The 2025 Tony Awards Were A Tapestry Of Queer Visibility
Broadway didn’t just celebrate queer talent at the Tonys this year, it crowned it.
The 2025 Tony Awards were hosted by the luminous Cynthia Erivo, whose presence alone brought gravitas, warmth, and LGBTQ+ representation to the night. An LGBTQ+ woman leading Broadway’s biggest celebration felt like a fitting reflection of the inclusive future the theater world continues to fight for.
And then there was Megan Hilty’s showstopping performance from Death Becomes Her: The Musical, belting the cheeky number “Do It For the Gaze.” Backed by a chorus line of men waving rainbow flags and chanting “gaze/gays,” the number was camp, queer joy, and a wink all in one.
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Before Broadway knew how to talk about gender, Harvey Fierstein was already living it—gravel-voiced, gloriously queer, and unapologetically ahead of the curve. This year’s Lifetime Achievement Tony for him doesn’t just commemorate a career; it honors a revolution. Torch Song Trilogy, La Cage aux Folles, Kinky Boots—each one a cultural landmark, a neon-lit sermon for the misfits and the magnificent. Fierstein didn’t just open doors—he rewired the whole building to make space for people like us. He dedicated his award to the LGBTQ+ community and specifically to “the people in the dark.” This isn’t a bow to the past. It’s a standing ovation for the future he helped write.
And that future was front and center all night.
Cole Escola didn’t just make their Broadway debut this season—they detonated it. Oh, Mary! Their deranged, whip-smart imagining of Mary Todd Lincoln’s unraveling earned nominations for Best Play and for both Escola and co-star Conrad Ricamora. Escola wrote the kind of theater that refuses to behave—and the Tonys rewarded it for that refusal. They won, thanking their mom and a Tinder date in their speech. Their win marked the first time an openly nonbinary artist took home a Best Actor in a Play Tony Award.
Queer absurdity reigned supreme this theater season.
And then there’s Paul Tazewell, who won for Best Costume Design for Death Becomes Her, a dazzling display of camp and couture. Tazewell—already a Tony and Oscar winner—has spent decades dressing Broadway’s biggest dreams. But he’s also part of a rarified, vital legacy: Black, queer brilliance behind the scenes, shaping the way we see ourselves onstage. His work has never needed loud declarations because its quiet genius speaks shimmering volumes.
In one of the evening’s most poignant moments, Francis Jue, honored for his performance in Yellowface, used his acceptance speech to speak directly to those on the margins: “To those feeling targeted during these authoritarian times, I see you.” His words cut through the glitter and applause, landing with quiet gravity—a reminder that visibility in the arts is not the same as safety in the world.
This year’s Tonys were queer-inclusive and queer-forward. The stories told, the styles celebrated, and the artists honored all pointed toward a theater culture that’s finally catching up to what LGBTQ+ artists have always known: we’re the pulse and poetry of the stage. Queer joy is theater’s main act. This was Broadway’s celebration of queer excellence in a world that too often tries to dim that light. This year, the Tonys turned it all the way up.
For a full list of the nominees and winners, click here.
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