The Amazon series Transparent has been praised for its representation of the transgender community. And on Sunday, creator Jill Soloway and the show's star, Jeffrey Tambor, earned Emmy Awards for their work on the show and they used the opportunity to voice their support of the community.
In Soloway's speech for Best Directing for a Comedy Series, she thanked her transgender parent — whom she calls her "moppa" — for coming out. Then she pointed out the discrimination trans individuals still face. Referring to her parent, Soloway said, "She could tomorrow go and try to find an apartment and in 32 states, it would be legal for the landlord to look her in the eye and say, 'We don't rent to trans people.' We don't have a trans tipping point yet. We have a trans civil rights problem. So go to transequality.org and vote to pass the Trans Equality Bill."
The next Emmy, for Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, was given to Tambor, who said that with the role of Maura on Transparent, he's "been given the opportunity to act because people's lives depend on it."
"I'd like to dedicate my performance and this award to the transgender community," Tambor also said. "Thank you for your patience, thank you for your courage, thank you for your stories, thank you for your inspiration, thank you for letting us be part of the change."
