The Gilded Age

Amid the world’s troubles, a bright light for LGBTQ+ viewers is HBO’s The Gilded Age. This isn’t due to essential LGBTQ+ representation per se (although there’s some of that with Oscar, a closeted heiress-chaser whose old-money mother is Christine Baranski). It’s more that the Julian Fellowes historical drama centers on a very queer topic: upwardly mobile women scheming to penetrate New York’s high society. It’s all great fun. And cast members like Carrie Coon, Morgan Spector, and Baranski are the stuff gay memes are made of.

Vitally, The Gilded Age has prominent LGBTQ+ stars bringing soap-operatic history to life: Louisa Jacobson, Cynthia Nixon, Denée Benton, and Nathan Lane. The importance of inclusive entertainment is not lost on them.

“I love everything about our show, including how many queer people of vastly different ages we have working on it, both in front of the camera and behind it,” says Nixon, who plays Ada, a spinster who found love this season. “I personally love to see the ways our younger folks are charting their own individual journeys, ways that would have been unimaginable even a few short years ago.”

Jacobson, who portrays Ada’s niece Marian, is among those on a journey, having come out this past June. “It was a bit rattling to publicize my queerness on Instagram, but I overcame the anxiety by reminding myself that maybe — hopefully — by being open and celebratory, I had helped someone who was struggling or questioning their own identity,” she says.

Benton — whose character Peggy Scott stares down significant barriers as a Black woman in 19th-century America — is proud that The Gilded Age has sparked such a devoted LGBTQ+ following. That feeling of belonging reminds the Tony nominee of the “gay mecca” that is the theater world. “It feels like home and pride…. When my work makes queer folks proud and Black folks proud, I know I’m on to something with soul.”

However, these cast members remind fans not to forget 21st-century stakes. “My message to the world about LGBTQ+ equality is that in order to hold on to that and all our other freedoms, we have to vote for the people who care about those issues and their protection. In other words, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz,” Lane says.

“Vote for Kamala to protect LGBTQ+ and trans rights!” Jacobson urges.
@louisa_jacobson @deneebenton @cynthiaenixon @gildedagehbo