Jameela Jamil suggests adding non-binary category to Oscars instead of removing gendered awards
By Bryan Ke
June 19, 2023
Jameela Jamil proposed in an Instagram post that the Oscars add a new category for non-binary people instead of removing gendered awards altogether.
Key details: The 37-year-old “She-Hulk” actor made the suggestion in an Instagram post on Saturday in response to the news that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization behind the Oscars, is discussing the removal of gendered awards.
“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 known disproportionate amount of men vs women winning at awards shows?” Jamil wrote in part.
Adding, not erasing: Noting that she was only commenting as “an audience member,” Jamil said that the addition of a non-binary category would prevent the “accidental risk” of erasing.
She added that removing gendered awards, such as the best actress award, would result in “growing ire from women who get shut out of award opportunities” because they would have to compete with “tens of thousands of actors, in a world that favors men” for the same accolades.
What people are saying: While several Instagram users agreed with Jamil’s take on the matter, both in the comment section of her post and reportedly through direct messages, others did not find “The Good Place” actor’s post helpful, with some labeling her a “TERF” (trans-exclusionary radical feminist).
“I’m really disappointed that someone I view as a social justice warrior is talking this way. This is not the first time you’ve come across as a TERF,” one Instagram user commented.
Issuing a response: Jamil addressed the backlash via Instagram Stories, writing that her words were “either not read properly or deliberately taken out of context.”
She noted that she was not talking about transgender women competing in women’s categories, which she “never had an issue with.” She also declared that the backlash “doesn’t deter me from my advocacy.”
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