Gay Latino Academy Member Blasts ‘Diversity’ Rule Changes: ‘Are You Saying I Am Racist?’

In an open letter addressed to Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs published in the Hollywood Reporter, AMPAS executive branch member Mark Reina responds to the sweeping new rule changes implemented by the Academy in an effort to increase diversity both within the organization and at the Oscars.

From the Hollywood Reporter:

Some of my colleagues in the Academy thought people might be interested in the points I raised in the email I sent to Cheryl Boone Isaacs (below). I have not received a response.

Dear Cheryl Boone Isaacs,

I understand your need to respond to the criticism the Academy has recently received about the lack of diversity among the Oscar nominees. However, I am baffled at your and the board’s choice of a response.

I worked in the industry for over 20 years, most of that time as a film studio executive. Because of that, I am currently a full voting member of the Academy. Under the new rules it appears as though that right will be denied me in order to make the Academy and therefore the Oscar nominees “more diverse.”

Are you saying I am racist or have racist tendencies and need to be excluded from voting? Are you saying if I worked another 10 years I would vote differently? Are you saying that I have not made my voting choices on quality but rather on the color of the artists’ skin?

Read the rest of Reina’s letter at the Hollywood Reporter.