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LGBT ally Kacey Musgraves wins big at queer-dominated Grammys

Brandi Carlile, Lady Gaga also rack up wins

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7 years ago

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Kacey Musgraves accepts Album of the Year at the 2019 Grammys. (Screenshot via YouTube)

Country singer Kacey Musgraves won the coveted Album of the Year award for her album “Golden Hour” marking the end of a Grammys award show filled with plenty of queer women representation.

Musgraves, who also won Country Album of the Year, has emerged as an LGBTQ ally in the country music world. She has spoken up for more LGBTQ inclusion in country music and her song “Follow Your Arrow” was hailed as a pro-LGBTQ anthem. Musgraves also served as judge on “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Musgraves also took home Best Country Solo Performance (“Butterflies”), and Best Country Song (“Space Cowboy”) Awards for a total of four winning categories.

Lesbian singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile won three awards during the pre-telecast including Best Americana Album for “By the Way, I Forgive You” and Best American Roots Song and Best American Roots Performance for “The Joke.” She received the most nominations of any woman this year and became the first LGBTQ person to win awards in those categories.

While accepting the award for Best American Roots Performance, she shared that she came out in high school at age 15. She says she never was invited to high school parties or dances.

“I never got to attend a dance. To be embraced by this enduring and loving community has been a dance of a lifetime,” Carlile said. “Thank you for being my island.”

Carlile also received a standing ovation for her vocal powerhouse performance of “The Joke” during the televised ceremony.

Other queer artists with impactful Grammys performances were Ricky Martin who performed with Camila Cabello, J Balvin, Arturo Sandoval and Young Thug for a Broadway musical-inspired Grammys opener to Cabello’s song “Havana.”

Miley Cyrus, who identifies as pansexual, dueted with Shawn Mendes on his song “In My Blood.” She later also teamed up with Katy Perry, Maren Morris, Musgraves and Little Big Town for a tribute to Dolly Parton.

Janelle Monáe performed her bisexual anthem “Make Me Feel” off her album “Dirty Computer,” mixed in with her feminist song “Pynk.”

She didn’t win for either category she was nominated for (Album of the Year and Best Music Video) but she did dedicate her nominations to her “trans brothers and sisters.” In an interview with Variety, the singer was asked about coming out as queer last year.

“People do it everyday,” she replied. “My trans brothers and sisters, they do it everyday. And they are shunned from these sorts of events. So this one is for them.”

Lady Gaga scored two wins (Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Song Written For Visual Media) for her “A Star is Born” duet with Bradley Cooper, “Shallow,” which she also performed.

Dua Lipa and St. Vincent, who is sexually fluid, did a steamy joint performance of her song “Masseducation” and Lipa’s “One Kiss.” St. Vincent and Jack Antonoff won Best Rock Song for “Masseducation.”

History continued to be made with Cardi B becoming the first woman to win Best Rap Album and “This is America” by Childish Gambino winning Best Song. This is the first time a rap song has won in that category.

Jennifer Lopez also gave a dance-filled tribute to Motown while Diana Ross honored her own birthday, which is in March, with a performance. Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga, Jada Pinkett-Smith and Lopez also made appearances at the top of the show to help host Alicia Keys reflect on the importance of music.

Check out the complete list of winners below.

Album Of The Year — “Golden Hour”- Kacey Musgraves

Record Of The Year — “This Is America” – Childish Gambino

Best New Artist — Dua Lipa

Best Rap Album — “Invasion Of Privacy”- Cardi B

Best R&B Album Winner — “H.E.R.”- H.E.R.

Best Rap Song — “God’s Plan”- Drake

Best Country Album — “Golden Hour”- Kacey Musgraves

Song Of The Year — “This Is America”- Childish Gambino

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance — “Shallow” Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper

Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical — Pharrell Williams

Best Rap/Sung Performance — “This Is America”-Childish Gambino

Best Rap Performance — “King’s Dead”- Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Future & James Blake / Bubblin, Anderson .Paak

Best Rock Album — “From The Fires”-Greta Van Fleet

Best Rock Song — “Masseduction” – St. Vincent

Best Metal Performance — “Electric Messiah”- High On Fire

Best Rock Performance — “When Bad Does Good”- Chris Cornell

Best Urban Contemporary Album — “Everything Is Love”- The Carters

Best R&B Song — “Boo’d Up”- Ella Mai

Best Traditional R&B Performance — “Bet Ain’t Worth The Hand”- Leon Bridges / “How Deep Is Your Love”-Pj Morton Featuring Yebba

Best R&B Performance — “Best Part”- H.E.R. Featuring Daniel Caesar

Best Latin Jazz Album — “Back To The Sunset”- Dafnis Prieto Big Band

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album — “American Dreamers: Voices Of Hope, Music Of Freedom”- John Daversa Big Band Featuring Daca Artists

Best Jazz Instrumental Album — “Emanon”- The Wayne Shorter Quartet

Best Jazz Vocal Album — “The Window”- Cécile Mclorin Salvant

Best Improvised Jazz Solo — “Don’t Fence Me In”- John Daversa

Best Reggae Album — “44/876”- Sting & Shaggy

Best Dance/Electronic Album — “Woman Worldwide”- Justice

Best Dance Recording — “Electricity”- Silk City & Dua Lipa Featuring Diplo & Mark Ronson

Best Contemporary Classical Composition — “Kernis: Violin Concerto”- James Ehnes, Ludovic Morlot & Seattle Symphony

Best Classical Compendium — “Fuchs: Piano Concerto ‘Spiritualist’”; Poems Of Life; Glacier; Rush”- Joann Falletta

Best Classical Solo Vocal Album —” Songs Of Orpheus”-Monteverdi, Caccini, D’india & Landi, Karim Sulayman

Best Classical Instrumental Solo — “Kernis: Violin Concerto”- James Ehnes

Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance — “Anderson”- Laurie: Landfall, Laurie Anderson & Kronos Quartet

Best Choral Performance — “Mcloskey: Zealot Canticles”- Donald Nally

Best Opera Recording — “Bates: The (R)Evolution Of Steve Jobs”-Michael Christie, Garrett Sorenson, Wei Wu, Sasha Cooke, Edward Parks & Jessica E. Jones

Best Orchestral Performance — “Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 11”- Andris Nelsons

Producer Of The Year, Classical — Blanton Alspaugh

Best Engineered Album, Classical — “Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 11”- Andris Nelsons & Boston Symphony Orchestra

Best Pop Vocal Album — “Sweetener”- Ariana Grande

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album — “My Way” -Willie Nelson

Best Pop Solo Performance — “Joanne (Where Do You Think You’re Goin’?)”- Lady Gaga

Best Country Song — “Space Cowboy” – Kacey Musgraves

Best Country Duo/Group Performance — “Tequila”- Dan + Shay

Best Country Solo Performance — “Butterflies”- Kacey Musgraves

Best Music Film — “Quincy”- Quincy Jones

Best Music Video — “This Is America”-Childish Gambino

Best Regional Roots Music Album — “No ‘Ane’I”- Kalani Pe’a

Best Tropical Latin Album — “Anniversary”- Spanish Harlem Orchestra

Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano) — “¡México Por Siempre!”- Luis Miguel

Best Latin Rock, Urban Or Alternative Album — “Aztlán”- Zoé

Best Latin Pop Album — “Sincera”- Claudia Brant

Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling) — “Faith – A Journey For All”- Jimmy Carter

Best Children’s Album — “All The Sounds”- Lucy Kalantari & The Jazz Cats

Best Folk Album — “All Ashore”- Punch Brothers

Best Contemporary Blues Album —” Please Don’t Be Dead”- Fantastic Negrito

Best Traditional Blues Album — “The Blues Is Alive And Well”- Buddy Guy

Best Bluegrass Album —”The Travelin’ Mccourys”- The Travelin’ Mccourys

Best Americana Album — “By The Way, I Forgive You”- Brandi Carlile

Best American Roots Song — “The Joke”- Brandi Carlile

Best American Roots Performance — “The Joke”- Brandi Carlile

Best New Age Album — “Opium Moon”- Opium Moon

Best Song Written For Visual Media — “Shallow”- Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper

Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media — “Black Panther”- Ludwig Göransson

Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media — “The Greatest Showman”- Hugh Jackman (& Various Artists)

Best World Music Album — “Freedom”- Soweto Gospel Choir

Best Roots Gospel Album — “Unexpected”- Jason Crabb

Best Contemporary Christian Music Album — “Look Up Child”- Lauren Daigle

Best Gospel Album — “Hiding Place”-Tori Kelly

Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song — “You Say” -Lauren Daigle

Best Gospel Performance/Song — “Never Alone”- Tori Kelly Featuring Kirk Franklin

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album — “Steve Gadd Band”- Steve Gadd Band

Best Immersive Audio Album —” Eye In The Sky – 35th Anniversary Edition”- The Alan Parsons Project

Best Remixed Recording — “Walking Away (Mura Masa Remix)”- Haim

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical — “Colors”- Beck

Best Historical Album — “Voices Of Mississippi: Artists And Musicians Documented By William Ferris”

Best Album Notes —” Voices Of Mississippi: Artists And Musicians Documented By William Ferris”

Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package — “Squeeze Box: The Complete Works Of ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic” Weird Al Yankovic

Best Recording Package — “Masseduction”- St. Vincent

Best Arrangement, Instruments And Vocals — “Spiderman Theme”- Randy Waldman Featuring Take 6 & Chris Potter

Best Arrangement, Instrumental Or A Cappella — “Stars And Stripes Forever”- John Daversa Big Band Featuring Daca Artists

Best Instrumental Composition — “Blut Und Boden (Blood And Soil)”- Terence Blanchard

Best Alternative Music Album — “Colors”- Beck

Best Musical Theater Album — “The Band’s Visit”- Original Broadway Cast

Best Comedy Album — “Equanimity & The Bird Revelation”- Dave Chappelle

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Arts & Entertainment

The very few queer highlights of the Oscars

Streisand’s live performance, a shocking tie, and more

Published

2 days ago

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March 16, 2026

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(Photo courtesy of AMAS)

LOS ANGELES — While Sunday’s Academy Awards saw the expected winners “One Battle After Another” and “Sinners” nab a collective 10 Oscars throughout the evening, dominating most of the major categories, there were a few moments for queer film fans to celebrate.

During the ceremony’s prolonged and emotional In Memoriam segment, which paid tribute to Robert Redford, Rob Reiner, and Catherine O’Hara, queer icon Barbra Streisand went on stage and gave a rare live performance of “The Way We Were” as a tribute to Redford, who died last September at the age of 83. Before singing, Streisand said, “Now, Bob had real backbone on and off the screen. He spoke up to defend freedom of the press, protect the environment, and encouraged new voices at his Sundance Institute — some of whom are up for Oscars tonight, which is so great. He was thoughtful and bold.”

Both “I Lied to You” from “Sinners” and “Golden” from “KPop Demon Hunters” were performed live; Alabama Shakes front woman Brittany Howard performed during the evening’s powerful rendition of “Sinners’” “pierce the veil” scene. “Golden” ended up winning the Best Original Song award.

One of the most shocking moments of the night arrived early on when Kumail Nanjiani presented the Best Live Action short category, which was a tie between “The Singers” and “Two People Exchanging Saliva” — only the seventh tie in Oscars history (one of which involved Streisand’s 1969 win for “Funny Girl”). The latter short, which is currently streaming on The New Yorker, is described as “a dystopian version of Paris where kissing is forbidden and purchases are made through small acts of violence” and follows the unexpected connection between two women.

When accepting the award, “Two People Exchanging Saliva” director and producer Natalie Musteata said: “Thank you to the Academy for supporting a film that is weird, and that is queer, and that is made by a majority of women!”

“One Battle After Another’s” editor, Andy Jurgensen (who collaborated with Paul Thomas Anderson on “Licorice Pizza” and “Phantom Thread”), kissed his husband before going on stage to accept his award for film editing. He said, “To my partner, Bill, who brings so much joy to my life every day.”

Overall, the 2026 award season did not feature many queer films or actors in the lineup, and that was reflected in both the Oscar nominees and eventual winners. Smaller award shows like the Gotham Awards and the Film Independent Spirit Awards provided opportunities for indies like “Sorry, Baby,” “Twinless,” and “Lurker” to get proper recognition. “One Battle After Another” won Best Picture and Best Director for Paul Thomas Anderson; “Sinners” star Michael B. Jordan won Best Actor; and “Hamnet’s” Jessie Buckley won Best Actress.

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Photos

PHOTOS: Awesome Con

George Takei speaks on the main stage

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2 days ago

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March 15, 2026

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George Takei was among the featured guests at Awesome Con on March 14. (Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

The annual fantasy, comics and science fiction convention Awesome Con was held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on March 13-15. Featured guests included openly gay actor, author and activist, George Takei. The convention included LGBTQ panels and a “Pride Alley” with LGBTQ-specific booths in the exhibit hall.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

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Theater

A season of renewal for D.C. theater

‘Streetcar,’ ‘Hamnet,’ ‘Hamlet,’ and many more

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2 days ago

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March 15, 2026

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Ismenia Mendes plays Ana in ‘Jonah’ at Studio Theatre. (Photo by Krystena Patton)

Ideally, spring is our season of renewal – personal, emotional, and social. Lucky for those in the DMV, there’s a lot of exhilarating new theater to help make it happen. 

At Arena Stage, there’s still time to catch the world premiere production of “Chez Joey” (extended through March 22). Set around the 1940s Chicago jazz scene, this smart reboot of the Broadway classic “Pal Joey” effervesces with music by Rodgers and Hart and a terrific cast brimming with big talent (including Myles Frost, Awa Sal Secka, and out comedic actor Kevin Cahoon). 

Also at Arena, is “Inherit the Wind” (through April 5), the extraordinarily timely work based on the real-life Scopes “Monkey” Trial. It’s a courtroom drama that pits two towering legal minds against each other in a small-town battle over science, religion, and the right to think. The large, talented cast includes Billy Eugene Jones, Dakin Matthews, and out actors Holly Twyford and Alyssa Keegan.  Arenastage.org 

La Pluma Theatre, a queer Latin company housed in Dupont Underground, presents “The Ladybird of Saint John” (April 6-12), a powerful story about two sisters navigating immigration, separation, and the fragile bonds of family. @laplumatheatre – Instagram 

Great gay playwright Tennessee Williams’ “A Streetcar Named Desire” (April 20–May 4) is also coming to the Dupont Underground space. Directed by out actor/director Nick Westrate, the touring production of Williams’s classic work set in New Orlean’s steamy Vieux Carré is performed with neither set nor props. It focuses on the words. Lucy Owen and Brad Koed star as fragile Blanche Dubois and her brutal brother-in-law Stanley. Dupontunderground.org

Folger Theatre is serving up one of the Bard’s best comedies, “As You Like It” (through April 12). Staged by out director Timothy Douglas, Folger’s production “offers a love note to D.C., imbuing the forest of Arden with the familiar vibes, culture, and characters that mark the District as a singular, resilient, and redemptive place of belonging.” Folger.edu 

As part of the country’s semi-quincentennial celebrations, Ford’s Theatre presents “1776” (through May 16), a Tony Award-winning musical about the Second Continental Congress’s struggle to adopt the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. Directed by Luis Salgado, the show features a large cast including queer talent like Tom Story, Jake Loewenthal, Jimmy Mavrikes, and Wood Van Meter. Fords.org 

In Falls Church, Creative Cauldron presents “Twelve Dancing Princesses” (through March 29), a Learning Theater Production targeting both kids and adults. Adapted from a Brothers Grimm tale, the eerie story features Spanish language elements and original music by husbands Matt Conner and Stephen Gregory Smith. Creativecauldron.org 

The National Theatre presents “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” (March 18–April 5). This musical “tale as old as time” is a love story involving Belle, a cursed beast, and the arrogant and famously spurned Gaston played out actor Stephen Mark Lukas, a beauty in his own right. Broadwayatthenational.com 

At Mosaic Theater Company, Michael Bahsil-Cook plays the titular activist/congressman in Psalmayene 24’s “Young John Lewis: Prodigy of Protest.” (March 26–May 3). Staged by Mosaic’s out artistic director Reginald L. Douglas, focuses on Lewis’s formative years of ages 18-28, revealing the budding humanity and heart of this mighty historic figure. Talented out actor Vaughn Ryan Midder plays legendary civil rights activist Medgar Evers and other parts. Mosaictheater.org 

At Olney Theatre Center, it’s the anticipated area premiere of “Appropriate” (March 18–April 19). Penned by Tony Award-winning out playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, the darkly comic work follows a dysfunctional white family that gathers on a plantation home to liquidate their late father’s estate where they uncover a dark history of racism.

Excellent area actors Kimberly Gilbert and Cody Nickell play siblings battling over possessions as well as their father’s shady legacy. Performed in Olney’s black box Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab, the company promises a unique staging of this important American play.  Jason Loewith directs. 

Also at Olney Theatre, celebrity chef and longtime queer ally Carla Hall debuts her one-woman show, “Carla Hall — Please Underestimate Me” (June 3–July 12). Olneytheatre.org 

British imports are striding the boards at Shakespeare Theatre Company this spring. The first is “Hamnet” (March 17–April 12), the U.S. premiere of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 2023 stage adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s best-selling novel about the life of Shakespeare’s wife, Agnes, and the death of their son.

And then it’s “Eddie Izzard in the Tragedy of Hamlet” (March 27–April 11), a one-woman show in which the British comedian takes on 23 characters in a unique re-telling of the renowned work. Shakespearetheatre.org 

Woolly Mammoth Theatre presents “Travesty” (March 24–April 12). Created and performed by gender fluid drag performer Sasha Velour, the one-person show is part performance art, part history, and part call to action.

Also at Woolly, out actor Justin Weaks stars in his solo piece “A Fine Madness” (June 2–21), in which the Helen Hayes Award-winning actor shares his personal experience as a Black gay man receiving a positive HIV diagnosis. Woollymammoth.net

Spring at Studio Theatre is Rachel Bonds’ “Jonah” (through April 19), an exploration of a woman’s life through relationships with three men. Directed by Taylor Reynolds, the young five-person cast includes Rohan Maletira in the title role and Ismena Mendes as Ana. Mendes is an accomplished stage and screen actor whose described as bisexual/queer in her IMBD bio. Studiotheatre.org 

In Arlington, Signature Theatre’s out artistic director Matthew Gardiner stages “Pippin” (May 12–July 26), Stephen Schwartz’s musical about a young prince searching for a terrific life guided by a theatrical troupe. The original 1972 production featured stars like Ben Vereen and Irene Ryan (best known as TV’s Granny Clampett). Signature’s production’s big names have yet to be shared. Sigtheatre.org 

Exciting stuff ahead. 

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