exchanging Saliva" (Canal+/The New Yorker)

A Friend of Dorothy (1 nomination)

A British short film starring Miriam Margolyes and Alistair Nwachukwu — among others — A Friend of Dorothy was also nominated for one Oscar.

• Best Live Action Short Film

Two People Exchanging Saliva (1 nomination)

Some viewers argue that Two People Exchanging Saliva isn't a directly, explicitly queer project. Other queer audiences saw the French short navigating themes and dynamics that usually resonate with the LGBTQ+ community, from its subversive plot to the idea of forbidden love/intimacy. The short film was nominated for one Oscar.

• Best Live Action Short Film

Honorable Mention: Sinners (16 nominations)

Mey Rude in her Sinners review for Out, "There's always been something inherently queer about vampires. That doesn't go away in Sinners, as Remmick tries to seduce Sammie into his coven — offering him power, immortality, and freedom from racism."

With a mind-blowing 16 nominations, Sinners has broken the all-time record for most-nominated film of all time at an Oscars ceremony. (For context: The previous record was 14 nominations — shared by 1950's All About Eve, 1997's Titanic, and 2016's La La Land.)

See below a list of nominations for Sinners at the 98th Academy Awards.

• Best Picture
  
• Original Screenplay
• Best Actor in a Leading Role — Michael B. Jordan
• Best Actor in a Supporting Role — Delroy Lindo
• Best Actor in a Supporting Role — Wunmi Mosaku
• Casting
• Cinematography
• Costume Design
• Directing
• Film Editing
• Makeup and Hairstyling
• Original Score
• Original Song — "I Lied To You"
• Production Design
• Sound
• Visual Effects