At the 66th annual Primetime Emmy Awards, out actor Jim Parsons once again took home the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for his work as Sheldon Cooper on CBS' The Big Bang Theory. This is his fourth time winning the same category for the role, tonight he was also nominated in Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for The Normal Heart.
CBS reality series The Amazing Race won for Outstanding Reality Competition Series, and has long been one of the most consistently LGBT-inclusive shows on network television. The most recent season included out, deaf contestant Luke.
HBO's The Normal Heart was the winner in Outstanding Television Movie, and was nominated for 15 additional trophies this year. Director Ryan Murphy accepted the award and thanked writer Larry Kramer (who also appeared on stage), as well as Julia Roberts and Mark Ruffalo who he credited for finally getting the film made. Murphy dedicated the win to the artists lost to HIV/AIDS, and asked young people to look up organizations like amfAR and to "find a cause you believe in, that you will fight for." The Normal Heart is Kramer's classic dramatization of the early days of HIV/AIDS and the activism that sprung up in its wake.
Modern Family took home the award for Outstanding Comedy Series for the fifth consecutive year. The series costars Eric Stonestreet and Jesse Tyler Ferguson as gay couple Cameron and Mitchell, who closed out the most recent season with their wedding.