While accepting his award, the Amazon star, who plays transgender woman Maura Pfefferman on the series, took pause to shine a light on the lack of diversity in Hollywood, particularly when it comes to roles for trans actors and actresses.
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He joined Soloway’s call for diversity by asking the industry to give “transgender talent a chance”.
“I think we’ve realized over the last few years that (a protagonist) projects and protects privilege”, said Soloway, who based “Transparent” on her own father’s coming out as a trans woman.
That’s two in a row for Jeffrey Tambor!
The actor started off by saying that he was most likely not going to say what he wanted in the most lovely way, but it is the meaning that is important. “Give them auditions. Give them their story”.
Tambor repeated his sentiment also expressed on stage that he hopes he is the last cisgender male – the term reflects someone who identifies with the gender they were assigned at birth – to play a female transgender role.
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It’s the second win of the night for Transparent, which also took home Outstanding Direction for a Comedy Series for an episode directed by its creator, Jill Soloway. This time though he chose to use the platform to ask that changes start to be made and perhaps people will listen.
