Credits: Kevin Payravi / Wikimedia Commons — CC BY-SA 4.0.
Transgender actress Karla Sofia Gascon, a Cannes award winner, has filed a complaint for sexist insult against Marion Maréchal. Maréchal’s tweet referred to Gascon as a "man" despite her Best Actress award. Gascon reacted strongly.
This complaint, filed on May 29, follows one from six LGBTQIA+ associations for transphobic insult. Gascon, 52, received an award for Emilia Perez at the Cannes Film Festival.
According to Gascon’s lawyer, only the person targeted could file a complaint for sexist insult. LGBT+ associations pointed out that 85% of trans people in France experience discrimination or violence. Maréchal’s remarks deny the existence and suffering of transgender people, according to a lawyer.
The film Emilia Perez, by Audiard, features Gascon as a gender-transitioning drug baroness. The first trans woman to be honored at Cannes, Gascon dedicated her award to "all trans people who are suffering."
Associations say crimes against LGBT+ people are on the rise. In 2023, 2,870 offenses were recorded in France, up 19% from 2022. Internationally, 321 trans people were murdered in one year, according to the Trans Murder Monitoring observatory. Gascon hopes her complaint will encourage efforts to fight hate speech.