As gender neutrality in workplaces and language increasingly becomes the norm, one of the remaining separations by gender is one of the most high-profile: the male and female categories for prestigious acting awards.
The Academy Awards show, a high-tech production televised around the world, is still handing out Oscars for leading performances in one category for actors and another for actresses — the way it first did nearly 95 years over dinner at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. The Television Academy similarly bestows Emmys for performances in TV shows by gender in separate categories for men and women.
But other awards shows have dispensed with this industry shibboleth and let talented artists of any gender, including those who do not identify strictly as male or female, compete against one another for these coveted trophies. The Grammys went gender-neutral 10 years ago, doing away with distinctions between male and female singers. The MTV Movie and TV Awards have been gender-neutral since 2017. This year, the L.A. Film Critics Assn. did away with gendered categories for performers — and picked two winners in each acting category. Film Independent’s Spirit Awards show, which recognizes independent films at a celebrity-studded event near the Santa Monica Pier, has dropped gender categories for acting awards to be given out in March.
