15 major LGBTQIA+ moments in pop culture in 2018

Timothee Chalamet and Armie Hammer in Call Me By Your Name. Image from YouTube via Sony Pictures Classics.

Call Me By Your Name nominated and winning at the Oscars

The Emmys may have been #EmmysSoGay (why didn’t anyone make that a thing?), but the Oscars recognized another LGBTQIA+ story with Call Me By Your Name. Though it was released in late 2017 in most countries, the press tour to promote the film for awards season went straight into 2018 and proved to be pretty successful, catching the attention of the industry’s highest honor, the Academy Awards.

Call Me By Your Name was getting attention months before it was even released. When news spread that Armie Hammer would be taking on a gay role, people were interested, and they were even more shocked to find out that the love interest was a 17-year-old, played by newcomer Timothée Chalamet. While it got some negative responses for portraying a sexual relationship between a 17-year-old and a 24-year-old, the movie hit the film festival scene and audiences and critics alike were hooked. The film was beautifully shot, the story was compelling, and the performances — especially from Timothée — were powerful.

After months of buzz and speculation, Call Me By Your Name earned four Oscar nominations: Best Original Song, Best Actor for Timothée, Best Adapted Screenplay, and the biggie, Best Picture. Though it only took home the trophy for Best Adapted Screenplay, it was still a huge platform for an LGBTQIA+-centric film.

Timothée did get his dues, though, when he won Best Male Lead at the Independent Spirit Awards. Sure, it was no Oscar, but being rewarded for playing a conflicted queer character — even if he is straight in real life — is still a big accomplishment.