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14th July 2023
02:38pm BST
The Emmy Awards are being called out for placing Bella Ramsey in the Best Actress Category as debate continues over making awards gender-neutral.
Ramsey, who is non-binary and has previously spoken about being "uncomfortable" submitting themselves for this year's awards and the need for there to be "more space" for gender-fluid actors, is up against Succession's Sarah Snook and The Diplomat's Keri Russell, for her role as Ellie Williams, in The Last of US.
The hit post-apocalyptic show has landed 24 nominations for the 75th annual Emmy Awards, including several major categories, with Pedro Pascal up for outstanding actor in a drama series, and Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett both in the running for outstanding guest actor.
The Emmy nomination is the 19-year-old's first, and although they have celebrated the accomplishment by praising their fellow cast and crew, including show creator Craig Mazin, the decision to place them in the “female” category has reignited discourse around the push to make major award ceremonies more inclusive.
While Bella's fans have outright slammed the decision, Mazin said he had spoken to them about it, and told Variety it was vital the movie industry "moved away from gendered categories" to open it up to more people.
“I talk about everything with Bella,” he told the publication.
“So, of course, we’ve spoken about this. It’s a really interesting challenge.
“On the one hand, the conversation about gender has transformed dramatically and in a very progressive and positive way.
"On the other, we have to practically make sure that by moving away from gendered categories, we don’t short-change traditionally overlooked folks… and we know that in non-gendered categories like directing and writing, women have been historically under-appreciated.”
At the 2023 Academy Awards, no women were nominated for best director, while the BRIT Awards faced a major backlash for their all-male best artist shortlist, PinkNews noted.
Mazin told Variety he didn't "know the answer" but has “every expectation that non-binary performers will soon be recognised in the respectful and appropriate way they deserve."
Mazin words echo the likes of Jamie Lee Curtis and Jameela Jamil who have addressed the complications around introducing gender-neutral categories to major awards shows such as the BAFTAs, the Tonys and the Oscars.
Speaking about their identity in an interview with GQ, Ramsey explained previously that they felt that putting people in boxes wasn't helpful.
"This is what bothers me more than pronouns: being called a 'young woman' or a 'powerful young woman', 'young lady,' but I'm just not [that].
"Catherine Called Birdy, I was in dresses. Becoming Elizabeth, I was in a corset. And I felt super powerful in that.
"Playing these more feminine characters is a chance to be something so opposite to myself, and it's really fun."
While filming The Last of Us, Ramsay said they had a lot of conversations with Pascal, whose sister came out as transgender in 2021 and has been "super supportive".
The actor said: "And they weren't always deep [conversations]: they could be funny and humorous, the whole spectrum.
"We were just very honest and open with each other."
In May, Ramsay told Variety that the award categories, “at the moment, feel extremely gendered with the language around them."
“I don’t want the limitations in terms of the language in the categories to be a reason that non-binary actors like me can’t be celebrated… and it can open up a conversation about how it feels – as long as I’m aware of the fact that it’s not ideal, but also that finding alternatives is really complex.
“For [non-binary people] to have a say and be part of those discussions and those conversations, that’s really important… I just hope there’s more space for non-binary people to be recognised within [future] categories.”
Although the Oscars and BAFTAs are considering gender-neutral categories, there has been no movement on modernising the nominations process as yet.
The 75th Emmy Awards ceremony is on 18 September.
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