Qween Jean Becomes First Openly Trans Tony Award Winner, Takes Best Musical Costume Design
Jean won Best Costume Design of a Musical for Cats: The Jellicle Ball and became the first openly transgender Tony Award winner.
- On Sunday, costume designer Qween Jean made history at the 2026 Tony Awards as the first openly transgender person to win a Tony Award, receiving Best Costume Design of a Musical for 'Cats: The Jellicle Ball.'
- The musical reimagines the feline characters of the original 'Cats' as voguing contestants in queer ballroom competitions, with Jean creating around 500 costumes including tributes to trans revolutionaries like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera.
- Jean, a co-founder of the Black Trans Liberation movement, studied ballroom history at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture to inform her design work. She explained she wants to 'express the beauty and innovation' of her community through her work.
- In her acceptance speech, Jean said, 'We have to shift the paradigm,' while host P!nk addressed the political climate, noting that 'our trans siblings began to lose even more rights' this year.
- Jean's win follows recent milestones for nonbinary and trans performers at the Tony Awards, including last year's historic win for Cole Escola as the first nonbinary winner in Best Actor in a Play category.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Qween Jean Made History, Megan Thee Stallion Repped The Hotties And Queen Latifah Delivered A Full-Circle Moment At The 2026 Tony Awards
Source: Getty Images Qween Jean made history at the 2026 Tony Awards—and she did it in full pink glamour. The award-winning costume designer became the first openly trans woman to win a Tony Award, taking home Best Costume Design of a Musical for Cats: The Jellicle Ball. The moment is major, signifying visibility and legacy. Qween Jean is a Broadway creative taking up space exactly where she belongs. “This experience has been monumental,” Qween …
Activist & designer Qween Jean makes trans history with Tony win: “We have to take up space”
Trans activist and costume designer Qween Jean made history at last night’s Tony Awards, becoming the first out trans person to ever win one of the iconic theater awards. Jean won for Best Costume Design of a Musical for her work on Cats: The Jellicle Ball, a revival of the original Cats musical. Related Cara Delevingne says she’s a “proud lesbian” after rejecting labels in the past “This experience has been monumental,” she said in her accept…
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