Why Was 'Emilia Pérez' Ignored by the GLAAD Awards Despite Dominating the 2025 Oscars Nominations?

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Jacques Audiard's newest film, 'Emilia Pérez,' has made history this awards season with 13 Oscar nominations for 2025. Among the accolades is that of Karla Sofía Gascón, who has become the first transgender woman to receive a nomination in the Best Actress category.

Despite this groundbreaking success, the film was completely overlooked by the GLAAD Media Awards, sparking intense debate about LGBTQ+ representation in the film industry.

The 36th edition of the GLAAD Media Awards, which honors fair and accurate portrayals of the LGBTQ+ community in media, announced nominations for 303 projects across 33 categories.

While productions like 'Wicked,' 'Love Lies Bleeding,' and 'Abbott Elementary' received recognition for their contributions to LGBTQ+ visibility, 'Emilia Pérez,' a story centered on a transgender woman played by Gascón, was left out.

Why Was 'Emilia Pérez' Ignored by GLAAD?

While the film has garnered much praise from other awards ceremonies like the Oscars and the Golden Globes, 'Emilia Pérez' has faced criticism from within the LGBTQ+ community, particularly regarding its depiction of transgender experiences.

A November 2024 article by GLAAD expressed concerns about the film, calling its portrayal of trans lives "regressive." Critics, including Drew Burnett Gregory, argued that the film perpetuates harmful stereotypes, such as equating "transition with death" or portraying the lead character as a "transgender criminal." These narratives, according to Gregory, reinforce damaging tropes.

"While the film attempts to tell a bold and ambitious trans story, it falls into clichés the community has worked for years to overcome," Gregory wrote in Autostraddle.

Not everyone shares this perspective, however. Critics like Julie River, a transgender writer for Out Front Magazine, defended the film, stating that "not every trans story needs to be a tale of triumph." River praised Gascón's character as complex and nuanced, reflecting a grittier and more human reality.

Karla Sofía Gascón's Response

Karla Sofía Gascón has spoken out firmly about the backlash. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter she expressed frustration over the negative reception from parts of the LGBTQ+ community.

"I'm tired of a few opinions on social media defining an entire collective effort. You can't dismiss the work of 700 people because of a handful of Instagram comments," she said.

Gascón also criticized attempts to monopolize trans narratives, stating, "Being LGBTQ+ doesn't mean you hold the absolute truth about every story told in film."

Originally published in The Latin Times