Transgender performer wins best actress at Cannes, blasts critics in emotional speech: 'Change, you bast**ds'

Transgender performer Karla Sofia Gascon — a biological male who identifies as female — won best actress at the Cannes Film Festival over the weekend.

It was the first time that a trans woman won best actress at Cannes, the Telegraph reported.

'To every trans person suffering every f***ing day with hate. With hatred ... they denigrate us ... this is for you.'

Gascon, 52, starred in the Mexican musical comedy "Emily Perez," a critical favorite that's about a man transitioning to escape vengeful criminals, the outlet said.

The Spanish performer gave a lengthy acceptance speech Saturday night on behalf of the film’s female cast, which was awarded best actress as an ensemble, the Telegraph added.

Gascon said, “To every trans person suffering every f***ing day with hate. With hatred ... they denigrate us ... this is for you," the outlet reported, adding that Gascon also preemptively pushed back against "terrible" critics' potential backlash over choosing a trans performer and told them, “Change, you bast**ds."

Gascon added, “We all have the opportunity to change for the better, to be better people. If you have made us suffer, it is time for you also to change," the Telegraph said.

More from the outlet:

The speech was received rapturously by the star-studded audience in Cannes, where the elite of world cinemas had gathered for the 77th iteration of the festival.

The decision to award the “best actresses” a collective prize broke with tradition, and the inclusion of a trans performer in the category was also a first in the storied history of Cannes. ...

Born in Madrid, Gascon has a daughter of 13. Starting her screen career on Spanish television in the Nineties, the actor moved to Mexico and appeared in films there before completing the transition to being a trans woman.

Speaking to the press in Cannes, Gascon said she had wanted to be a girl since she was four years old.

Gascon added that "we’re normal people who can have the careers they want. Being trans is unimportant. A trans person is someone going through a transition. Once they have transitioned, that’s it. They are what they are," the Telegraph reported.

How are observers reacting?

Fewer than 30 comments have appeared so far underneath the Telegraph story that appeared Sunday on Yahoo News, but every single one of them ripped the award winner. To wit:

• "It's a sorry state of affairs these days ..." one commenter wrote.
• "Harrison Butker spoke about women and has been lambasted for it. Another dude tries to be a woman and take women's achievements and is praised for it," another commenter noted. "Wow. Just wow."
• "Pretty soon all the 'best woman' awards will be held by men, just like all the athletic awards for women are being won by males now," another commenter stated.
• "He can transition all he wants, but his DNA tells the real story," another commenter reasoned.
• "Fake news. Mr. Gascon is a man and a father. He was born male and will die male," another commenter declared.
• "I'm glad everyone is finally realizing that the best woman will always be a man," another commenter said. "There is nothing a woman can do better than a man, even when it comes to being a woman."

(H/T: Not the Bee)

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