Actress Jameela Jamil, known for her role in The Good Place, spoke out against the concept of gender-neutral film awards on social media this weekend, sparking backlash from some who viewed her remarks as anti-LGBTQ+.
In an Instagram post Saturday, Jamil questioned whether gender-neutral award categories were really such a good idea, citing the tendency of males to disproportionately win in the genderless categories that already exist. She asserted that awards categories for non-binary people should be introduced rather than having gender-neutral awards so that women don’t get “completely shut out.”
“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?” the post said. “If we now have enough non-binary talent to restructure entire award shows, which is GREAT, then we should add rather than run the accidental risk of erasing, no?”
Jamil continued her thoughts in the caption of her post, asserting that her aim was 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,” Jamil wrote.
Later on in her caption, she also came against the argument that would seek to get rid of such awards across the board, saying that abolishment is not the answer.
“Please just don’t write if ‘burn it all down’ is your only response. Awards shows aren’t going to go away, they’re a part of this industry, they make some people happy, they enjoy watching them, it celebrates art, and provides frivolous entertainment sometimes in a pretty bleak doom scrolling world,” she said.
After backlash from people on social media, Jamil issued several follow-up posts on her Instagram story Sunday which can now be viewed on her Highlight titled “LIBERAL HELL.” In her posts, she emphasized her frustration over people’s intolerance for her asking a question.
“I am receiving literally thousands of messages from people saying that THIS IS WHY they don’t engage in liberal social justice anymore. Because we cannot even ask questions in good faith,” one of her posts read. Another post criticized the liberal left for “(throwing) literally anyone who doesn’t show total obedience” in with “actual bigots.”
“People are quiet quitting the left/liberalism/social justice…because of reductive, combative extremists,” she said.
Jamil has previously voiced her support for various liberal causes, including other LGBTQ+ issues. According to comments on the actress’s account, many have expressed confusion about what they see as a sudden shift in beliefs.
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“We shouldn’t be forced to choose a side or be put in our own category like we are being othered. We do not fit into the binary ideas of men and women categories. This is like saying oh those non-binary people are separate but not equal,” one Instagram user said.
“Non-binary is not a third gender – there are many gender identities within that umbrella. So we need to focus on dismantling and then rebuilding the system that favours (sic) cis (and white…) men so that it represents a wider group of people,” another user said.
Jamil’s comments come in response to the Oscars reportedly considering removing gendered acting awards, a move that would drastically change the awards landscape - but not for the first time. The Academy Awards are already implementing new diversity and inclusion guidelines for 2024 that may dictate the casting and hiring procedures of any film that wishes to be entered in the running for a “Best Picture” Oscar. According to Fox News, the producers and directors of a given film will have to submit a mandatory “dossier” that details the “race, gender, sexual orientation and disability status of their film’s cast and crew members” in order to make sure the film meets the Academy’s new "inclusion" standards.
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