The POZ Awards spotlight the best representations of HIV/AIDS in media and culture. The POZ editorial staff selects the nominees, but the winners are voted most popular by POZ readers.
Eligibility is performed, published or accomplished between October 1, 2015, and September 30, 2016. Deadline for voting has been extended past World AIDS Day, which is Thursday, December 1, by one week to Thursday, December 8.
UPDATE: VOTING IS NOW CLOSED!
Here are the 2016 nominees for best actor or actress in film or television:
Alexandra Billings, Transparent
The HIV-positive transgender character of Davina (Billings) is the roommate and transition guide of Maura Pfefferman, the main character on this Amazon TV show. Davina also gets her own storylines regarding transamorous men and the struggle of living with multiple marginalized identities. Billings is also transgender.
Daniel Franzese, Looking: The Movie
Any conversation about the HBO show Looking is incomplete without a discussion of Eddie (Franzese), everyone’s favorite HIV-positive bear. This film, which wrapped up the show’s storylines, centered on Eddie’s marriage to Augustin.
The transgender character of Shea (Lysette) is a yoga instructor on this Amazon TV show. In this season, Shea discloses she is HIV positive to a man she’s been dating. Lysette is also transgender.
Conrad Ricamora, How to Get Away With Murder
As Oliver on this ABC show, Ricamora has put a character living with HIV on one of TV’s top-rated dramas. He’s more than just a character living with HIV, though. He’s a badass computer hacker who often has a much finer-tuned moral compass than many of the show’s characters.
The HIV-positive character of Dan Schauble (Roday), who is a writer and a bouncer, anchors a great ensemble cast in this San Francisco-based film about bureaucracy and the virus.
The POZ Awards in Media and Culture
Read about the nominees:
Best Actor or Actress in Film and Television
