Why was Alexis Arquette omitted from the Oscars’ In Memoriam tribute?
The sister of the late transgender actor Alexis Arquette has spoken out about the Academy Awards’ failure to honour her sibling in its tribute to those who died in the past year.
The 47-year-old star, who passed away in September last year, was known for her roles in films like Pulp Fiction, Bride of Chucky and The Wedding Singer, as well as for her famous family: She was the sibling of actors Rosanna, Patricia, and David.
On Monday, Patricia told ABC News that she was deeply upset that the Oscars chose not to highlight Alexis in its ‘In Memoriam’ video tribute during Sunday’s awards ceremony.
“I was really pissed off the academy left out my sister Alexis in the memoriam, because Alexis had a great body of work, but Alexis was one of very few trans artists that worked in the business,” she said.
Patricia pointed out that ignoring Alexis was a missed opportunity to show support for the transgender community. She also noted the Trump administration’s recent decision to stop protecting transgender children from discrimination in schools.
“At a time when we have trans kids that can’t even go to the bathroom at school, you would think the academy would have a little bit more respect for a group of people that are murdered, and trans women of colour are most likely to live in extreme poverty, making $800 a month, so I think the Oscars have a lot of learning to do,” said Patricia.
In 1998, Alexis, then still publicly identifying as a gay man, visited South Africa as a guest of the (now sadly defunct) Out In Africa Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, and even performed as her drag alter ego Eva Destruction in Johannesburg and Cape Town.
Alexis’ transition from male to female in her 30s was documented in the 2007 film Alexis Arquette: She’s My Brother.
Leave a Reply