Jamie Lee Curtis speaks out on degendering acting categories 'as the mother of a trans daughter'
Ali Condon
Featured Image Credit: ABC
Jamie Lee Curtis used her Oscar win to speak out about the de-gendering of awards categories 'as the mother of a trans daughter'.
The legendary actor won Best Supporting Actress on Sunday night (12 March) for her performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Speaking at a press conference straight after her win, Jamie called out the gender disparity in awards shows categories.
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Asked how she felt to be among just 65 women nominated for an Academy Award this year, Jamie replied: "Obviously I would like to see a lot more women be nominated so that there's gender parity in all the areas, in all the branches.
"And I think we're getting there - we're not anywhere near there.
"And, of course, the inclusivity then involves the bigger question, which is how do you include everyone when there are binary choices?
Which is very difficult, and as the mother of a trans daughter, I completely understand that.
"And, yet, to de-gender the category, I'm concerned will also diminish the opportunities for more women, which is also something I've been working hard to try to promote.
"So it's a complicated question, but I think the most important thing is inclusivity and more women. Basically just f***ing more women anywhere, all the time, all at once."
Jamie Lee's daughter Ruby came out as transgender back in 2020.
Speaking to People about Ruby's transition the following year, Jamie poignantly admitted: "I am new at it. I am not someone who is pretending to know much about it. And I'm going to blow it, I'm going to make mistakes. I would like to try to avoid making big mistakes.
"You slow your speech down a little. You become a little more mindful about what you're saying. How you're saying it. You still mess up, I've messed up today twice. We're human."
"But if one person reads this, sees a picture of Ruby and me and says, 'I feel free to say this is who I am,' then it's worth it."
Jamie Lee was particularly emotional after her Oscars win on Sunday, dedicating the coveted award to the 'hundreds of people' who helped her to get there, and her late mother and father, who had both been nominated for Oscars during their careers.
She looked up to the heavens, holding back tears, and said: "And my mother and father were both nominated for Oscars in different categories, I just won an Oscar."
Jamie won the same award that her mother Janet Leigh had been nominated for back in 1960 for her role in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho.
Meanwhile, Tony Curtis was nominated for Best Actor back in 1959 for his role in The Defiant Ones.