It's rare to watch an awards ceremony that's not actively embarrassing,hairy retro lesbian sex videos forget inclusive, empowering and smart.
But last night's Emmy Awards show was a much needed exception to the trend. Four openly queer women took home awards Sunday evening. And while that number alone is historic, their victory wasn't just quantitative. Their acceptance speeches showcased queer relationships and included meaningful calls to action; the shows they represented (often) told *real* queer stories.
They were just so damn good.
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Television hasn't historically been friendly to queer women. (Typically, queer characters tend to die on TV.) But this Emmys was remarkable for the sheer number of out queer women who actually walked off stage with legendary fireplace decor. Kate McKinnon won outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series for Saturday Night Live. Over at Amazon, Jill Soloway took home an award for outstanding direction for a comedy series (Transparent). Sarah Paulson won outstanding lead actress in a limited series or movie for The People vs. O.J. Simpson, while her producer, Nina Jacobson, also took home an Emmy for the show.
Queer women have obviously been awarded before -- Jane Anderson for Olive Kitteridge, Jodie Foster forOrange is the New Black-- but never this many and all at once. All across Twitter, queer women (mostly) celebrated a ceremony that made them cry and wonder if award ceremonies could actually be ... good.
Kate McKinnon has been out for her entire career. She's a tv star, movie star and #Emmy winner. We can do it, queer people. We can!
— Dana Piccoli (@DanaPiccoli) September 19, 2016
Seeing openly queer Sarah Paulson win an Emmy and tell her girlfriend she loves her in her speech is amazing and so important.
— ⚡️ Liz (@strengthtodream) September 19, 2016
Gentle reminder that a show about a trans woman just won an Emmy & the openly queer director declared "topple the patriarchy!" On nat'l TV.
— Elizabeth Bridges (@EGBridges) September 19, 2016
And in a night of genuinely powerful speeches, their speeches stood out. Jill Soloway won the award for "best speech of the night" by people who spend too much time on Twitter -- even for a ceremony dominated by celebrities thanking dead family members and Julia Louis-Dreyfus being so Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
Soloway's speech won so much praise precisely because of how much it centered around queer people, as well as stories of trans folks and women. Her speech reminded reviewers that, oh yeah, television can have a point besides strong ratings and awesome "merch."
"When you take women, people of color, trans people, queer people, and you put them at the center of the story, the subjects instead of the objects, you change the world, we found out," Soloway said. "This TV show allows me to take my dreams about unlikeable Jewish people, queer folk, trans folk, and make them the heroes."
Jill Soloway gives a terrific acceptance speech for 'Transparent' #Emmys pic.twitter.com/WQGb6eCWoy
— Mashable News (@MashableNews) September 19, 2016
Her speech even included a memorable call to action, which inspired a lovingly nostalgic, second wave feminist, hashtag campaign on Twitter:
"Thank you to the trans community for your lived lives," Soloway said. "We need to stop violence against transgender woman and topple the patriarchy! Topple the patriarchy!"
Soloway's speech was feminist and -- the word anti-PC activists often love to hate --- intersectional. Soloway, who is cis, advocated strongly on behalf of the trans community -- both on the awards stage, and in the stories she chooses to tell and the way she chooses to tell them (the director is known for actively recruiting trans writers and directors and giving them a voice on Transparent).
Credit: kevin winter/Getty Images Soloway -- and, yes, this Getty image of her sticking her tongue out and screaming "Topple the patriarchy" -- dominated the night, but there were other GIFable moments for queer women as well. Throughout the evening, queer women openly thanked their female partners for their love without even saying the word "gay." Their love was normal, mainstream. Sarah Paulson thanked her partner. Nina Jacobson reached out to her wife.
On Twitter, these women's partners responded with such disgustingly warm displays of affection, it made us all sob-vomit.
If I'm watching...?? If I'm WATCHING???
— Holland Taylor (@HollandTaylor) September 18, 2016
YES, I'm watching--!!!
good LORD! ...
I LOVE you!!! pic.twitter.com/63341mz81C
Are you sobbing at your computer yet? No? What's the matter with you?
To add to the emotional maelstrom, some performers even chose to thank queer performers who came before them. McKinnon identified Ellen DeGeneres, who's become a household name among the most beautifully basic of American households. DeGeneres came out publicly at a time when few women would ever dare to, and who taught audiences that not just women, but queer women, could actually be funny (and to be fair -- way, way funnier than you).
Fear not, readers: there was still plenty to whine about. All of the four queer women who won awards were both white and cis. Part of this may have to do with underrepresentation more generally: Orange is the New Blackis one of the few shows to showcase queer women of color, and their show wasn't nominated for any awards this year, due to very boring deadline regulations.
Trans representation was limited, though an improvement from ceremonies past. Laverne Cox, actress of Orange is the New Blackand a celebrated trans activist, presented an award and called for greater representation of the community. "Her Story," an indie web series written by and starring trans women, was nominated for outstanding short form (comedy or drama).
Even Jeffrey Tambor, a cis actor who won best actor for playing a trans woman on Transparent, graciously accepted his award while calling on Hollywood to grow up, reach out and do better:
"I’m not going to say this beautifully: to you people out there . . . please give transgender talent a chance. Give them auditions. Give them their story,” Tambor declared. “I would be happy if I were the last cisgender male to play a transgender female."
Jeffrey Tambor speaks out for more Trans casting as he accepts award for 'Transparent' #Emmys pic.twitter.com/1vDOPQI9y3
— Mashable News (@MashableNews) September 19, 2016
In the most delightfully soap operatic moment of the night, producers cut Nina Jacobson's speech just as she was congratulating her wife. Sure, she was passing the time limit and it had nothing to do with homophobia -- but couldn't producers see that there were thousands of queer women watching, and whose eyes had finally become one with their television sets?
It feels awkward to congratulate an awards ceremony when awards ceremonies are designed to be hated. We're supposed to call out the mediocre racist hosts, the cheesy intro videos and the narcissistic acceptance speeches. It is in our blood to feel joy every single time an actress falls flat on her face and tweet angrily every time an E! host asks her "Who is she wearing?" (Listen, it's way better than when they ask these millionaires how they handle their "work-life balance.")
And yes, the Emmys, like all of us, are mostly empty, cheesy, and historically resistant to change.
So it feels especially empowering when change does happen, and the most stubborn of industries actually begins to mature. Representation is more than just a numbers game: the storytellers and the stories they create, and are part of, matter just as much.
Congratulations to all four women who won last night, and all the other queer stars, working and waiting on the sidelines.