In light of the recent sexual abuse allegations made against film director Bryan Singer, the hit Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody has lost their nomination for a Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Media Award in the Outstanding Film – Wide Release category. An exposé was released in The Atlantic earlier this week, in which multiple men accused Singer of sexually abusing underage boys. The director has since completely denied the allegations. GLAAD informed Variety on Friday that they are taking action against Singer by disqualifying Bohemian Rhapsody from the awards.
“This week’s story in The Atlantic documenting unspeakable harms endured by young men and teenage boys brought to light a reality that cannot be ignored or even tacitly rewarded,” GLAAD said in their statement.
GLAAD continued on to specifically cite Singer’s response to the allegations as a reason for disqualification. When the report was released on Wednesday, Singer called it a “homophobic smear piece” that was only meant to take advantage of Bohemian Rhapsody ‘s success, according to Deadline .
“Singer’s response to The Atlantic story wrongfully used ‘homophobia’ to deflect from sexual assault allegations and GLAAD urges the media and the industry at large to not gloss over the fact that survivors of sexual assault should be put first,” the organization said.
Time’s Up — an organization that formed after disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein’s sexual abuse scandal, seeking to offer legal support to accusers in Hollywood — also released a statement praising GLAAD’s decision. They noted that the allegations made against Singer must be taken seriously, calling his purported actions “horrifying.”
So because the movie’s ex-director was fired over allegations that weren’t proven, the movie and everyone who worked hard to make it happen suffer? Unjust! #Queen
” #BohemianRhapsody loses GLAAD nomination over Bryan Singer allegations, Variety reports” https://t.co/ajm7g0C91n
— Ultra MAGA ?? (@likeaboss_890) January 25, 2019
Meanwhile, many fans of the Freddie Mercury film are not happy with GLAAD’s decision, believing the disqualification wrongfully punishes the critically-acclaimed film itself.
“Both upsetting & maddening for those who worked tirelessly to give us a masterpiece of a lifetime. Penalize the director for his actions, by all means- but don’t pull recognition from the extraordinarily kind & effervescent cast/crew of #BohemianRhapsody,” one user said.
Others are praising GLAAD, even encouraging the Academy to also remove the film from the Oscars.
In light of the allegations against Bryan Singer, #BohemianRhapsody is no longer in the running for Best Original Film at the GLAAD Media Awards https://t.co/ojxBG2DKtW
— Vulture (@vulture) January 24, 2019
GLAAD previously praised the film for its portrayal of gay icon Freddie Mercury and his battle with AIDS. In their statement on Friday, the organization did mention that the cast and crew “deserve more” than to be associated with Singer’s heinous acts, according to NME . However, they also made it clear that they must stand by LGBTQ youth — and assure that this alleged behavior will see consequences.
Meanwhile, it was announced on Thursday that Singer will continue to be attached to his current project, Red Sonja, Entertainment Weekly reported.