Musical Actor with 'Third Gender' Identity in the US
Declares Absence from Broadway's Prestigious 'Tony Awards'
"Cannot Choose Between the Two Given Genders"
An American musical actor who identifies as a ‘third gender,’ neither male nor female, has attracted attention by announcing that they will not attend the Tony Awards, the most prestigious award ceremony on Broadway.
According to The New York Times (NYT) on the 2nd (local time), non-binary actor Justin David Sullivan expressed their intention not to be nominated for the Tony Awards. The Tony Awards are given to those who have demonstrated outstanding achievements in theater in the United States and are considered the most prestigious awards in the fields of theater and musicals.
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Sullivan appeared in the Broadway musical '&Juliet' as the friend of the main character Juliet. Since it was a major role and their acting was highly praised, there was a considerable possibility of being nominated for a Tony Award this year.
The reason Sullivan made this statement is that the Tony Awards give awards by distinguishing the gender of actors. Defining their gender identity as non-binary, they stated that they cannot be nominated as a ‘male’ or ‘female’ candidate.
In a statement, they said, "As a non-binary actor playing a non-binary role, I received many questions ahead of this awards season’s nominations," adding, "I felt I had no choice but to forgo this season’s nomination because I was told there was no option other than choosing one of the two given genders."
They continued, "I was excited to see other award ceremonies remove gender from their nominee categories, but I was disappointed to learn that the Tony Awards have no plans to integrate genders into this year’s nominee pool or include non-binary actors," and argued, "The awards ceremony must change so that people of diverse gender identities can all be respected." Accordingly, the Tony Awards organizing committee also excluded them from the list of actors eligible for nomination.
As Sullivan pointed out, there is a growing trend of award ceremonies nominating candidates without distinguishing gender. A representative example is the Grammy Awards, considered the most prestigious award in the popular music industry. Since 2012, the Grammys have combined winners in each category, such as R&B and country, which were previously selected separately by gender. Also, awards like the Obie Awards, which target ‘Off-Broadway’ productions, and the Drama League Awards are reported to hold gender-neutral award ceremonies.
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