Cats: The Jellicle Ball costume designer Qween Jean has made history as the first trans Tony Award winner. Jean came up on stage and claimed the award for Best Costume Design of a Musical and was also nominated for Best Costume Design of a Play for Liberation.

In her speech, the Haiti-born activist and artist called for greater trans visibility and for trans folks to take up more space in the industry.

“This experience has been monumental,” she said. “We are here for the legacy of queer people, trans people … we have to take up space. We have to shift the paradigm.”

She went on to add: “The world right now is deeply, deeply combating so many ailments, and we know as a society that when we come together, we can make real, permanent change. Thank you so much for this honour.”

hell yes to this acceptance speech from Qween Jean, who just became the first openly trans person to ever win a Tony

“We are here for the legacy of queer people. Trans people, we have to take up space. We have to shift the paradigm…the world right now is deeply, deeply… pic.twitter.com/qwu69J7lyn

— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) June 7, 2026

The musical, for which Jean won the award, has been widely talked about in the last few months. Cats: Jellicle Ball is a remake of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s dazzling Cats and is full of queer solidarity and audience engagement in a Broadway-meets-runway showdown.

Her contribution to the musical is one for the books, with colourful, glittery outfits uniquely tailored to each character’s personality, inspired by contestants in a series of queer ballroom competitions. In the play, which is filled with LGBTQ+ actors of colour, solidarity is everywhere, and the fashion reflects a queer acceptance of all identities and races, making for a beautiful representation of our world.

The musical was a hit with critics and received nine Tony Award nominations, including Best Revival of a Musical.

Before Qween Jean, four years ago, L Morgan Lee became the first openly trans female performer to be nominated for a Tony Award. The win is an amazing example of just how strong and persistent the trans community is, and how talented the queer artists of this decade are.

Alongside costume design, Jean also started Black Trans Liberation, a foundation that aims to support New York City’s trans community and help them through hardships.

We definitely cannot wait to see what Qween Jean has in store next on her journey!