Actor Elliot Page, who “transitioned” to being a male in 2020, is endorsing the idea of “gender-neutral” categories for acting awards.
Several major awards, including the Oscars, have already dumped categories such as “Best Actress” to be more neutral, and Page agrees with the trend.
“Yeah, it seems like a good idea,” Page told Entertainment Weekly. “And, again, this sort of unusual aspect of that being the only category, right, where that sort of happens? So, hopefully, we start moving beyond that degree of binary thinking.”
Page is starring as a trans man in the upcoming feature Close to You and says there will be shirtless scenes in the film.
The Juno star has been extremely vocal since the gender transition.
Along with Matrix Director Lilly Wachowski, Page backed a lawsuit in 2022 to force the state of Arkansas to repeal its law preventing gender transition procedures on children.
In an interview with Vanity Fair magazine last year, the formerly female star spoke out against the Arkansas law and others like it.
“These bills are going to be responsible for the death of children. It is that simple,” Page said.
Many other actors have spoken out on the gendered awards issue. X-Men actor Hugh Jackman has also said he agrees with dumping designations like “actress” because he thinks there are more than one gender.
“I don’t understand why it’s split into just two genders when we all know it’s a much bigger spectrum. Whatever the mix is, we should maybe just break down any of those categories that end up being divisive and unnecessary,” Jackman told the BBC in 2022.
For her part, Emma Corrin, star of The Crown, says awards are not “inclusive” enough.
Corrin, who claims to be “non-binary” and uses the pronouns “they/them” said, “I don’t think the categories are inclusive enough at the moment. It’s about everyone being able to feel acknowledged and represented,” according to the Metro.
Still, many worry that eliminating “actress” categories will actually cut down on recognition for women.
The Crown’s Olivia Williams, for one, said “actress” categories should stay, saying, “Until there’s a 50-50 opportunity, then we still need to have our own categories.”
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