This year's Tony Awards had a lot going for them, but perhaps most notable of all is the momentous occasion they marked—Alex Newell and J. Harrison Ghee becoming the first out nonbinary performers to win Tonys.
Newell, who uses all pronouns, snagged the prestigious award for best performance in a featured role as Lulu in Shucked, while Ghee, who uses they/them pronouns, was named this year’s best leading actor for their turn as Jerry/Daphne in Some Like It Hot.
“I have wanted this my entire life, and I think each and every one of you in this room right now,” Newell said in her acceptance speech. “I should not be up here as a queer, nonbinary, fat Black little baby from Massachusetts.”
Ghee similarly spoke to their identity as they accepted the award, dedicating it to “every trans, nonbinary, gender-nonconforming human who ever was told you couldn’t be, you couldn’t be seen.”
Both actors were also the first out nonbinary performers even nominated for Tony Awards, and previously spoke out about their respective decisions to submit in the categories generally intended for male performers, as there are currently no categories specifically for nonbinary performers.
“Someone else's labels or limits are not going to bound me and my ability to do anything,” Ghee said at the time. “My artistry and the work will speak for itself.”
And with both Ghee and Newell taking home awards and making history in the process, it’s safe to say that’s exactly what happened.
