This morning in Los Angeles, previous Academy Award nominee Anne Hathaway joined Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Tom Sherak to announce the nominees for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards. The LGBT-inclusive films Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire and A Single Man received a combined 7 Academy Award nominations. Lee Daniels, honored for his work on Precious, became the first openly gay African American director to receive a nomination. GLAAD congratulates the creative teams and casts behind these films. Actor Colin Firth received a nomination for Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for his turn as George Falconer, a gay man mourning his longtime love, in A Single Man. Precious is among the leading Academy Award nominees in major categories with 6 nominations:

• Best Motion Picture of the Year
• Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role – Gabourey Sidibe
• Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role – Mo’Nique
• Achievement in Directing – Lee Daniels
• Best Adapted Screenplay – Geoffrey Fletcher
• Achievement in Film Editing – Joe Klotz

In the film Precious, actress Paula Patton portrays out lesbian teacher Ms. Rain whose emotional support assists and inspires the film’s protagonist. In the film, viewers meet Ms. Rain’s partner and hear of the rejection that the loving couple face from their families. Daniels and Sibide appeared on a panel during GLAAD’s programming at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival where they spoke on the theme of “being an outsider.” Video from the panel is available here: http://glaadblog.org/2009/01/21/feel-like-an-outsider/. Both films are also nominated for Outstanding Film – Wide Release at the 21st Annual GLAAD Media Awards. The GLAAD Media Awards, a benchmark for the media industry, recognize and honor media for outstanding images of the LGBT community and complement GLAAD’s work to bring LGBT images and stories to Americans. Click here to read GLAAD's official release on the Academy Award nominations. You have just over a month to decide how to vote in your office pools! The 82nd Annual Academy Awards air LIVE on ABC, March 7 at 5:00 PM PST/8:00 PM EST.