Nonbinary Actors Alex Newell and J. Harrison Ghee Just Made Tony Awards History

They're the first openly nonbinary performers to win acting prizes.

Two stars made history at last night’s Tony Awards, becoming the first openly nonbinary performers to win acting prizes in the ceremony’s 76-year history. J. Harrison Ghee of Some Like It Hot and Alex Newell of Shucked took home the trophies for Best Actor in a Lead Role in a Musical and Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical, respectively.

Getty Images

In other words, they “did the thang,” as host Ariana DeBose put it later in the evening.

In Some Like It Hot, a musical adaptation of the 1959 film starring Marilyn Monroe, Ghee plays Jerry/Daphne, a musician who disguises themselves in drag to join an all-female jazz band in order to escape the mob. Along the way, Ghee’s character comes to recognize their own nonbinary identity, a journey that was modeled off Ghee’s own relationship to drag.

“For every trans, nonbinary, gender nonconforming human who was ever told you couldn’t be, you couldn’t be seen, this is for you,” Ghee said during their acceptance speech.

Earlier in the evening, Newell took home a Tony for their portrayal of Lulu in the musical comedy Shucked, in which a rural Midwestern community gets roped into a series of misadventures while trying to save their local corn crop. It’s also worth noting that the actor is the second Glee Project winner — and third non-Lea Michele Glee star — to take home Broadway’s biggest accolade.

“Thank you for seeing me, Broadway,” Newell said from the podium. “I should not be up here as a queer, nonbinary, fat, Black, little baby from Massachusetts. And to anyone that thinks they can’t do it, I’m going to look you dead in your face and tell you that you can do anything you put your mind to.”

The historic wins come as a growing number of nonbinary performers criticize the entertainment industry for clinging to binary awards categories. Earlier this year, nonbinary actor Justin David Sullivan, featured in the Broadway musical & Juliet, withdrew from Tony Awards consideration due to the gendered acting categories.

“I could not in good faith move forward with denying any part of my identity to conform to a system and structure that does not hold space for people like me,” Sullivan wrote on Instagram. 

Producers of the Tony Awards released a statement in response, claiming that they’re “working thoughtfully to ensure that no member of our community feels excluded on the basis of gender identity in future seasons.” 

In the meantime, this year’s broadcast included other moments of queer advocacy and excellence. While presenting the Excellence in Theatre Education Award, Into the Woods star Denée Benton took a shot at notorious bigot and Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis, comparing him to a Ku Klux Klan leader.

“While I am certain that the current Grand Wizard — I’m sorry, excuse me, governor of my home state of Florida — will be changing the name of this following town immediately, we are honored to present this award,” she said, identifying the winner as Jason Zembuch Young, a drama teacher in Plantation, FL, she said.

Actress Marcia Gay Harden also criticized the Florida governor, introducing herself with an iconic reference to the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” legislation: “Good evening. I’m Marcia — and no matter what state we’re in, we can always say — Gay Harden.”

And upon accepting the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical, Parade director Michael Arden reclaimed the f-word for himself while affirming the next generation queer artists, in a moment that was censored during the live broadcast.

“To our beautiful trans, nonbinary, queer youth, know that your queerness is what makes you beautiful and powerful,” Arden said. “Everyone in this room sees you and needs you, and we will fight alongside you, and we will win.”

“To our beautiful trans, nonbinary, queer youth, know that your queerness is what makes you beautiful and powerful,” Arden said. “Everyone in this room sees you and needs you, and we will fight alongside you, and we will win.”