Non-Binary ‘Yellowjackets’ Star Liv Hewson Pulls Out Of Emmys Race Over Gendered Categories
April 27, 2023Liv Hewson is giving a fan-favourite performance as a goalie in love on the second season of ‘Yellowjackets’. But the non-binary actor, who plays young Van on the twisted survival thriller, won’t be submitting their name for Emmys consideration due to the awards’ binary-gendered split, according to ‘Them’.
“There’s not a place for me in the acting categories,” Hewson told Variety. “It would be inaccurate for me to submit myself as an actress. It neither makes sense for me to be lumped in with the boys. It’s quite straightforward and not that loaded. I can’t submit myself for this because there’s no space for me.”
Though the Emmys announced in 2021 that actors may choose to have the gender-neutral term “performer” listed on their nomination certificates and statuettes, rather than “actor” or “actress,” the binary awards categories remain.
Image Credit: Pixabay
Non-binary performers have been lobbying for an end to gendered categories at award shows for years. While some awards have made the switch, like the Grammys, the Independent Spirit Awards, and the MTV Movie & TV Awards, many high-profile award shows maintain a strict gender binary, including the Oscars, Emmys, and Tonys.
Withdrawing from awards contention has increasingly become a form of protest. Nonbinary actor Justin David Sullivan, who is performing in the musical ‘& Juliet’ on Broadway, withdrew from Tonys consideration earlier this year, saying they felt they “had no choice but to abstain” given that neither male or female categories were an accurate place for them. In 2021, non-binary actor Ser Anzoategui, who appears on the Starz series ‘Vida’, described a similar anxiety over binary-gendered awards, writing, “this painful experience is unacceptable [...] and I believe it is time for a non-binary performance category.”
Cisgender stars have also called for gender-neutral awards, including Jamie Lee Curtis, who posed the question, “How do you include everyone when there are binary choices?” during a red carpet interview in March. But Curtis also expressed concerns that flattening categories would simply lead awards to be dominated by cisgender men, adding, “I want to make sure that the most opportunities are available to people.” Award shows have also skewed largely white for decades; at this year’s BAFTAs, not a single person of colour was awarded in any category.
But speaking to ‘Variety', Hewson pushed back against citing issues of representation as a justification for binary-gendered awards. “There is an implied fatalism there, which suggests that we’ve all agreed that equality is impossible. And that’s sad,” they said. “We’re not going to start awarding best female and male director, or female or male cinematographer. Because we all understand that implicitly would be insulting.
“You can keep things as they are right now — I just won’t be participating,” Hewson added.
Awards shows need to evolve to accurately reflect lived human experiences and to confront the racial and gendered biases they so often uphold. Hewson, who clarified that Showtime executives were “incredibly supportive” of their decision to withdraw, told Variety they hope to nudge that necessary change forward.
“It’s worth talking about,” Hewson said. “And I very gently and respectfully ask that people get their gears turning a little.”
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