Andrew Garfield gave a shout-out to the LGBTQ community as he lifted the Tony statue for lead actor in a play, saying the stage outing of his "Angels In America" was an apt representation of "purest spirit" of humanity.
The 34-year-old actor, who was recognised for his role as Prior Walter, a gay man with AIDS, in Tony Kushner's two-part epic, said the play was embedded with the spirit that says "no to shame", Variety reported.
"At a moment in time where maybe the most important thing that we remember right now is the sanctity of the human spirit, it is the profound privilege of my life to play Prior Walter in 'Angels in America' because he represents the purest spirit of humanity, and especially that of the LGBTQ community.
"It is a spirit that says no to oppression. It is a spirit that says no to bigotry, no to shame, no to exclusion. It is a spirit that says we are all made perfectly," Garfield said in his acceptance speech.
The eight-hour-long revival examines AIDS and homosexuality in the US in the 1980s.
The actor also spoke about the recent Supreme Court decision that sided with a Colorado baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple on religious grounds.
"We all belong, so let's just bake a cake for everyone who wants a cake to be baked! We all belong. So I dedicate this award to the countless LGBTQ people who have fought and died to protect that spirit, to protect that message for the right to live and love as we are created to," he said.
This was Garfield's maiden Tony win and second nod. He was previously nominated for "Death of a Salesman" (2012).
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