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Qween Jean: First Trans Winner at Tonys
8 Jun
Summary
- Qween Jean made history as the first openly transgender person to win a Tony Award.
- She won Best Costume Design for Cats: The Jellicle Ball.
- Jean founded Black Trans Liberation, an organization supporting the trans community.
The 79th annual Tony Awards witnessed a historic moment as Qween Jean became the first openly transgender recipient of a Tony Award. Jean won the prize for Best Costume Design of a Musical for her acclaimed work on Cats: The Jellicle Ball. In her moving acceptance speech, she emphasized the importance of queer and trans individuals taking up space and driving paradigm shifts within the industry.
Jean's win is a significant milestone for transgender representation on Broadway. While other nonbinary artists have received Tony Awards, Jean is the first openly transgender person to claim a statuette. Beyond her theatrical achievements, Jean is also the founder of Black Trans Liberation, an organization dedicated to supporting New York City's transgender and gender-nonconforming community through communal meals and outreach.
The production of Cats: The Jellicle Ball, which reimagines the classic musical with inspiration from ballroom culture, had garnered nine nominations leading into the awards ceremony. Jean's contributions were also recognized with other accolades during the season, including a Drama Desk Award, a Lucille Lortel Award, and a Dorian Award.
