In a showing of Black trans excellence, history was made at the 79th annual Tony Awards as Qween Jean took home the award for Best Costume Design of a Musical for “Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” becoming the first openly transgender person to win a Tony Award.
She was also nominated for Best Costume Design of a Play for her work on “Liberation” and won the 2026 Dorian Award for LGBTQ Theater Artist of the Season. Her win for this particular show emphasizes an education that can only come from a life steeped in ballroom culture and queer knowledge. In this reimagined telling of “Cats,” the cast shows up and shows out in extravagant over-the-top looks imagined and crafted by historical winner Jean.
Jean used this momentous occasion to highlight the ongoing struggle of queer people in America and recognize the importance of the work from those that came before us in our community. In her acceptance speech Jean spoke of the significance of “taking up space” and “shift[ing] the paradigm” in a world that “is deeply combating so many ailments, and we know, as a society, that when we come together we can make real permanent change.”
Fresh off the awards stage and onto the interview carpet, she made no effort to conceal her joy and excitement as she laughed, “My heart is smiling from ear to ear, and it beats a really powerful drum.”
Jean also beats a powerful drum in the fight for trans and queer rights. She is well known as the cofounder of the New York City Black Trans Liberation Protests along with Joela Abiona-Rivera, made to honor the memory of the lives of murdered trans individuals and make up for the lack of media coverage these casualties seldom receive.
She advocates for the unhoused trans population and hopes to end homelessness within our community. She does not back down from her position, even at the threat or execution of violence. In January of 2021, a parade led by the activist was stormed and beaten by the NYPD, an event she compares to the Stonewall riots.
Jean was also arrested in the summer of 2023 in a protest against the onslaught of anti-trans policy that continues to pour out of the legal system. Another branch of her activism comes in the form of home-cooked meals for trans and gender-nonconforming individuals with the help of Chef Ceyenne Doroshow.
Clearly, Jean means it when she says with Tony in hand, “We are revolutionizing each and every part of this society,” and she’s not stopping now.
Jean, alongside her coalition Black Trans Liberation, will be taking part in the annual NYC Dyke March coming up Saturday, June 27. The very next day on Sunday, June 28, she will participate in the Queer Liberation March, taking a stand for queer and immigrant rights.
For more information on how to support Qween Jean and her activism, visit blacktransliberation.com.
