Andrew Scott received the Icon of the Year Award at the 2026 Out100 gala. At the ceremony, Scott graciously accepted the accolade whilst paying homage to Ian Charleson, whom he plays in the upcoming film Elsinore, and providing insight into his own relationship to queer identity.
Speaking of Charleson, who died of AIDS-related causes, Scott said: “We wanted to not fetishise his death but celebrate his life”.
“He had an extraordinary sense of humour. He was charming and beautifully alive and extraordinarily resilient and this story is about finding joy in the face of fear, which we still face today.”
As well as focusing on Charleson’s life, Elsinore is a story grounded in queer friendships. This theme imbued Scott’s speech as he jokingly remarked, “Of course I love my straight friends,” before earnestly reflecting, “but as I move through life, I feel like the friendships and the connections that I’ve made with queer people that just mean more and more and more and more to me.”
He continued, “There are just so many innumerable things that I love about being born gay, but my kinship with this ever-strengthening community is chief among them.”
Andrew Scott’s speech concluded with a poignant consideration of the significance of receiving the Out100 award. Thinking back on his younger self, he said, “There’s no doubt that when I was growing up in Dublin in the 1990s, I would have been scared… I would have been scared to even glance at a magazine cover in a newsstand there out of fear and shame, so it really does feel like a miracle to be here with you.”
View this post on Instagram
At the Out100 gala, Scott was introduced by Lisa Kudrow, with whom he shared the screen in Season 3 of The Comeback. Other notable speeches in the night came from Lily Tomlin and Stella Parton, who attended to honour Dolly Parton as the ‘9 to 5’ singer was declared 2026 Advocate of the Year.
Tomlin was emotional when celebrating her late friend but was able to relay a powerful portrait of Parton’s lifelong allyship. “Dolly proved that you don’t have to choose between tradition and acceptance,” Tomlin said. “You can be a Christian girl from Tennessee who loves transgender people.”
Following Tomlin’s remarks, Stella Parton spoke about her sister and affirmed to the LGBTQ+ community that “Dolly loved every one of you”.
© 2026 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.
Support GCN
GCN is a free, vital resource for Ireland’s LGBTQ+ community since 1988.
GCN is a trading name of National LGBT Federation CLG, a registered charity - Charity Number: 20034580.
GCN relies on the generous support of the community and allies to sustain the crucial work that we do. Producing GCN is costly, and, in an industry which has been hugely impacted by rising costs, we need your support to help sustain and grow this vital resource.
Supporting GCN for as little as €1.99 per month will help us continue our work as Ireland’s free, independent LGBTQ+ media.