Jameela Jamil calls for non-binary people getting their own category at award shows
Topics: Celebrity, Film and TV, LGBTQ, Oscars
Ben Thompson
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@jameelajamlEverett Collection Inc/Alamy
Topics: Celebrity, Film and TV, LGBTQ, Oscars
Jameela Jamil has called for non-binary actors to be given their own category at award ceremonies, suggesting that gender-neutral categories were hurting female performers.
The actress and activist spoke up on her Instagram, where she posted an essay calling for an alternative approach to gender inclusivity.
Jamil, best known for her role in The Good Place, wrote: "Just asking...would it not be better to give non binary people their own category rather than open the door for Hollywood to completely shut out women given the disproportionate amount of men vs women winning at award shows?
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"If we now have enough non binary talent to restructure entire awards shows, which is GREAT, then we should add than rather run the accidental risk of erasing, no?
"I say this as an audience member because I am not going to be nominated for an Oscar anyway...obviously.
"I have no horse in this race!"
Jamil continued: "I don’t think it will help women or NB [Non-binary] people to minimize the amount of possible winners.
"We should look to EXPAND the possibilities so that both GNC [Gender non-conforming] people and women have a fair shot in an industry that has for a long time struggled to treat others equals to men."
This intervention came after the Oscars announced that they intended to do away with gendered acting awards.
In the caption for her post, Jamil continued explaining her position: "I want to open more doors and create more tables, not narrow the opportunities for everyone, including GNC people.
"If we do Athlete of the year, without gender, it is highly unlikely that aside from the odd year of affirmative action, for optics, that anyone other than a cis man is going to win, because they dominate that world.
"They generate the most income for the industry, get the most attention and are the biggest stars/names.
"And yes, that is frustrating, but as I said in these slides, we cannot bank on utopian changes, we have to work incrementally to create change and visibility."
Jamil says that she decided to speak out after receiving thousands of messages from people too scared to share their views.
She wrote: "That is ridiculous. This is a post about inclusion, not exclusion. It's about making more space. About adding seats to the table. We need to be able to ask and discuss these things with love, compassion and honest logic."
Jamil's followers were divided in the comments section.
One person wrote: "I understand your concerns and your heart is in the right place. But segregation doesn’t work," whilst another wrote: "Because we're not a third gender, and having a separate category for us is quite literally saying you view us as a third gender."
However, others backed Jamil's assessment of the debate.
One user commented: "As a nonbinary actor myself, I'd love the addition of a nonbinary category. It would make everyone feel seen and appreciated."