Costume designer and LGBT+ rights activist Qween Jean made history as the first openly transgender person to win a Tony Award, taking home the gong for Best Costume Design of a Musical
Qween Jean has become the first openly transgender person to win a Tony Award. At Sunday’s 79th Annual Tony Awards, hosted at at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, Jean took home the award for Best Costume Design of a Musical for her work on Cats: The Jellicle Ball.
The political activist and designer was also nominated for Best Costume Design of a Play for her work in Liberation. Taking to the stage, Jean, who is one of the founders of the Black Trans Liberation collective, issued a powerful speech and reminded the audience that pride is a protest.
“This experience has been monumental. We are here for the legacy of queer people, trans people,” she said. “We are taking up space in ways we have to take up space. We have to shift the paradigm. So I just want to say, thank you all so much for this incredible honour. The world right now is deeply, deeply combating so many ailments, and we know as a society that when we come together, we can make real, permanent change.”
“Pride is a protest. In this moment, we are seeing all across the city people, queer people, young folks, parents are being detained,” Jean said while on stage. “They are being at the Newark Delaney Facility, it not only needs to be shut down, but there needs to be serious investigation. The police cannot investigate the police.
“It doesn’t make sense that billions are being poured into an institution of destruction when resources can be used to help people, can get them a lawyer, the human rights care they deserve.”
She concluded: “As a queer person, a leader, a mother, I will never stand quiet. If any woman is in pain, even if her shackles are different from mine, let’s get unshackled.”
To open the show, Megan Thee Stallion made a surprise appearance during host Pink’s Broadway-themed opener, channelling full Parisian cabaret energy inspired by her history-making run in Moulin Rouge! The Musical on Broadway, where she became the first female-identifying performer ever to play the role of Zidler in any production of the show worldwide.
Dylan Mulvaney and Neil Patrick Harris joined the duo for the remixed performance. Dylan wore a Protect The Dolls shirt, the proceeds of which are directly donated to Not A Phase, a trans-lead, UK- based charity working to uplift the lives of trans+ adults across the UK.
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