Karla Sofía Gascón Dedicates 'Emilia Pérez' Golden Globe to the Trans Community

the cast and crew behind emilia perez accepts the golden globe for best picture musical comedy at the 2025 goldne globes

(Image credit: Rich Polk/GG2025/Penske Media via Getty Images)

published 6 January 2025

Karla Sofía Gascón shared a powerful message at the 2025 Golden Globes when she and the Emilia Pérez team accepted the Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy award.

After the film's writer/director, French filmmaker Jacques Audiard, said via a translator that he did not have a speech prepared, star and transgender actress Gascón took over the microphone and shared a moving statement, seemingly directed at the trans community.

"I chose these colors—the Buddhist colors—tonight because I have a message for you: The light always wins over darkness," she said, referring to the yellow and orange hues of her Saint Laurent gown.

karla sofia gascon from emilia perez wears an orrange and yellow dress walking the red carpet at the 2025 golden globes — Karla Sofía Gascón walks the red carpet at the 2025 Golden Globes.

Gascón continued, "I have a lot of things to say to you because you can maybe put us in jail. You come beat us up, but you can never take away our soul, our existence, our identity."

The Emilia Pérez star then concluded with a message of hope and encouragement: "And I want to say to you, raise your voice…and say, 'I am who I am, not who you want.'"

Gascón made history this year as the first out trans performer nominated in a top film acting category at the Globes. She portrays the titular character in Audiard's controversial musical drama, which follows a Mexican cartel boss's gender transition.

The Spanish actress stars opposite Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz, Mark Ivanir, and Édgar Ramírez.

Selena Gomez dancing in a scene in Emilia Perez wearing a saint laurent floral suit with bleached blonde hair — Selena Gomez in a musical number in *Emilia Peréz.*

Emilia Peréz—which received a record-breaking 10 total nominations at this year's Globes—earned awards for Best Non-English Movie, Best Original Song, and Best Supporting Actress for Saldaña. Gascón was nominated in the same category as Saldaña, while Gomez was up for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in the film (as well as Best Actress in a Television Series — Musical or Comedy for her work on Only Murders in the Building).

In the Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy category, Emilia Peréz competed against Anora, Challengers, A Real Pain, The Substance, and Wicked.

The movie is currently streaming on Netflix.

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Quinci is a Culture Writer who covers all aspects of pop culture, including TV, movies, music, books, and theater. She contributes interviews with talent, as well as SEO content, features, and trend stories. She fell in love with storytelling at a young age, and eventually discovered her love for cultural criticism and amplifying awareness for underrepresented storytellers across the arts. She previously served as a weekend editor for Harper’s Bazaar, where she covered breaking news and live events for the brand’s website, and helped run the brand’s social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Her freelance writing has also appeared in outlets including HuffPost, The A.V. Club, Elle, Vulture, Salon, Teen Vogue, and others. Quinci earned her degree in English and Psychology from The University of New Mexico. She was a 2021 Eugene O’Neill Critics Institute fellow, and she is a member of the Television Critics Association. She is currently based in her hometown of Los Angeles. When she isn't writing or checking Twitter way too often, you can find her studying Korean while watching the latest K-drama, recommending her favorite shows and films to family and friends, or giving a concert performance while sitting in L.A. traffic.

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