Love, Simon picked up the trophy for Best Kiss at the 2018 MTV Movie & TV Awards on Saturday night.
The coming-of-age film – which boasts the honour of becoming the first major-studio teen rom-com to feature a gay protagonist – was released earlier this year, and received universal acclaim from critics.
Lead actor Nick Robinson wasn’t on hand to receive the award – due to scheduling issues – so his co-star and love interest Keiynan Lonsdale picked up the gong, decked out in a shimmering, gold robe.
“I just want to say to every kid: You can live your dreams and wear dresses; you can live your dreams and kiss the one that you love no matter what gender they are,” Keiynan told the crowd.
“You can live your dreams and you can believe in magic; you can live your dreams, and you can be yourself.”
This is the second year in a row that the trophy has been awarded to a same-sex couple. Last year, Ashton Sanders and Jharrel Jerome won for their performance in the Academy Award-winning drama, Moonlight.
Watch Keiynan Lonsdale’s moving speech below:
#MTVAwards: @KeiynanLonsdale wins Best Kiss saying "you can live your dreams and wear dresses" pic.twitter.com/0TitqfNzrt
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) June 19, 2018
Earlier this year, Keiynan sat down with Love, Simon director Greg Berlanti in an exclusive interview with Gay Times and discussed everything from coming-out fears, on-set antics, and the importance of their movie.
“I woud identity as queer – that feels the most accurate,” revealed Keiynan. “My sexuality used to be all I could think about, and now it barely crosses my mind, which is cool.”
He continued: “I think in the future we will get to a place where we are just human and there are no made up rules for how or who we should love, but for now it’s amazing and crucial to have a community and words that represent the journey to rainbow freedom.”
You can buy Keiynan Lonsdale’s issue of Gay Times here.
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