The 2022 Emmys took place on the evening of Monday, September 12, with a number of queer favourites gracing the stage to collect their well-deserved statuettes. As usual, fans had a lot to say, so let’s dive straight into this list of highlights and reactions for the 74th edition of the awards ceremony.

The White Lotus triumphs
One of the big winners of the evening was The White Lotus, a limited comedy drama anthology series following the guests and staff of the fictional White Lotus resort chain. The show captured the interest of queers when it debuted in 2021 thanks to an array of LGBTQ+ storylines and characters, and not to mention a racy gay sex scene in episode four.

The White Lotus took home the Emmy for Outstanding Limited Series, and Mike White won the Writing for a Limited Series or TV Movie and Directing for a Limited Series or TV Movie awards for his work on the show.

Murray Bartlett who plays Armond collected the award for best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or TV Movie. Not only is his character in the show a key player in the aforementioned gay sex scene, Bartlett himself is also queer, and he thanked his partner Max in his acceptance speech for being his “sanctuary”.

The iconic Jennifer Coolidge also emerged victorious in the Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie category, for her role as Tanya McQuoid in The White Lotus. In one of the night’s most memorable moments, the queer fan-favourite danced along to the music that was attempting to cut her acceptance speech short. This was her first Emmy win, and needless to say, people weren’t happy that the actress was being hurried off stage.

Playing off Jennifer Coolidge in an acceptance speech pic.twitter.com/3ipUG0ueqy

— MrsFishVEVO (@Will_Kellogg) September 13, 2022

Zendaya makes history
In a landmark moment, Zendaya took home the award for Lead Actress in a Drama Series, making her the first ever Black woman to receive the accolade twice. At just 26 years old, she is also the youngest ever two-time winner for acting in Emmys history.

The star was recognised for her role in Euphoria, where she plays Rue – a queer, highschool, drug addict. Her character is in and out of a turbulent relationship with Jules, played by Trans actress Hunter Schafer, and the couple has captured the hearts of many loyal viewers.

During her acceptance speech, Zendaya said: “I want you to know that anyone who has loved a Rue or feels like they are Rue, I want you to know that I’m so grateful for your stories and I carry them with me and I carry them with her.”

Lizzo ends RuPaul’s reign
LGBTQ+ ally Lizzo also emerged victorious from the 2022 Emmys, with her show Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls winning the award for best Competition Program. The multi-talented performer’s production beat out RuPaul’s Drag Race to take home the award, ending the show’s four-year winning streak in the category.

After collecting the statuette, the singer said, “When I was a little girl, all I wanted to see was me in the media – someone fat like me, Black like me, beautiful like me.”

Abbott Elementary’s queer advocates receive awards
Sherly Lee Ralph is thought to have stolen the night when accepting her award for Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in Abbott Elementary. The LGBTQ+ rights advocate shared a powerful speech, and emotionally sang a few lyrics from Dianna Reeves’ ‘Endangered Species’ on stage in the Microsoft Theatre in LA.

“To anyone who has ever, ever, had a dream and thought your dream wasn’t, couldn’t, wouldn’t come true, I am here to tell you that this is what believing looks like, this is what striving looks like, and don’t you ever, ever, give up,” she said.

The 2022 Emmys also saw Abbott Elementary’s Quinta Brunson write her name into the history books when she became just the second Black woman to ever win the award for Writing for a Comedy Series. The activist’s moment was sadly slightly overshadowed by a badly-received stunt from Jimmy Kimmel, and the award-winner was also played off the stage early when making her speech.

If #QuintaBrunson stepping over #JimmyKimmel who literally laid in her spotlight on the day she won an Emmy isn’t a metaphor for what it means to be a WOC in a white mans world I don’t know what is.

— Heba Gowayed هبة جويد (@hebagowayed) September 13, 2022

While these queer favourites are those that emerged victorious, the 2022 Emmys was full of many more LGBTQ+ nominated shows, actors, and staff members.