Karla Sofía Gascón Makes History with Emilia Pérez Oscar Nomination
Spanish actor is the first openly trans nominee in an acting category.
(CNN) — One of the stars of “Emilia Pérez” has become the first openly transgender performer to be nominated for an Academy Award in an acting category.
Karla Sofía Gascón was nominated for best actress for her performance in the Netflix musical/crime drama about a drug lord seeking gender reassignment surgery.
As trans rights have become a highly politicized issue in the US, Gascon’s nomination is notable. A study released last fall found that when anti-trans legislation becomes state law, suicide attempts among transgender and nonbinary young people rise, with increases of up to 72% among teens who live in states where those bills become law.
The Spanish actress is not the only trans performer to ever receive recognition from the Academy.
Composer Angela Morley was nominated twice in the best original score category in the 1970s, singer Anohni was nominated for best song in 2016, and director Yancey Ford received a nod for best documentary feature in 2018.
Prior to transitioning in 2020, actor Elliot Page was nominated for his work in “Juno” in 2007.
Some cisgender performers have also been recognized for their work playing transgender characters.
Hilary Swank won a best actress Oscar for portraying Brandon Teena in “Boys Don’t Cry” in 2000, while Jared Leto won best supporting actor in 2014 for “Dallas Buyers Club.”
Eddie Redmayne was nominated in 2016 for best actor for his role in “The Danish Girl.”
Gascón became the first transgender woman to win a best actress award at the Cannes Film Festival, which was a shared award with her ensemble cast.
CNN’s Dan Heching contributed to this story.
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