

Karla Sofía Gascón’s nomination for Emilia Pérez at the Oscars was an exciting day for the transgender community. It was a milestone, making Gascón the first openly transgender individual to ever be nominated for an Oscar in an acting category. However, much of the excitement has now been undermined through the revelation of years old tweets that Gascón allegedly posted. The tweets in question are viewed by many as expressing bigoted ideals. She now finds herself dealing with accusations of racism, antisemitism, and xenophobia, and many are calling for her to renounce her nomination.
Gascón, in an interview with CNN en Español, addressed the controversy, showing regret but also suspicion at the timing of the tweets resurfacing. She implied that this was an attempt to sabotage her chances at an Oscar.
The start of the controversy stems from screenshots shared by journalist Sarah Hagi. The screenshots showed posts from Gascón’s account that were critical of Muslim culture, as well as the death of George Floyd.
Gascón claims that many of these tweets were either taken out of context or fabricated but has offered her “most sincere apologies to all the people who may have felt offended.”
Gascón has also said that, despite the controversy, she “cannot step down from an Oscar nomination” and goes on to say “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.”