Karla Sofía Gascón has become a big problem for the Academy since her historic hate tweets were revealed to the world.
Earlier this year, Emilia Pérez’s Gascón made history as the first transgender woman nominated for an acting Oscar. However, people’s joy at her success was short-lived, because journalist Sarah Hagi then dug up a lot of old, extremely nasty tweets from Gascón. In the messages, Gascón expresses disdain and hatred for Islam, as well as for the diversity of past Oscar ceremonies. People were appalled.
Her weak “apology” didn’t help matters either. “I want to acknowledge the conversation around my past social media posts that have caused hurt,” she said in a statement. “As someone in a marginalized community, I know this suffering all too well and I am deeply sorry to those I have caused pain. All my life I have fought for a better world. I believe light will always triumph over darkness.”
Then she did a long interview with CNN en Español that must have had her PR people clutching their hearts. When it was suggested she should rescind her Oscar nomination, she said, “I cannot step down from an Oscar nomination because I have not committed any crime nor have I harmed anyone. I am neither racist nor anything that all these people have tried to make others believe I am.”
Except, her posts clearly were racist, and she had harmed people with them. Her Emilia Pérez co-stars suddenly had all their hard work forgotten about in the wake of the scandal, as well. Perhaps rather wisely, Gascón backed out of awards ceremonies after the tweets came to light, no longer representing her film on the world stage. However, “Will she be at the Oscars?” is the question on everyone’s lips right now. The ceremony is after all only a couple of days away.
The Academy CEO has weighed in
Well, Academy CEO Bill Kramer wants everyone to know that attendees should “respect” her if she does show up. “If Karla joins us for the night, I hope there is an air of respect,” he said to The Hollywood Reporter, while also making it clear that “the Academy does not condone hate speech.” He referenced the nomination’s historical importance with the words, “Karla’s nomination is historic. That’s really important. She’s still a nominee.”
However, why should the other attendees at the Oscars—especially Muslim ones—respect that Gascón is among them? Her tweets spoke to a deep racism and she’s done absolutely nothing to correct the issue. Instead, she’s portrayed herself as the victim whenever possible. During her CNN interview she made it clear she believed she was a victim of “cancel culture,” saying, “I believe I have been judged, I have been convicted and sacrificed and crucified and stoned without a trial and without the option to defend myself.”
Obviously it goes without saying that everyone should respect Gascón’s identity as a trans woman, but that doesn’t mean respecting her behavior. The Hollywood Reporter believes she will be attending the Oscars… and I believe the other attendees should feel free to give her the cold shoulder. Then, after that, she should go back to obscurity until she properly comes to terms with how hurtful her words were.
Published: Feb 28, 2025 04:27 pm