Awards shows tackle gender variance issues
Ameko Eks Mass Carroll may not be up for a trophy at British Columbia’s Leo Awards gala on Sunday, but the young Vancouver-based actor has still made a big impact on the event.
The 11-year-old made headlines in January when the Leos, which honour the province’s film and TV industry, allowed the gender-fluid actor’s starring turn in the short “Limina’’ to be eligible for consideration in both male and female performance categories.
While Ameko didn’t end up getting a nomination, the move set a precedent in Canada and is part of a growing conversation about how awards organizations should make room for performers whose gender identities don’t fall neatly into the “male’’ or “female’’ categories.
Some other awards shows have recently acted on the issue: the MTV Movie & TV Awards offered a gender-less acting prize, while the Joey Awards, which honour young performers in Canada, also allowed Ameko to be considered in both gender categories.
“We need to (acknowledge) the fact that not all performers identify as men or women and we need to either create a third category, or until then, we need to at least allow them to submit to both categories — because it’s not one or the other,’’ said Joshua M. Ferguson, Limina’s co-director and co-producer who is non-binary — a term used for someone who doesn’t identify with either gender.
“When you’re a gender-fluid person, you don’t identify as just a man or a woman or both, so submitting to one or the other wouldn’t have made sense for Ameko.’’
Such a scenario also didn’t make sense for Kelly Mantle last year, when producers behind “Confessions of a Womanizer’’ wanted to enter the genderfluid American actor for Oscar consideration.
After consulting with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, they were allowed to submit Mantle’s supporting role as a transgender woman in both gender categories.
It was said to be the first time the academy allowed such a move and while Mantle didn’t get a nomination, the Los Angeles performer was thrilled to just be considered.
“For me it wasn’t about a nomination, it was just more about opening up this dialogue and this conversation, especially here in Hollywood, that gender-fluid actors, gender-fluid people in this industry do exist and where do we get placed in this awardsshow system of male and female categories?’’ Mantle said.