Outrage as Alexis Arquette left out of ‘In Memoriam’ Oscars montage
Family and fans of the late actor Alexis Arquette have expressed outrage at the fact that the star was missed out of the In Memoriam montage at the Oscars last night.
The actor was honoured as one of the actors lost in the past twelve months at the Screen Actors Guild awards which took place last month.
But she was not included in the montage, much to the dismay of sister Patricia Arquette.
Patricia told ABC: “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 told ABC News.
“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 color are most likely to live in extreme poverty, making $800 a month, so I think the Oscars have a lot of learning to do.”
Check out the video tribute at the SAG awards below:
The actor – best known for roles in Last Exit To Brooklyn, Pulp Fiction and The Wedding Singer – passed away “surrounded by love” last year, as her family “held her and sang her David Bowie’s Starman”.
The Arquette family have since released a joint statement praising Alexis’ bravery and trans activism.
“Alexis was a brilliant artist and painter, a singer, an entertainer and an actor,” her siblings said.
“We learned what real bravery is through watching her journey of living as a trans woman. We came to discover the one truth – that love is everything.”
“She fiercely lived her reality in a world where it is dangerous to be a trans person – a world largely unready to accept differences among human beings, and where there is still the ugliness of violence and hostility towards people that we may not understand.”
Her family also championed her determination to reject stereotypical trans roles, despite the effect it may have had on her career.
“Her career was cut short, not by her passing, but by her decision to live her truth and her life as a transgender woman,” they said.
“Despite the fact that there are few parts for trans actors, she refused to play roles that were demeaning or stereotypical.
“She was a vanguard in the fight for understanding and acceptance for all trans people,” they added.
“Alexis always had to do everything first. She left before we were ready to let her go.”
The trans star came from a family of distinguished entertainers and was the sibling of David, Rosanna, Richmond and Patricia Arquette, who have asked for donations be made to organisations which support the LGBT community in their sister’s honour.
