Emmy Awards Switches To Gender-Neutral Term For Nominees And Winners

The Television Academy's Board of Governors announced that the gender-neutral option for nominations and winners for the Emmy Awards has been approved.

They revealed that when the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards take place in September, nominees in the Best Actress or Best Actor categories might choose to be referred to as "performers" rather than "actors" or "actresses," as reported by a leading international news portal.

The Emmys are organised by the Television Academy, and its sister organisations: The National Academy and International Academy.

According to a statement on their website: "No performer category titled 'Actor' or 'Actress' has ever had a gender requirement for submissions. Now, nominees and (or) winners in any performer category titled 'Actor' or 'Actress' may request that their nomination certificate and Emmy statuette carry the term 'Performer' in place of Actor or Actress."

In 2017, non-binary artist Asia Kate Dillon (known for her non-binary character in the popular show, Billions) petitioned the Television Academy to clarify its gender distinctions.

The decision comes after years of discussion on how to accommodate gender-neutral artists at award shows.