Queer actress Ariana DeBose just made history
The Academy Awards are still weeks away, though one nominee has already made history.West Side Story star Ariana DeBose took home the Screen Actor’s Guild Award for Best Supporting Actress last night for her performance in the film.
The event marks the first time in the history of the awards that a queer woman of color has snagged the trophy.“Thank you. My heart is beating in my chest right now.
It’s taken a long time for me to feel comfortable calling myself an actor,” DeBose, 31, said in her acceptance speech. “My roots come from the dance world and the Broadway stage, and the Anita we see on screen took every bit of me but she took 10 years to make and I’m extremely proud of her and our film.
And I really do believe that when you recognize one of us, you recognize all of us so thank you SAG-AFTRA for this recognition.”Related: The Oscar nominations are in and Lady Gaga fans are having a collective meltdown“It’s an honor to be seen, it’s an honor to be an Afro-Latina – and openly queer woman of color, a dancer, a singer, and an actor,” DeBose later told reporters in the SAG Awards press room. “It’s indicative to me that I will not be the last and that’s the important part.
