Karla Sofía Gascón becomes the first openly trans actress nominated for an Oscar

And more trans celebrities blazing a trail to acceptance

Stars Insider

23/01/25 | StarsInsider

CELEBRITY Lgbtq

Spanish actress Karla Sofía Gascón made history on January 23 with the release of the 2025 Oscar nominations. Gascón was nominated for her leading performance in the musical crime thriller 'Emilia Pérez.' The Netflix film follows a cartel boss, played by Gascón, who hires a lawyer, played by Zoe Saldana, to help her retire from the drug business and finally receive the gender-affirming surgery she's long dreamed of. This is Gascón's third history-making honor of the 2024-2025 awards season. She was the first trans woman to win the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024 and the first trans woman to be nominated for a Golden Globe. “My character in the film is this ray of hope. And personally, I do feel like I am carrying this message,” Gascón told TheWrap. “I have a social responsibility that goes beyond the creative achievement of the film. This is the type of movie that will make history, not just the cinema but something that will be studied in books, that will be studied in universities.”

As the entertainment and fashion industries become more and more inclusive, the number of roles for transgender people is increasing rapidly every year. Groundbreaking TV shows like the ballroom culture drama 'Pose' with almost entirely LGBTQ+ casts are putting the spotlight on the talent and beauty in the transgender community that has long been overlooked.

It's a big move for representation, and indeed many actors, musicians, athletes, models, writers, and other public figures are putting themselves forward to create new spaces in their industries. Their work inspires young trans people who may be struggling with their identity in a world that sorely lacks representation of LGBTQ+ stories. 

Click through the following gallery to discover some of the most legendary trans celebrities, and some of the rising stars, who are changing our worldview for the better. 

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