Queer community shines at history-making Oscars 2022

Fashion, drama, triumph, queer talent, queer hosts... this Oscars gave us everything we needed to celebrate another year of fabulous cinema.

Entertainment . Written by Saoirse Schad.

Split screen of Oscars 2022 LGBTQ+ winners and guest hosts. Ariana De Bose with her award (left), Elliott Page (centre) and Lady Gaga and Liza Minnelli on stage (right)
Image: Twitter

The Oscars have always been a highlight on our queer calendars, but the 2022 edition took EVERYTHING to a new level. Here’s a round-up of the queer highlights from the event.

Ariana De Bose makes queer Oscars history

The West Side Story actress because the first queer woman of colour to win big at the Oscars, scooping the Best Supporting Actress award, despite steep competition from Jessie Buckley, Aunjanue Ellis, Kirsten Dunst and Judi Dench who were all nominated in the same category.

De Bose made a moving speech as she accepted her award, speaking directly to the LGBTQ+ community. “To anybody who’s ever questioned your identity, ever, ever, ever, or you find yourself living in the grey spaces, I promise you this, there is indeed a place for us,” she said on the grand stage of the Dolby Theatre in Holly wood, Los Angeles.

Red carpet LGBTQ+ moments

Kristen Stewart turned heads as she took to the red carpet with her fiancé, Dylan Meyer. Nominated for her role as Lady Diana in Spencer, Stewart shared a sweet kiss with Meyer on the red carpet, eliciting cheers from the crowd (and all the gays on Twitter!) before posing alone for the cameras.

Meanwhile, Daniel N. Durant, star of CODA, was joined on the red carpet by his two mothers, to whom he says he owes everything. “I wouldn’t be here without them,” he Tweeted. The three posed together for pictures and spoke to the press, with Durant signing about how grateful he was to them for adopting him and supporting him.

LGBTQ+ take over the Oscars 2022 stage

Wanda Sykes co-hosted the headline-making event alongside Amy Schumer and Regina Hall, with the three powerhouses using the stage to make commentary on sexism, race and the anti-LGBTQ+ legislation that is sweeping the United States.

Specifically, the trio opened up the night by commenting that the 2022 Oscars were being hosted by three women because “it’s cheaper than hiring one man”. Getting the crowd warmed up and making reference to Florida’s infamous ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill, Sykes said, “We’re going to have a great night tonight and for you people in Florida, we’re going to have a gay night. Gay gay gay gay gay…” and the crowd were living for it.

But the night was just getting started, with the crowd also going absolutely wild for a show-stealing double act made up of none other than Lady Gaga and Liza Minnelli. The pair joined forces to present the award for Best Picture and thrill the audience while doing it.

“You know how I love working with legends,” Gaga reminded the audience. Minnelli, who is currently celebrating 50 years of Cabaret, said to the young star, “I’m so happy to be here, and especially with you! I’m your biggest fan.”

Meanwhile, Jessica Chastain, winner of Best Actress at the Oscars, used her airtime to condemn “discriminatory and bigoted legislation” that targets LGBTQ+ people in the US.

Accepting the award for her role as queer icon Tammy Faye Bakker in the biopic The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Chastain said: “There’s violence and hate crimes being perpetuated on innocent civilians all over the world. And in times like this, I think of Tammy and I’m inspired by her radical acts of love…. It connects us all in the desire that we want to be accepted for who we are, accepted for who we love, and to live a life without the fear of violence or terror.

“For any of you out there who do in fact feel hopeless or alone, I just not you to know you are unconditionally loved for the uniqueness that is you.”

And finally, Elliot Page reunited with his Juno co-stars on stage to mark the 15-year anniversary of the coming-of-age comedy-drama. Joined by Jennifer Garner and JK Simmons, Page celebrated the originality of the Juno script before reading the list of nominees in the Best Original Screenplay category, which ultimately went to Kenneth Branagh for Belfast. The crowd and the internet alike are obsessed with the timely reunion.

 

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