GLAAD is an American organization that is devoted to the fair representation of the LGBTQ+ community in the media. They are well known for their prestigious media awards. The awards are succinctly described on their website: The 31st Annual GLAAD Media Awards recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) community and the issues that affect their lives. This groundbreaking series Gentleman Jack is conspicuously missing from their list of nominees in the Outstanding Drama Series category.

It is unconscionable that GLAAD has overlooked BBC's / HBO's Gentleman Jack. This series is powerfully told by BAFTA award winning writer and director Sally Wainwright. It has a stellar cast: Suranne Jones, Sophie Rundle, Gemma Whelan, Gemma Jones, and many others. This true story from the early 19th century captures the zeitgeist of the 21st century. The main character Anne Lister is considered the "first modern lesbian." She was a firebrand - a true trailblazer who is relevant in 2020.

Anne was an extraordinary and complex person who lived 200 years ago. She was a landowner, businesswoman, and lover of women. Ann Walker was equally as courageous. Despite battling depression and anxiety, she did something considered "subversive" - she married a woman. The marriage between Anne Lister and Ann Walker took place in 1834! This is not fiction - this is real history! We are blessed with this knowledge because Anne left behind her diaries: 27 volumes, 5 million words, some of it in crypthand - a code she developed with her first love, Eliza Raine. Her diaries are now a part of the UNESCO UK Memory of the World Register. 

Gentleman Jack deserves a nomination. Lesser shows were nominated. Shows with peripheral LGBTQ+ characters were nominated. A show that has been accused of queer baiting has been nominated. Where is Gentleman Jack's nomination?

Gentleman Jack has touched and changed many lives. This series gave rise to The Ann Walker Memorial Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports LGBTQ+ young people. What other series can claim such an achievement? Gentleman Jack deserves a nomination - it deserves an award. Ignoring this show is ignoring our history!

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