Nominations were announced this morning for the 69^th Annual Emmy Awards, and the list includes several LGBTQ actors, writers, and creators as well as nominations for LGBTQ characters and inclusive stories. The 69^th Emmys, hosted by Stephen Colbert, will air live on Sunday, September 17, at 8p EST/ 5p PST on CBS.

Entertainment plays a key role in promoting cultural understanding of LGBTQ lives around the world, particularly in places where simply being yourself can be a risk. TV (and all other forms of entertainment media) has always had a reciprocal relationship with society – reflecting social attitudes while also shaping them as audiences learn more about new types of characters. Acceptance comes with the understanding that is reached by connecting with a character on a personal level from your living room. That is why the stories that make it to our screens – and further, the stories that are honored – are important, and should reflect the world we know which includes LGBTQ people, people of color, people with disabilities, various economic backgrounds and more.

Join the conversation by following @GLAAD on Twitter and using #RepresentationMatters to share some of your favorite LGBTQ-inclusive shows.

Out actress Evan Rachel Wood is nominated in Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her work on HBO’s Westworld. Lily Tomlin scored a nomination in Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on Netflix’s Grace and Frankie for the second year in a row. Saturday Night Live’s Kate McKinnon is nominated in Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, a category she won last year. Samira Wiley is nominated in Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Moira on The Handmaid’s Tale. Out actors BD Wong (Mr Robot’s Whiterose, a hacker who happens to be trans and China’s Minister of State Security) and Denis O’Hare (This is Us’ Jessie, the boyfriend of Randall’s biological father) both scored nominations in Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. Laverne Cox (Orange is the New Black) and Shannon Purser (Stranger Things) are both nominated in Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, while Wanda Sykes picked up a nomination in Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for black-ish. Tituss Burgess was nominated in Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. His character’s song “Hell No,” a parody of Beyonce’s Lemonade, was nominated in Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics. Jane Lynch (Dropping the Soap) picked up a nomination in Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series. Ellen Page’s Gaycation with Ellen Page is nominated in Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program, alongside RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked (one of seven nominations for the Drag Race brand including Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program and Outstanding Reality Competition Program). Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl LI Halftime Show picked up six nominations, including Outstanding Special Class Program.

Out director Jamie Babbit (But I’m a Cheerleader, Addicted to Fresno) picked up a nomination in Outstanding Director for a Comedy Series on Silicon Valley. Ryan Murphy is credited with five nominations, including Outstanding Directing and Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special for FX’s FEUD: Bette and Joan. Lena Waithe is nominated in Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for the “Thanksgiving” episode of Master of None, which tells the story of her character Denise’s coming out and her relationship with her family over decades of holiday dinners. Check out what she told us about why #RepresentationMatters here!

Viola Davis, who plays bisexual lawyer and professor Annalise Keating on How to Get Away with Murder, is nominated in Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Jeffrey Tambor picked up another nomination in Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his portrayal of trans woman Maura Pfefferman on Amazon’s Transparent. He won in this category last year. In Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Kevin Spacey is nominated for his work as Frank Underwood on House of Cards. Uzo Aduba (Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren, Orange is the New Black) picked up a nomination in Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Ron Cephas Jones scored a nomination in Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his work on NBC’s This is Us as William, the biological father of Randall who is revealed to be bisexual. Alexis Bledel, who played the lesbian character Ofglen on The Handmaid’s Tale, is nominated in Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.

The LGBTQ-inclusive series Master of None, Modern Family, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and Veep are all nominated in Outstanding Comedy Series. The Outstanding Drama Series nominees include The Handmaid’s Tale, House of Cards, and This is Us. Netflix’s Black Mirror episode “San Junipero” picked up two nominations, Outstanding Television Movie and Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special. Billy on the Street, Portlandia, and Saturday Night Live are nominated in Outstanding Variety Sketch Series. The web series Brown Girls, whose creators just signed with HBO to create a series based on the show, is nominated in Outstanding Short Form Comedy or Drama Series. Outstanding Reality Competition Program included a nomination for Project Runway. Sense8 is nominated in Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series, and One Day at a Time is nominated in Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series. The Outstanding Choreography nominees include The Real O’Neals and a nod for out dancer Travis Wall for three of his So You Think You Can Dance numbers.

Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe is nominated in Outstanding Short Form Animated Program. The series was also nominated for a GLAAD Media Award earlier this year. FXX’s Archer is also nominated in the category. The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years, which featured historical footage of the Beatles Manager, Brian Epstein, who was gay, is nominated in Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special. This is one of five nominations for the film. Netflix’s Bill Nye Saves the World episode “The Sexual Spectrum,” about the spectrums of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and attraction, picked up a nomination in Outstanding Writing for a Nonfiction Program. GLAAD is proud to have consulted on this episode, check it out now on Netflix.

Two commercials from the Ad Council – “Love Cam” which celebrated “unbiased love” on the kiss cam at sporting events and “We Are America” with John Cena – picked up nominations in Outstanding Commercial. These spots were both part of the ongoing Love Has No Labels campaign.

The 69^th Emmys, hosted by Stephen Colbert, will air live on Sunday, September 17, at 8p EST/ 5p PST on CBS.