A League of Their Own boss slams cancelling of LGBTQ+ shows: ‘We’ll remember who stood with us’
The cast of A League of Their Own. (Amazon)
A League of Their Own showrunner Will Graham called out TV bosses for standing on the sidelines of the war on LGBTQ+ rights at the GLAAD Media Awards.
Graham accepted the GLAAD award for Outstanding New TV Series for A League of Their Own, which will reportedly return for a shortened, four-episode second season to wrap up its storylines, despite winning widespread critical acclaim.
He took the opportunity to highlight the ongoing trend of LGBTQ+ shows being cancelled early into their runs, such as Legendary, Fate: The Winx Saga and Willow – which also received a nomination for Outstanding New TV Series.
Graham admitted to the crowd that “it would be strange to accept this award without commenting on the fact that this show is one of the lucky ones”.
He continued: “So many of the shows that were nominated in this category have been canceled or quietly canceled, and that mirrors what’s happening with queer stories across our society and in our classrooms.”
“I hope that all of us on this stage and all of us in this room can say to our industry that we are the audience that is growing. We are not a niche anymore, there’s way too many of us,” he continued, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“The days that you can hold a Pride event and cancel our shows at the same time has to be over. The days when you can sit on the sidelines while people debate our right to exist are over.
“We are here, our lives matter, our joy matters, and we will remember who stood with us and who stood back at this crucial moment in our history.”
A League of Their Own is based on the 1992 film of the same name about an all-women’s baseball league, and features a stand-out lineup of queer, non-binary and trans characters. It quickly became a fan favourite for queer viewers.
Even though Graham called the A League of Their Own “lucky”, fans have recently expressed outrage that the show’s second season was only renewed for a four-episode run.
Elswhere at the GLAAD Media Awards, Jennifer Coolidge gave a touching tribute to the LGBTQ+ community, Vanessa Williams slammed drag bans and Christina Aguilera thanked the gays for teaching her how to give a really good blowjob – seriously.
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