“I’m gay, Black, a Furry– pretty much everything a Republican hates”.
Dominique “SonicFox” McLean took home the Best Esports Player award Thursday night at The Game Awards.
And according to the gaming community, he accepted the accolade in true SonicFox fashion.
The four-time Evo champion is not only known for his fighting games achievements but also his notorious furry attire and his open sexuality.
The 20-year-old gave an exciting acceptance speech at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, donning the blue furry fox suit and amazement on his face.
“Wow! Haha, I really won this sh*t, oh my god! Hey, look mom!” was the first thing SonicFox said once he got on stage, his words slightly muffled by his costume. “I guess I want to say this is a big honor. Uh, I kinda just really, really enjoy playing video games competitively. I’ve never really, really done it for the fame, I kinda just enjoyed the rush of beating people up, y’know?”
He continued by saying he’ll donate a portion of the winnings to a friend whose father is battling cancer.
“I’m sure you guys heard the story of when I won the [Injustice 2] finale. Another thing I don’t do this for is the money ’cause when my best friend — one of my closest friends — oh my god, I’m nervous. His dad had cancer and after I won– well, before I even did the match I told him, whether I win or lose, I’m gonna be donating at least 10k of the prize winnings to his father for his Stage 3 cancer.
At the end of his speech, SonicFox acknowledged the LGBTQ+ community and made a comment towards Republicans.
“As you guys also may know — or many not know — I’m also super gay, so I mean, I want to give a super shoutout to all my LGBTQ+ friends that have always helped me through life.
Obviously, I’m a furry, so shoutout to the furries. Um, guess all I’ve gotta really say is that I’m gay, black, a furry — pretty much everything a Republican hates — and the best esports player of the year, I guess! Thank you so much!”
Following the event, SonicFox took to Twitter to expand on his speech.
yall have literally oppressed me my whole life and the livelihood of me and others, yet.. I still made it here. Its definitely more than a game. Yall catching that dunk on a huge platform right quick lmfao https://t.co/GTKkh469uf
— SonicFox (@SonicFox) December 7, 2018
Various community members tweeted reactions to the award winners comments.
SonicFox is proud of who he is as a gay black furry and he can say whatever he wants on the mic while he wins awards and championships. With the world tuning in, SonicFox is the best representative esports and competitive gaming could have asked for.https://t.co/hkEUhs2CPw
— Rod Breslau (@Slasher) December 7, 2018
Not the best representative if he insults half the community. That’s a fact. It was just pointless.
Ruined a cool moment of a great personality winning an award.— Steven (@LordRevan104) December 7, 2018
https://twitter.com/stillgray/status/1070924751982325760
Aww! I’m so proud of you @SonicFox5000! You’ve come such a long way and deserve this award more than anyone. We the LGBTQ are here to stay and a force to be reckon with in the FGC!!! #LGBTQPride!!! 💕💕💕
— ✨Ricki Sophie Ortiz✨ (@HelloKittyRicki) December 7, 2018
Despite the various feelings, SonicFox’s speech was a big moment both at the awards show and in the gaming community.
