She-Hulk star Jameela Jamil calls for non-binary category at award shows

She-Hulk star Jameela Jamil has recently proposed non-binary categories at award shows to prevent exclusion of women in Hollywood.

The 37-year-old actress suggested an entirely new category solely for non-binary actors, amid talk of the Academy Awards looking to do so in the future.

On Instagram on June 17, Jameela wrote: “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 award shows?

She went on to praise non-binary talent in the movie industry, suggesting we should “add” to the categories already in existence, rather than “run the accidental risk of erasing.”

Jameela continued: “It’s a shame that this disparity exists in the first place. But it does exist. It is blatant and it makes the news every year within awards shows. I have learned during my 18 years working within activism, that while some backlash is inevitable and indeed helpful, some of it only muddies the waters and slows down progress.”

The ‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law’ actress explained how her comments were because the Oscars are “looking to get rid of gendered acting awards. As we see with the director award which is genderless, it’s rare to even see a woman nominated never mind win.”

She added: “I want to open more doors and create more tables, not narrow the opportunities for everyone, including GNC [gender non-conforming] people.”

‘The Last Of Us‘ star Bella Ramsey, who identifies as non-binary, supported Jameela’s idea in the comments. “I would love the categories to be ‘Actress/Non-Binary Performer’ and ‘Actor/Non-Binary Performer’ then the performer can be submitted into their preferred category,” they wrote.

“It’s not a perfect solution, but that’s my take on it. I think it’s more about making us feel seen and included rather than categorised,” they said.

Jameela later revealed that the two had been discussing the issue together over direct messages, and realized that they both “don’t have the perfect answer.”

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