It was a big night for all of this year’s Tony Awards nominees. But at the end of the night, it was apparent that the LGBTQ+ community swept up the award ceremony with their undeniable talent.
Out actress Ariana DeBose hosted the show for a second year in a row. Due to the ongoing Writer’s Guild of America is on strike, DeBose said in her monologue that the show was “live and unscripted.”
A 5,6,7,8! We’re off to a fabulous start with a showstopping performance by Ariana DeBose as she opens the 76th Annual #TonyAwards on @CBS
— The Tony Awards (@TheTonyAwards) June 12, 2023
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Big winners of the night included J. Harrison Ghee and Alex Newell when they made Broadway history on Sunday night, becoming the first openly non-binary performers to win Tony Awards.
The talented artists took home awards for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical and Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical, respectively.
In their winning speech, Alex, who got their start on the hit Fox show Glee in 2012, said: "Thank you for seeing me, Broadway. I should not be up here, as a queer, non-binary, fat, Black little baby from Massachusetts. "To anyone who thinks they can't do it… you can do anything you put your mind to," they concluded, taking to the stage later in the evening with the ensemble of Shucked.
Meanwhile, Ghee dedicated their award to the trans, non-binary, and gender-nonconforming community. “Whoever was told you couldn’t be, you couldn’t be seen, this is for you,” they said in their acceptance speech.
The openly gay Broadway director Michael Arden’s speech was censored while accepting the Tony award for Best Direction in a Musical for the revival of ‘Parade.’
“"I as a kid was called the F-word more times than I can remember, and all I can say is…now I'm a f••••t with a Tony!"
Leopoldstadt‘s, Brandon Uranowitz won the category for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play.
Uranowitz said “To anyone who’s watching who is a parent.. when your child tells you who they are, believe them.” He continued, “Protect, celebrate and water that truth because an authentic life is a limitless life.”
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