Non-binary actor Ser Anzoategui has made LGBTQ+ history with their best supporting actor nomination at the Imagen Awards.
On Saturday (9 October), it was revealed that Anzoategui earned a nomination for their work in Starz’s hit LGBTQ+ series, Vida.
Their nomination marks the first time that a non-binary and trans Latinx actor has been nominated in the “all-male” category.
Other nominees include Cristo Fernández, Harvey Guillén, Mario Lopez, James Martinez and Oscar Nuñez.
In a statement to NBC News, the 42-year-old expressed their excitement over this groundbreaking achievement.
“It’s everything that you want as an artist,” they said. “Finally to have an award shows, but particularly a Latino organization that recognizes inclusivity within the process of nominating.
“It shows an example of what these big, internationally recognized award shows like the Oscars, the Golden Globes, and the Emmys could do. Look on to the Imagen Foundation and see what they’ve done.”
In Vida, Anzoategui plays Eddy a “Latinx lesbian woman from Boyle Heights” who’s grieving the loss of her wife. Throughout the three seasons, the character leans on her queer community while connecting with her wife’s estranged daughter.
Over the years, Anzoategui has been vocal about the challenges they faced when submitting performances to other award shows.
In a 2019 Los Angeles Times op-ed, they pointed out the double standard of the nomination process within the industry.
“I’m playing a female role, but that doesn’t mean I should be up for Emmy consideration as an actress any more than Jeffrey Tambor should have been considered in that category for playing a transgender woman in Transparent,” they said.
“To place me in the actress category is to make me invisible.”
The following year, Anzoategui elaborated on the topic and even suggested a “non-binary award category” in a guest column for Deadline.
“Part of this whole experience was going through this process and putting a voice to my experience, so people see what someone like myself has to go through when it comes to this,” they wrote.
“It’s more than just gendering the awards. It’s also the process of what the actors or actresses go through.”
The 36th annual Imagen Awards are set to take place Sunday (10 October) on PBSSoCal.org and KCET.org.
Latest
