Check Out 'Tangerine' Star Mya Taylor's Historic Indie Spirit Awards Acceptance Speech

James Tisch February 27th, 2016 - 11:22 PM

She may not quite be a household name, but actress Mya Taylor made history today at the 31st Film Independent Spirit Awards. She became the first transgender performer to pick up a major film award for the acclaimed indie Tangerine. With all the chatter centering around diversity in the film industry, Taylor’s win is particularly poignant. “There’s very beautiful transgender talent. So, you better get it out there put it in your next movie,” exclaimed Taylor while accepting her prize.

Tangerine, Sean Baker’s comedic slice of life on the streets of Hollywood, made its world premiere at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival to a roaring and enthusiastic crowd. The film, which was famously shot on an iPhone, has since become well-regarded among critics and cinephiles (even while its box office take barely made a dent with a paltry $700,000 cum). The film is ever more special as it centers around two transgender sex workers (one played by Taylor and the other by Kitania “Kiki” Rodriguez, also a Indie Spirit nominee) and follows their misadventures over one long and eventful day.

Taylor isn’t the first transgender performer to receive a nomination at the Independent Spirit Awards, that would Harmony Santana who earned a Best Supporting Actress mention for the 2011 film Gun Hill Road, but she is the first to ever take home a prize.

Watch her acceptance speech below:

Check Out ‘Tangerine’ Star Mya Taylor’s Historic Indie Spirit Awards Acceptance Speech