Daniel Scheinert rebuked the growing amount of anti-drag legislation appearing across the US while accepting the Oscar for Best Director for Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Taking to the stage during the 95thAcademy Awards on Sunday night with his co-director Daniel Kwan, Mr Scheinert said: “We want to dedicate this to the mommies. To our moms. Specifically to my mom and dad.”
“Thank you for not squashing my creativity when I was making disturbing horror films or perverted comedy films, or dressing in drag as a kid, which is a threat to nobody,” he added with emphasis.
There was a huge round of applause and cheers from the audience, and Twitter users were quick to voice their approval calling it the “speech of the night”.
However, it was also pointed out that he was the only person to defend drag performances on stage during the ceremony at a time when they are being attacked nationwide.
A bill banning “adult-oriented” entertainment from public properties was passed by Tennessee’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives on 23 February in a bid to target drag performances in the state.
The bill – which also restricts so-called “adult-oriented” entertainment to venues for people ages 18 and older – will now head back to the state senate for another vote before it is expected to progress to the desk of Governor Bill Lee.
The bill’s author, representative Chris Todd, filed the legislation following a prolonged public fight over a Pride drag show in Jackson. He claimed the drag show amounted to “child abuse” and called his bill is a “common-sense, child safety bill”.
It is unclear on what grounds Mr Todd classified drag performances people attend voluntarily as child abuse.
The bill is another of a flurry of anti-LGBT+ pieces of legislation introduced and passed in states across the country over the last several years.
Many in the LGBT+ community had hoped for a more strident stance from Hollywood in defence of both drag and trans issues, also under attack from the American political right in many states.
There have been calls for both celebrities and corporations that say they are allies of the community to step up in the face of these attacks
Nevertheless, people were glad to have drag defended on Hollywood’s biggest night of the year in front of a global audience.
Everything Everywhere All At Once went on to win Best Picture.
