Photo Credit: ABC

The 88th Annual ACADEMY AWARDS® celebrated a year’s worth of on- and off-screen creativity with a live televised broadcast on ABC hosted by comedian Chris Rock and produced by David Hill and Reginald Hudlin. The ACADEMY AWARDS® is the only awards show that is televised live in all United States time zones, Canada, the UK, and gathers millions of viewers throughout the world; thereby reinforcing GLAAD’s vision that images matter…here, and across the globe.

Addressing where the film industry is at the present and acknowledging challenges the film industry currently faces, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) President Cheryl Boone Isaacs said “I am confident that together we can shape a future of which all of us can be proud.”

Within an evening when LGBT stories were shut out of nominations for Best Picture, performances within LGBT content pics did, in fact, receive nominations. The first instance of LGBT content visibility was when Alicia Vikander won the Best Supporting Actress Award for The Danish Girl — acknowledging, in her acceptance speech, that “dreams do come true.” 

In the ever poignant retrospective of artists lost within the previous year, we were reminded of the passing of Holly Woodlawn, a transgender Puerto Rican actress and Andy Warhol superstar who appeared in his movies Trash (1970) and Women in Revolt (1972). For many, she was probably best known for her performance in Lou Reed’s hit pop song Walk on the Wild Side.

 Introducing Lady Gaga, nominated for Best Original Song for the documentary The Hunting Ground, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said “We must and we can change the culture so that no abused woman or man, like the survivors we will see tonight, ever feel they have to ask themselves ‘what did I do.’ They did nothing wrong. So folks, I really mean this, I’m sincere, take the pledge. Go to It’s On Us.org.”

GLAAD is a proud partner and supporter of the “It’s On Us” national campaign.  You can join GLAAD, fight campus sexual violence and pledge your support at “It’s On Us”

Lady Gaga co-wrote Till It Happens To You with Grammy Award-winning songwriter Diane Warren for the film “The Hunting Ground,” an exposé of rape culture on campuses.

Sam Smith presented and passionately crooned the nominated Best Original Song Writings On The Wall to a packed Kodak Theater audience. Upon winning the Academy Award in this category, Smith said that “I want to dedicate this to the LGBT community all around the world. I stand here tonight as a proud gay man and I hope we can all stand together as equals one day. Thank you so much.”