gender, sexuality, and the Golden Globes

As someone who sees a ton of movies it's fun for me to follow my favorite actors and actresses through awards season. I usually attend an Oscar or Golden Globes party and love voting and trying to predict the winners and losers. I also generally see all the films nominated in the big categories by the end of the year.

This year at the Golden Globes Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto received awards for a film I saw, Dallas Buyers Club. Neither of them mentioned the word AIDS in their speeches. Jared Leto laughed off his incredible role by mentioning having to wax off his eyebrows, but not having to go "full Brazilian". He ended his speech by saying "To the Rayons of the world, thanks for the inspiration." Yeah, you're welcome asshole.

I'm sure it's hard to get up onstage and make yourself vulnerable in front of all your peers, but one would think after months and months of living the life of someone at the forefront of the AIDS crisis you'd mention it at least once? After undergoing so many radical physical changes, including drastic weight loss by both men you'd think it would be more fresh on their minds.

But I digress, I'm writing to mention two women who transformed themselves in similar ways to Leto and did not forget to point out how difficult it is for the people actually living this as their everyday life when they won their awards.

photo from here

In 1999 Hilary Swank portrayed Brandon Teena in Boys Don't Cry and when she won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role she had this to say:

And last, but certainly not least, I want to thank Brandon Teena for being such an inspiration to us all. His legacy lives on through our movie to remind us to always be ourselves, to follow our hearts, to not conform. I pray for the day when we not only accept our differences, but we actually celebrate our diversity. Thank you very much.

In 2005 Felicity Huffman portrayed a transsexual woman, Bree, reuniting with her son. In her Golden Globes acceptance speech she said:

I know as actors our job is usually to shed our skins, but I think as people our job is to become who we really are and so I would like to salute the men and women who brave ostracism, alienation and a life lived on the margins to become who they really are.

Both these actresses did not waiver and whine about the physical changes they had to make or how weird it was to play some "other" sexuality than their own. They highlighted the bravery it takes for men and women to live the lives of the characters they're portraying.

In Hollywood is it really that difficult or embarrassing to call attention to things like AIDS, being transsexual or transgender, as a straight white man? Can Jared Leto say "hey, living the life of someone who faced hatred and malice and fear everyday has really changed me as a person" without anyone getting worried about him, as a straight white man? Is this one benefit of being a woman in Hollywood, the flexibility to portray whomever you choose and not worry about the ramifications of your choices?

I'm hoping the Oscars do not follow this mortifying pattern.

♢