Karla Sofía Gascón, a trans woman nominated for Best Actress at the Oscars, has faced intense scrutiny after old racist and Islamophobic tweets resurfaced online. Freelance culture writer Sarah Hagi, who uncovered the tweets, says she was not trying to “cancel” Gascón but rather exposing hypocrisy in the film industry.
Gascón had deleted her Twitter/X account and released a statement apologizing for her tweets, but Hagi believes her response fell short. Hagi argues that racism should be disqualifying for an Oscar nomination, especially when the person’s comments are blatant and contrary to progressive values.
The backlash raises questions about the Academy’s handling of representation and accountability. Hagi emphasizes that meaningful representation is not just about marketing; it’s about holding individuals accountable for their words and actions. With hundreds of thousands of dollars invested in awards campaigns, studios should have deleted the tweets if they didn’t want people to find them.
Hagi also believes that Gascon’s response was not one of humility, but rather a statement that “Light conquers darkness.” She argues that this type of response is tone-deaf and fails to acknowledge the harm caused by Gascón’s comments.
Source: https://variety.com/2025/film/awards/journalist-sarah-hagi-discovered-karla-sofia-gascon-tweets-1236293396