Outward

Jill Soloway Dedicates Transparent Golden Globes Win to Leelah Alcorn

Amazon Prime Instant Video’s critically acclaimed series Transparent won the Golden Globe award for Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy, on Sunday night, beating out contenders like Orange Is the New Black and Girls and marking the first time that a show distributed via non-traditional means took the prize. The show has been praised for its nuanced and compassionate depiction of Maura (Jeffrey Tambor), a transgender woman who transitions late in life, and the various ways her family members deal with that change.

Show creator Jill Soloway accepted the award on behalf of the actors, cast, and crew, thanking her own trans parent for “coming out, because in doing so, you made a break for freedom and told your truth. You taught me how to tell my truth and make the show.” She concluded, “Maybe we’re going to teach the world something about authenticity and truth and love.”

Notably, Soloway also dedicated the award to Leelah Alcorn, the transgender teenager who made international headlines in late December when she committed suicide after years of transphobic abuse from her parents and community. Her suicide note hoped for a world where “transgender people aren’t treated the way I was, they’re treated like humans, with valid feelings and human rights.” Transparent’s existence—and now the furthered feting of the show—is a step in that direction.