At Sunday's Emmy awards, Kate McKinnon
and Lena Waithe were recognized, along with several shows with
lesbian themes.
Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale,
which includes several lesbian characters, won in several categories,
including Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actress for
Elizabeth Moss and Outstanding Directing for Reed Morano.
The Emmy for Outstanding TV Movie and
Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special
went to an episode of the British science fiction anthology series
Black Mirror titled San Junipero. The episode centers on
a lesbian love story. “Love will defeat hate. Love will win,”
said writer Charlie Brooker in accepting the award.
Kate McKinnon won her second
consecutive Emmy on Sunday for her work on NBC's Saturday Night
Live. The out actress is best known for her portrayal of former
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the comedy skit show.
“On a very personal note, I want to
say thank you to Hillary Clinton for your grace and grit,” McKinnon
said in her acceptance speech.
Comedian Lena Waithe and Master of
None star Aziz Ansari shared the award for Outstanding Writing
for a Comedy Series for the show's episode Thanksgiving. In
the episode, Waithe is seen growing into her sexuality over the
course of twenty Thanksgiving celebrations.
In accepting her award, Waithe thanked
her girlfriend and her “LGBQTIA family.”
“I see each and every one of you,”
she said. “The things that make you different? Those are your
superpowers. Every day when you walk out the door, put on your
imaginary cape, go out there and conquer the world. Because the
world would not be as beautiful without us in it.”