VIDEO: Billy Porter Gives Moving Speech Following Emmy Win For POSE

Last night, Billy Porter won the 2019 Emmy for Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his role on the hit FX drama series Pose. Porter made history as the first openly gay black man to win the award.

Porter gave a moving speech following his win.

"The category is love, y'all, love," he said. "I am so overwhelmed and I am so overjoyed to have lived long enough to see this day."

He then proceeded to provide a powerful message, quoting novelist and civil rights activist James Baldwin.

"James Baldwin said, 'Took many years of vomiting up all the filth that I had been taught about myself and halfway believed, before I could walk around this earth like I had the right to be here.'

"I have the right. You have the right. We all have the right," Porter said.

Watch the full speech below!

Billy Porter is a Tony and Grammy Award-winning singer, composer, actor, playwright and director from Pittsburgh, PA. He currently stars Pray Tell on the FX television series Pose.

He originated the role of 'Lola' in the Broadway hit Kinky Boots, which won him 2013 Tony, Grammy, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards. Other theatre: Shuffle Along, Miss Saigon, Five Guys..., Grease, Smokey Joe's..., Dreamgirls, Angels in America,The Merchant of Venice, Radiant Baby, Birdie Blue, Songs for a New World, Ghetto Superstar (one-man show),Topdog/Underdog, King Lear.

As a recording artist, Porter's solo albums include his first CD, Untitled, on A&M records, At the Corner of Broadway + Soul - LIVE on Sh-K-Boom Records, and Billy's Back on Broadway, on Concord Records.