The 2022 Academy Awards started with impeccable vibes a Beyoncé performance from a tennis court in Compton, along with well-deserved and historic wins for Troy Kotsur and Ariana DeBose in the supporting acting categories. The hosting trio seemed to be having fun and the Dolby Theatre’s cocktail party set-up gave the whole production a friendly and jovial atmosphere.
For the ceremony’s first hour, I wondered if it actually might go down as one of the smoothest and most likable telecasts in recent memory (albeit, that’s a low bar). Or at the very least, I wondered if maybe the 2022 Oscars would be remembered as pleasantly unmemorable, with no major gaffs, and watercooler moments contained to the likes of historic firsts or a toe-tapping Encanto performance.
Fast forward four hours, and the lengthy ceremony actually ended on that exact pleasant kind of a high note, with Lady Gaga and Liza Minnelli (there celebrating the 50th anniversary of her Oscar-winning turn in Cabaret) joyfully co-presenting Best Picture to the underdog independent film CODA.
The in-between? Well, that was… something.
I’m not here to dive into the Will Smith slap heard round the world or the ensuing awkwardness (especially around Smith’s subsequent Best Actor win for King Richard) that took over nearly the rest of the telecast. The repercussions of that will certainly play out over the coming days in the churn of the Hollywood news cycle. Rest assured, if you want to read hot takes, there will be hot takes.
What I’m here to talk about are the queer and trans people who shone on Sunday night. Because I don’t want that one big headline of the night to overshadow a ceremony that was blessedly queerer, trans-er and more fun than last year’s decidedly straight affair (again, the bar was low).
From historic moments to Drag Race shout-outs to trans joy and calls to action, there was plenty to celebrate for LGBTQ2S+ folks at the 2022 Oscars.
Ariana DeBose wins!
The Broadway star and So You Think You Can Dance alum made history with the first televised award of the night, taking home the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story. In doing so, she became the first openly queer actress of colour to ever win an acting Oscar.
In her acceptance speech, DeBose acknowledged the monumental moment and what it meant for her as a queer afro-latina woman.
It’s hard to overstate how big of a deal this is. In the 94-year history of the Oscars, an openly queer woman of colour had never never won an acting award before. DeBose changed that on Sunday, winning for a stunning turn in the same role Rita Moreno won the Oscar for 60 years ago.
If the ceremony was your first taste of the effortlessly charismatic DeBose and you want more, be sure to check out her excellent performance in the truly underrated TV series Schmigadoon! from last year—you won’t regret it.
A nod to Brittney Griner and the fight for trans kids
The shadow of ongoing world conflict in Ukraine and the dark wave of anti-LGBTQ2S+ legislation sweeping the United Stated hung over Sunday’s ceremony to varying degrees.
Co-hosts Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes immediately referenced Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill at the top of the show by, well, saying gay a bunch (which seems to be the overall celebrity response).
A moment of silence held midway through in support of the people of Ukraine (though, fittingly for 2022, it was sponsored by a crypto company). And WNBA superstar Brittney Griner, who is openly queer, received a mention during an acceptance speech. Griner has remained detained in Russia facing charges for allegedly having drugs in her luggage. During his acceptance speech for Best Documentary Short for Queen of Basketball, Canadian filmmaker Ben Proudfoot called on the U.S. government to bring Griner home.
“One last thing: President Biden, bring Brittney Griner home,” Proudfoot said.
Later in the telecast, Schumer tried to shoe-horn a reference to the plight of trans people into an aside about women in Ukraine (or maybe it was about the anti-trans bills?) by tacking on “and trans people!” in a manner that certainly felt like an afterthought as the camera panned to the next presenter.
And in her acceptance speech for Best Actress for The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Jessica Chastain got the closest out of anyone to actually saying something about the anti-LGBTQ2S+ bills, sharing a message about suicide prevention.
“We’re faced with discriminatory and bigoted legislation that is sweeping our country, with the only goal of further dividing us,” Chastain said. “There is violence and hate crimes being perpetuated against innocent civilians all over the world.”
Elliot Page’s moment
Elliot Page returned to the Oscars 15 years after being nominated for his starring turn in Juno. The ceremony marked that anniversary with Page, alongside co-stars Jennifer Garner and J.K. Simmons, handing out the award for Best Original Screenplay.
Page has made just a few big-ticket public appearances since coming out as trans a year and a half ago (though he’s been a fierce advocate for trans kids online and in the media) and many fans online were quick to acknowledge how happy he looked at Sunday’s ceremony.
I was surprisingly choked up seeing Page on stage at the Oscars, celebrating one of his most iconic pre-transition roles comfortably as the person he is now. For an Oscars that only just celebrated DeBose’s milestone (see above), the increasing presence of trans voices like Page’s in the upper echelon of Hollywood will only lead to better representation down the road and maybe someone like him—someone like me—winning one of Hollywood’s biggest awards themself.
Andrew Garfield for Drag Race?
The pre-show red carpet (hosted by High School Musical star and often switched princess Vanessa Hudgens) wasn’t without its charms. Beyond the gorgeous outfits (more on those later), every red carpet brings with it an assortment of quips and quotes from Hollywood’s biggest stars.
One stand-out this year was Tick, Tick… Boom!’s Andrew Garfield being asked by Laverne Cox who he would play on Snatch Game if he was on RuPaul’s Drag Race. His answer? Oscars queen Meryl Streep herself.
And the official RuPaul’s Drag Race account was eager to see how that turns out.
Past Snatch Game stabs at untouchable icons (see: Beyoncé) have not worked out well, so the tides are working against Garfield. Still, I’d watch it.
Lady Gaga and Liza Minnelli present Best Picture
After a winding and wild nearly four-hour ceremony derailed by the Will Smith drama, Lady Gaga and Liza Minnelli were our only hope.
Everything about the pair coming on stage together to present the final award of the evening was perfect. Minnelli’s pink sleeves! Gaga’s suit! Minnelli holding the cards! The cut to Kristen Stewart just smiling and clapping looking at them! Gaga whispering “I got you” to Minnelli as she struggled with the cue cards, and the latter responding with, “I know.”
If there’s anything that could’ve salvaged the markedly weird vibes that descended upon the show following Smith’s altercation with Chris Rock, it was the pure joy of Gaga and Minnelli, two legends who represent the past, present and future of fame, together. Gaga has been a vocal supporter of the icons that came before her in her long-standing friendship with Tony Bennett, and that same energy came through with Minnelli on Oscar night.
The younger star helped guide Minnelli through the reading of the nominees, and opening the envelope, where Liza jumped the gun and simply blurted out: “Okay, CODA!”
All in all, it was a joyous and warm way to end a very weird evening.
Bonus: If the suit fits
You didn’t think we’d miss talking about the best looks, did you? Here’s a rapid-fire look at some of the absolute looks turned by queer and trans stars on the red carpet, where suiting-inspired looks and classic gowns took centre stage.
Niecy Nash and wife Jessica Betts crushed it in pink and white.
Page, who’s gone with over-sized Balenciaga for many recent red carpet appearances, opted for a classic tux.
Debose’s pants-mets-cape in stunning scarlet stood out.
Spencer star Kristen Stewart’s short-shorts probably stopped at least several queer hearts.
Red carpet co-host Laverne Cox wore a billowing garment.
The Batman’s Zoe Kravitz popped in pink.
Lena Waithe evoked the Rock with a turtleneck and chain.
Stephanie Beatriz from Encanto went for the all-black look ahead of her performance.
And ahead of her co-hosting gig, Wanda Sykes brought classic tux glamour in stunning white.
Here’s hoping next’s Oscars continue to bring the queer joy—and maybe a little less drama, okay?
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