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British national treasure, Sir Ian McKellen has said that the Academy Awards also discriminate against gay people, following growing accusations at the lack of diversity in this year’s nominees, all 20 are white, straight and cisgender.

Sir McKellen openly sympathised with black actors, but said that the lack of diversity in Hollywood was a wider issue.

“It’s not only black people who’ve been disregarded by the film industry,” the Lord of the Rings actor told Sky News on Monday. “It used to be women. It’s certainly gay people to this day.”

“No openly gay man has ever won the Oscar; I wonder if that is prejudice or chance,” the 76-year-old said.

Ian McKellen, Jaye Davidson and Angelina Jolie are the only non-straight actors who have been nominated for an award, indicating that Sir McKellen’s claim that the Oscars discriminate may be true.

So far, Will Smith, his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, and Spike Lee have said they would not be attending the awards show.

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