Ariana DeBose Becomes First Openly Queer Woman of Color to Win an Oscar

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The Facts

  • Ariana DeBose on Sun. became the first Afro-Latina and the first openly queer woman of colour to win an Academy Award for acting.

  • Debose won Best Supporting Actress for her role as Anita in Steven Spielberg's take on "West Side Story," matching co-star Rita Moreno, who became the first Latina to win an Oscar for the same role in 1962.


The Spin

Narrative A

This is a historic moment. Ariana DeBose - the first openly queer woman to even be nominated, let alone win an Oscar - has once again broken boundaries, bringing attention and pride to the LGBTQ+ community, and providing hope for others.

Narrative B

While this is undeniably a win, it also highlights the racism and discrimination still rampant in the acting industry. More must be done to tackle an implicit and systemic lack of diversity in Hollywood.


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