Karla Sofía Gascón has declared that she will not withdraw from the Oscars competition for Best Actress, despite facing controversy over past social media posts criticizing Islam.
Gascón created history recently by becoming the first transgender individual to receive an Oscars nomination in an acting category. She secured a nomination for Best Actress for her performance in the Netflix musical *Emilia Pérez*.
She emphasized, I cannot step down from an Oscar nomination because I have not committed any crime, nor have I harmed anyone.
Gascón stars alongside Zoe Saldana, also a contender for Best Supporting Actress, in a film portraying a Mexican drug lord who transitions gender, garnering 13 Oscar nominations.
While the film leads in nominations, Gascón faced backlash over her previous social media posts, which touched on various sensitive topics like George Floyd's death and Oscar diversity.
Deactivating her X account, Gascón expressed regret for her past comments, stating, All my life I have fought for a better world. I believe light will always triumph over darkness.
Offering her sincere apologies to all who may have been offended, Gascón denied being racist or the negative image portrayed by some. She stated that some posts were unfamiliar to her and stressed never making derogatory comments about her *Emilia Pérez* co-star Selena Gomez.
*Emilia Pérez*, a French production primarily set in Mexico and predominantly in Spanish, holds the record for the most non-English language film nominations.
Gascón's Best Actress nomination marks a significant milestone, being the first transgender person nominated in an acting category. Despite the controversy, Oscar voters have shown strong support for the film.
The BBC News has reached out to Gascón's representatives and Netflix for comments.