Los Angeles (AFP)

The 71st edition of the Emmy Awards will focus Sunday on talent and series carrying the torch of the LGBTQ community, competing this year in many categories, which reflect the efforts of Hollywood to better represent the diversity of the United States.

The most emblematic series of the phenomenon, "Pose" explores the culture of homosexual "balls" in New York in the 1980s and has been selected six times. She will be represented by Billy Porter, the first openly homosexual black man to compete in the Emmy Awards in the category of best actor for a drama series.

"Pose", which also aligns a large number of transgender comedians, is also competing for the "best drama series".

Gay actors Ben Whishaw ("A Very English Scandal") and Fiona Shaw ("Killing Eve", "Fleabag") have landed nominations, as well as transgender actress Laverne Cox for her role in "Orange Is the New Black" . "

Many other lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer artists, deconstructing gender and sexuality norms, including comedian and presenter Ellen DeGeneres, will represent the colors of the rainbow flag during the evening.

This presence reflects a growing influence in Hollywood and the great progress made in recent years by the entertainment industry to better address issues related to gender identity.

Finally, it illustrates the ability of streaming giants like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon, to seize these topics of society to make commercial success, if not always public.

- "Things are starting to change" -

"The number of LGBTQ nominations this year at the Emmy Awards is a sign that things are starting to change in Hollywood," says Sara Kate Ellis, President of GLAAD, an organization that promotes the best integration of LGBTQ in the media. .

"With nominations for series like + Pose + and + Special +, and performances like Hannah Gadsby, Laverne Cox, Billy Porter and many others, we see the diversity of LGBTQ people not only represented in the mainstream media but also celebrated, "she says.

These series "find an audience everywhere and it's something that the entertainment industry can not ignore anymore".

According to the GLAAD 2018 report, the number of LGBTQ roles on the small screen has reached a record: 8.8% of the 857 characters who appeared at prime time in TV series were identified as belonging to this community .

Hollywood, however, must not rest on its laurels because there is still much progress to be made, say the defenders of the LGBTQ cause.

"While the public is calling for change, the story of Hollywood's efforts for more diversity suggests that the problem is not going to fix itself," says an annual report on the subject published by the University of California UCLA, which demands that the "intentions" manifested by the profession be translated more often into action.

Nico Tortorella, who appears in the series "Younger" which is defined as "non-binary", not recognizing itself in the feminine or masculine gender, notes that while LGBTQ themes are more often discussed on television, this does not necessarily reflect an evolution of society.

"There is a big difference between society as a whole and what's happening on social media," Tortorella, who will be playing in a series derived from "Walking Dead," in a special issue recently published on the issue. by Variety magazine.

"The time is disturbing, for sure, in terms of representation in Hollywood, yes, it's getting better," the artist continues, "but many of the characters written for non-heterosexual people are still characterized by violence. they undergo".

© 2019 AFP