THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

—Start with the show's producers, Craig Zadan and Neil Maron—who are both openly gay. ( They also produced last year's Oscars. ) They have also been behind productions such as TV's Smash and the movie Hairspray, among many others.

—The host was Ellen DeGeneres, who had previously done the same thing in 2007. Critics generally liked what she did this year as well, although one of The Wrap's headlines read "Ellen DeGeneres' Oscars Monologue Humiliates Jennifer Lawrence, Liza Minnelli" after DeGeneres brought forth Lawrence's 2013 stumble and called Minnelli "sir."

—Lorna Luft and Liza Minnelli—the daughters of Judy Garland—were acknowledged during a tribute to the 75th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz that had Pink singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Also, gay icon Bette Midler sang her classic "Wind Beneath My Wings" during the "In Memoriam" segment. Another gay favorite, Idina Menzel, sang the Oscar-winning "Let It Go," the theme song from the animated feature Frozen—although actor John Travolta mangled her name while introducing her.

—Scott Rudin, who's openly gay, produced Captain Phillips, which was up for Best Film. ( It lost to 12 Years a Slave. ) He also produced the folk-music movie Inside Llewyn Davis; it was highly acclaimed, and it was nominated for Best Cinematography and Best Sound Mixing. ( It lost to Gravity in both categories. )

—Local gay director Edgar Barens was the favorite to win an Oscar for his documentary Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall. However, The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life won that category, according to the official Oscars website.

—Then there were the winners. Matthew McConaughey won Best Actor for his role as real-life AIDS patient Ron Woodroof, who smuggled unapproved pharmaceutical drugs into Texas. Jared Leto won Best Supporting Actor for playing HIV-positive transgender woman Rayon. Only Leto acknowledged HIV/AIDS while accepting his award ( "this is for the 36 million people who have lost the battle to AIDS" ), and he also mentioned those who struggle for who they love ( not specifically saying LGBT ). The film's Robin Mathews, who won for makeup and hairstyling with Adruitha Lee, also mentioned AIDS. ( Mathews said she was given a budget of just $250, according to NOLA.com . During her speech, she said, "For all the victims of AIDS, we are honored and blessed to bring your story to the forefront of the younger generation that doesn't understand AIDS." )

Overall, it was a huge night for Gravity as it won seven trophies, including one for Best Director ( Alfonso Cuaron ). As mentioned, 12 Years a Slave won for Best Picture; it also won for Best Supporting Actress ( Lupita Nyong'o ) and Best Adapted Screenplay ( John Ridley ). Cate Blanchett, as expected, won Best Actress for her role in the Woody Allen-directed Blue Jasmine. American Hustle had 10 nominations but received no awards.