At least a dozen openly gay actors,
presenters or directors were nominated for an Emmy Award on Thursday.
Zachary Quinto (American Horror
Story: Asylum) and John Benjamin Hickey (The Big C: Hereafter)
are competing in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or
Movie category. Sarah Paulson's portrayal of Lana Winters on FX's
American Horror Story: Asylum earned her a supporting actress
nomination.
Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory)
received a nomination in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy
Series category, while Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family)
was nominated in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
category. For her performance on Glee, Jane Lynch received a
supporting actress nomination.
Nathan Lane received two nominations
for guest appearances on The Good Wife (drama) and Modern
Family (comedy).
Competing against Lane in the
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series category is Dan Bucatinsky
(Scandal).
In the Outstanding Host for a Reality
or Reality-Competition Program, Cat Deeley (So You Think You Can
Dance) received a nomination. Tim Gunn (Project Runway)
shared a nomination in the category with co-host Heidi Klum.
Lily Tomlin received a nomination in
the Outstanding Voice-Over Performance category for the HBO
documentary An Apology to Elephants.
And in the Outstanding Directing for a
Comedy Series category, Paris Barclay (Glee) received a
nomination.
In addition, Behind the Candelabra,
the HBO film on the life of pianist Liberace, and Wish Me Away,
the story of singer Chely Wright's coming out, received nominations.
(Related: Jerry
Weintraub “thrilled” with Behind the Candelabra's 15 Emmy
nominations.)