Travon Free responds to Karla Sofía Gascón 2021 Oscars Tweet

So get this. It’s almost 17:00 on Thursday afternoon, and I, Academy Award -Winner Travon Free, sitting in front of my TV with the Academy Screening Room app open and reviews this year’s nominees. I have seen pretty much everything nominated at least once, but there is a documentary or two I still need to check my list.

Then a text from my friend Jason appears.

“Then you have to guys to make a statement about this?”

Oh no. Statements are only required when someone is doing something bad and I haven’t made a movie with Blake Lively or Justin Baldoni yet, so I can’t imagine why I need to make one. After nervously asking “What for?”, He sends me one of the many screens of Karla Sofía Gascón’s old, emerged tweets that are currently in circulation. In this particular Twitter-Bullet to Emilia Pérez Oscars -campaign, mama gascón is not Satisfied with the Oscars ceremony in 2021, alias “The Covid Oscars.”

Specifically, she called the ceremony a “Afro-Korean Festival” and a “Black Lives Matter demonstration” and noticed, “They forgot to give a prize to my cousin’s short film.” Personally, I would very much like to participate in an Afro-Korean festival-I know that the food would be incredible. But also I was a complete unknown who was not only nominated for a short film called Two distant strangers It was thematic in line with Black Lives Matter feelings, I also won her alleged cousin award that night and attended like a wild robot (I’m not a robot). Oopsie!

Look, I’m from Compton so my first reaction to seeing this was to channel my inner Kendrick Lamar and go full “Not like us.” Me and my nickel boys even held a little conclave in our group chat, and I showed up with a whole list of ideas on how to flex on Karla with my Oscar or pose it next to her picture with a snarky caption like ” This is the closest you get to one this year. “But then I took a breath, and during that time I noticed that social media was full of brutalists who gave Mama Gascón business for her racism and Islamophobia.

Do I need to be even more of a real pain and pile on? Sure her words felt evil, but as a man who couldn’t remain silent, I knew that the most important part of how I reacted would be the drug. And as a man other than I used to be, a better man, I knew there was a smarter way to respond to the incident than just some snarky flap back.

If you asked me for a million 2025 predictions, find that you were not so subtweet of the first open trans woman nominated for a functioning Oscar because she does not appear to be a fan of what you represent , wouldn’t have made that list. You may have seen something like, another abrupt summer, the continued world domination of Timothée Chalamet or mass portations, but not this.

To be honest, it is not even disappointing to see someone be anti-blm or any of the accompanying feelings and beliefs. It is disappointing when this resentment is expressed by a person whom I imagine knows the pain of marginalization and what it is like to be in and by a society that is regularly targeted at violence. As a black, queer Oscar winner, to quote the great poet prize winner Tyra Banks, I messed up to you, I all messed up for you. I know I know – Tyra says “We” the second time, but I can only talk for me.

Last week, I was glad to see that an open trans woman was nominated for the most prestigious award to act for the first time, especially at a time when the trans community is and has been under very targeted attacks. I was just as excited about the possibility that a trans woman won that award and redefined opportunity for her community. And I still am. Because I have no idea how Mama Gascón feels about Koreans and black activism today. But as Zoe Saldaña tells Karla in their movies with everyone who makes Sing Sing, “I know people,” and people can change. And if she doesn’t, well, it’s never too late. And the next time you want to throw shade, just @ me, ok karla? I answer, I promise.