Nava Mau’s BAFTA TV Nomination Is Another Historical Moment for the LGBTQIA+ Community

Actress and filmmaker Nava Mau historically hit the headlines when she became the first transgender woman to be considered for a 2024 Primetime Emmy Award in the ‘Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie’ category. Now, Mau’s BAFTA TV nomination has the Hollywood heroine on fire… yet again!

You may have first gotten familiar with Mau in HBO Max’s “Genera+ion.” The coming-of-age dramedy followed a group of high schoolers navigating everything from exploring sexual identity to uncovering societal beliefs. In the 2021 production, Mau portrayed Ana, the aunt of one of the leading characters. However, the 32-year-old received global acclaim when she starred in Netflix’s uber-successful series “Baby Reindeer” last year.

The dark-humor thriller — created by the show’s main character, Richard Gadd (known on-screen as Donny Dunn) — was released on the streaming platform in April 2024 and captures Mau as Teri, a therapist who turns into struggling comedian Donny’s love interest after they meet on a dating website. Gadd’s unconventional depiction of a cisgender man falling into a romantic whirlwind with a transgender woman set the table for innovative dialogue in mainstream cinema, as it profoundly displayed a “taboo” perspective on LGBTQIA+ relationships.

Through the British-themed phenomenon, Mau has accumulated a new set of eyes and aided in queer awareness, garnering an explosive fan base that has catapulted her into the front lens of many rainbow conversations in Hollywood. Mau, a native of Mexico City, told Cosmopolitan UK that her role as Teri actually helped her heal from some of her own deep-rooted trauma.

“Donny’s love for Teri is in the form of awe, and I had never seen a trans woman represented quite in that way,” she expressed to the publication, expanding on the liberation that came from taking on the project. “It was this weird transcendental experience of it being what I needed to see, and what it did to heal my own wounds.”

Fast forward to 2025, Mau’s work in “Baby Reindeer” has landed her a TV BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) achievement that serves as a pre-win for sexual minorities.

How Nava Mau’s BAFTA TV Nomination Impacts the LGBTQIA+ Community

Triumph after triumph! If you didn’t know, Mau hit the BAFTA Breakthrough 2024 cohort, a program dedicated to supporting and providing opportunities for fellow creatives in the field. Months after the November announcement, she is among the 2025 BAFTA TV and Craft Awards nominees.

Per Variety, “Baby Reindeer” raked in eight nods across the BAFTAs, with Mau competing to be crowned ‘Best Supporting Actress,’ alongside her co-star, Jessica Gunning (Martha Scott). The talented performer’s highlight made her the first openly transgender person ever nominated for a BAFTA TV trophy. “Emilia Pérez” star Karla Sofía Gascón was the first to be nominated for the BAFTA Film Award’s ‘Leading Actress’ category in January.

Since Mau’s accomplishment, mixed opinions have erupted on social media. An X user cruelly posted, “Nava Mau is a male, regardless of identity adoption, surgery, and hormones. You can nominate him for his performance in the male category. A female actor has been excluded from her own category so that your organization can perform bogus inclusion for a man.”

Another individual combated that viewpoint by adding, “Richard Gadd, Jessica Gunning, and Nava Mau each receiving BAFTA TV Awards nominations for their roles in ‘Baby Reindeer’ is a huge testament to the power and emotional depth of the show.”

They concluded, “Nava Mau added such poignant nuance.”

Because of society’s (often) small-minded outlook on LGBTQIA+ inclusion, the visibility of those on the spectrum is important in multiple spaces. One could agree that “Baby Reindeer” has certainly cultivated a necessary lane.

Congratulations to Nava Mau on her BAFTA TV nomination! Drop some kind words for this queen in the comments!

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