Alexis Arquette, transgender actress and activist died 3 years ago, in the month of September 2016 at the age of 47.
The news of her death quickly went viral with the Facebook post of her eldest brother Richmond Arquette.
At her winning speech at the Emmy’s this year, Patricia Arquette gave a tribute to her late sister.
Patricia Arquette at Emmy’s 2019
After 3 years of her tragic death, Alexis Arquette is once again brought into the limelight.
She came in highlight with the help of her sister Patricia Arquette during her winning speech at the Emmy’s.
The Oscar winning actress showed her grief at the loss of her sister.
She dedicated her speech on advocating the rights of Trans people and making sure that they are not persecuted.
“They’re human beings, let’s give them jobs, let’s get rid of this bias that we have everywhere’ were the exact last words of her speech.
This gesture by her sister has sprawled a ton of support towards Trans people.
She reminded us of the wonderful path that Alexis has painted for upcoming trans people to follow.
Who is Alexis Arquette?
Alexis Arquette, born Robert Arquette, 1969, was the fourth child to Brenda Olivia, a therapist and Lewis Arquette, an actor.
Alexis spent her childhood years at California in a family of celebrities and actors.
Later their family permanently moved and settled in LA.
The actress started her career at the age of 12 with acting gigs like “this little kid who’s on a ride with all these women and whatnot” followed by the music video of “She’s a Beauty” by The Tubes”.
It was not long before Robert Arquette stated her urge to be known as a woman and be called Alexis instead.
Cause of Her Death
It was only after a week after her death that Alexis’s cause for death was announced.
Apart from battling with HIV for 29 years before her death she had various health complications as well.
The wedding singer actress was later diagnosed with an inoperable liver tumor which later spread throughout her body.
Her cause of death was declared cardiac arrest caused by myocarditis arising from HIV.
At the time of her death, she was places in a medically induced coma while being surrounded by her friends and family.
Alexis Arquette as a Man: The gender crisis
Alexis had always wished for a gender transformation which would finally fulfill her dream of being a woman.
Her earlier roles were filled with female impersonation.
She later declared her gender to be female by announcing her process leading to sex reassignment surgery.
However, because she was suffering with AIDS she was unable to do so.
While working, she had repeatedly complained how straight men bullied her at work because of her gender.
Alexis tried to identify as a woman for most of her life.
However, according to her friends, at the time of her death, she wanted to be called Alexis while still being identified as a man.
Alexis’s Career and Roles
The actress’s first TV debut was as a role as Alexis, the mate of Max Whiteman (Evan Richards) in Down and Out.
Later in her career, most of her movies were low budget or independent films like I THINK I DO, SOMETIMES THEY COME BACK… AGAIN, JACK BE NIMBLE.
Nonetheless, her supporting roles in “BRIDE OF CHUCKY”, “PULP FICTION” and “THREESOME” lead her to the limelight.
She starred on the TV series “FRIENDS”, where she had a direst interaction with Monica, her then real life sister- in-law.
Throughout her life and career, she advocated for the transgender rights.
Even the roles she played along her career were outspoken about transgenderism.
After the Speech
After Patricia’s speech at the Emmy’s, the support has been pouring in from all around the world.
From inspiring Trans actors to setting up a role model for the future generation, Alexis, even after her death, has set an example for trans people.
Watch Patricia Arquette talk about her speech during the backstage interview at the Emmy’s:
