Gay Actors, Characters Score Big With Emmy Voters

Actors Chris Colfer, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jane Lynch, Nathan Lane, and Evan Rachel Wood, director Todd Haynes, and activist Chaz Bono are among the openly LGBT people celebrating today with news that they received 2011 Emmy nominations this morning.

Yesterday, I missed that former Advocate cover subject Sean Hayes received a nomination for hosting the 2010 Tony Awards under the outstanding special class program category. Hayes hosted the awards while appearing in the acclaimed Broadway revival of Promises, Promises.

Colfer and Lynch were nominated for best supporting actor and actress in a comedy respectively for their performances on Fox's megahit Glee. Ferguson was also nominated as supporting actor in a comedy for his role as a gay dad in the ABC sitcom Modern Family, along with Eric Stonestreet, the straight actor who plays his husband. The series also scored a nomination for Lane as guest actor in a comedy. Both LGBT-inclusive programs were also nominated for best comedy series. Alan Cumming scored a nomination for supporting actor in the drama series category for his work on The Good Wife.

Becoming Chaz, OWN's acclaimed documentary about Bono's transition to male, garnered a nomination as outstanding nonfiction special.

HBO's multipart retelling of Mildred Pierce was a hit with voters, nominated for an astonishing 21 awards, including one for Haynes as director and Wood for supporting actress. Another HBO film, Cinema Verite, which looked at the groundbreaking '70s reality series that introduced many American to their first openly gay man, Lance Loud, received nominations for Diane Lane as progressive mother Pat Loud and for best miniseries or movie.

The awards ceremony will air on Fox September 18. For the complete list of nominations, visit Emmys.com.