Gender and Awards

Should acting be judged by gender?  If not, Katharine Hepburn and Frances McDormand would have everything, and Daniel Day-Lewis and Jack Nicholson would be trophy-free.  In soap operas, they even break it down by ages.  Is it fair to compare Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep?  Ask Rita Wilson!  I like multiple categories because it allows more people to win.  But what do you do about trans actors?  Or non-binary actors?  This was an issue regarding last year’s Broadway production of MacbethAsia Kate Dillon identifies as non-binary, and was playing the role of Malcolm.  Asia didn’t feel comfortable in either category and withdrew from Tony consideration.

A similar case has occurred this year with the Broadway musical & Juliet.  One of the stars, Justin David Sullivan, had to make a decision – to be submitted as an actor or an actress.  “I was told that I had to choose where I felt more comfortable, and in that process, I struggled a lot.  There’s nothing more that I want to empower than non-binary people, to show that it’s possible to be non-binary on Broadway, play a non-binary character on Broadway and be nominated, and possibly potentially awarded.  I felt like I couldn’t choose.  I didn’t feel right being in either category because it didn’t resonate with me.  I decided the only thing that felt right to me would be to abstain from nomination consideration.”  Justin added, “I hope that award shows across the industry will expand their reach to be able to honor and award people of all gender identities”.

The Tony people issued a statement of their own: “We recognize that the current acting categories are not fully inclusive, and we are currently in discussion about how to best adjust them to address this.  Unfortunately, we are still in process on this and our rules do not allow us to make changes once a season has begun.  We are working thoughtfully to ensure that no member of our community feel excluded in future seasons.”  If one is to make a change, there are only two possibilities – make more separate categories, or lump them all together.  Since I don’t approve of either option, I’m abstaining from future nominations.

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