The Emmys

[Content Note: Discussion of misogynoir; trans-appropriation.]

Last night was the 67th Emmy Awards, and I didn't watch it, because I forgot. So I don't have anything to say about what I'm sure were eleventy-seven inappropriate jokes and other bullshit with which awards shows are inevitably rife, but here is the complete list of winners, and I have a couple things to say about that.

First of all: YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY VIOLA DAVIS!!!!!!! Viola Davis became the first ever black woman to win Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama, for How to Get Away with Murder, a show I love, and her acceptance speech was everything:

Adrian Brody, the white male presenter: And the Emmy goes to...Viola Davis, How to Get Away with Murder. [cheers and applause]

[Viola Davis throws up her hands and then makes her way to the stage; Taraji P. Henson intercepts her in the aisle and gives her a huge hug. A female announcer says: "This is the first Emmy win and nomination for Viola Davis, who is a graduate of Juilliard." Davis steps onstage, accepts the Emmy statuette from Brody, and stands in front of the mic. She sighs emotionally, looking around the room. Henson stands and applauds.]

Davis: "In my mind, I see a line. And over that line, I see green fields and lovely flowers and beautiful white women with their arms stretched out to me over that line, but I can't seem to get there nohow. I can't seem to get over that line." That was Harriet Tubman in the 1800s. And let me tell you something: The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity. [applause] You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there. [applause] So here's to all the writers, the awesome people, that are Ben Sherwood, Paul Lieb, Peter Nowalk, Shonda Rhimes [cheers] — people who have redefined what it means to beautiful, to be sexy, to be a leading woman, to be black. [cheers and applause] And to the Taraji P. Hensons, the Kerry Washingtons, the Halle Berrys, the Nicole Beharies, the Meagan Goods, to Gabrielle Union, thank you for taking us over that line. Thank you for the Television Academy. Thank you.

Viola Davis forever.

Davis was, remarkably, not the only black woman who won an Emmy last night. Uzo Aduba won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama for Orange Is the New Black, and Regina King won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie for American Crime. I love both of them yay!

Also: HBO's Bessie, the biopic of Blues singer Bessie Smith starring Queen Latifah, won Outstanding Television Movie.

Reg E. Cathey also won Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for House of Cards, but it was still a very white night overall. HBO picked up a shit-ton of awards for Game of Thrones, Veep, and Olive Kitteridge, which are all super white.

(And as much as I love Peter Dinklage, I am crushed that Jonathan Banks did not win Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama for Better Call Saul. Boo.)

In LGBTQI news: Jane Lynch won Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Reality-Competition Program for Hollywood Game Night, and Jeffrey Tambor won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy for Transparent, in which he plays a trans woman. Got that? A man won Outstanding Lead Actor for playing a trans woman. I mean.

So, did you watch? What did you think?