LGBT Awards Show Removes Bohemian Rhapsody Nomination Amid Sexual Assault Allegations

The GLAAD awards show has removed the Queen biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody, from its list of nominees. The controversial decision comes as a result of allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct made against the film’s director, Bryan Singer.

In an extensive report published by The Atlantic, four men have accused Singer of pursuing sexual relations with them in the late 1990s, allegedly when they were all minors. One of the accusers, Victor Valdovinos, was as young as 13 years old at the time he says he was assaulted. Singer would have been in his early 30s at the time.

Singer has vehemently denied the allegations, calling the Atlantic article a “homophobic smear piece” in a statement released by his representatives, via Deadline.

But GLAAD is sticking by its decision to withdraw the nomination.

In a statement to Variety, GLAAD said, "In light of the latest allegations against director Bryan Singer, GLAAD has made the difficult decision to remove Bohemian Rhapsody from contention for a GLAAD Media Award in the Outstanding Film - Wide Release category this year.

“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 statement continued.

The article from The Atlantic was published just one day after Bohemian Rhapsody received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Rami Malek's portrayal of Queen's frontman Freddie Mercury.

Although Singer is credited as the director for the film, he was fired from Bohemian Rhapsody by the movie's production company 20th Century Fox. The decision was made several weeks before production was completed on the premise of Singer's repeated absences which hindered the entire process.

Just before letting Singer go, Fox released a tense statement on Dec. 1, saying, “Twentieth Century Fox Film has temporarily halted production on Bohemian Rhapsody due to the unexpected unavailability of Bryan Singer.”

Dexter Fletcher stepped in to replace Singer shortly thereafter.

The GLAAD Media Awards aim to recognise various forms of media for their representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.