“To be queer is a gift”. This would have been epic.
The 73rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards took place this past week and, whilst some were quick to say it was a relative snooze-fest, it wasn’t without controversy.
Although there were certainly a few wins (Ru Paul broke records by becoming the most-awarded Black artist in Emmys history, Hacks‘ Carl Clemons-Hopkins slayed the red carpet with their outfit inspired by the non-binary flag and by being the first openly non-binary performer to be nominated in Emmy’s history), it didn’t go unnoticed that there were also a few WTF?’s.
Namely, the most upsetting flex of the evening, was that despite the Emmys offering up one of the most diverse set of nominations in its history – with 38 people of color recognised in the acting competition categories – it failed to award any actors of color in any of its 12 main categories, including all acting fields.
This is despite the fact that Black artists made up a large number of hosts and performers at the event, yet few of the total award winners.
The #EmmysSoWhite hashtag was soon trending on social media with users calling the awards show out for being performative in its billing.
One devastating blow for many was the result for much-loved Pose. The groundbreaking TV show, which has been a global hit and a masterclass in representation, failed to pick up an award in any of the major drama categories it was nominated in, and Mj Rodriguez – the first transgender nominee in a major Emmy Awards acting category – lost out on the night too.
However, shortly after the ceremony, Pose co–creator Steven Canals took to Instagram to share the acceptance speech he would have given, had they not been completely fu*king robbed won an award on the night – and it would have been powerful.
Captioned “Well, @poseonfx didn’t take home any Emmys last night but that doesn’t change how proud I am of our final season. Here’s what I would have said had I made it up on that stage. All of this will always hold true. 🏳️🌈✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿🏳️⚧️ #PoseFX“, the post itself said:
“The reason I get to stand up here as an openly queer Afro-Latin person is because of my ancestors. In 1969 the fight for trans and queer liberation reached a fever pitch, built on the backs of the women, who happened to be trans and lesbian. Who happened to be Black and Latina”.
The post continued: “And so I want to honour Marsha P Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Miss Major, and Stormé DeLarverie. And that work continues today with Mj Rodgriguez, Dominique Jackson, Indya Moore, Hailie Sahar, Angelica Ross, Our Lady J and Janet Mock.”
“Trans is beautiful. Non-binary is stunning. And to be queer is a gift. We LGBTQ+ people are cultural leaders, we are culture makers, WE ARE UNMATCHED!! Don’t let anyone tell you anything otherwise.”
See the post below: