Do we still need gendered categories at awards shows?

Xtra senior editor Mel Woods gets into why stars like Bella Ramsey say they may still serve a purpose

Image | 2208084231

Caption: Bella Ramsey attends "The Last Of Us" Season 2 - Australian Premiere at the State Theatre on April 02, 2025 in Sydney, Australia. (Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

Non-binary actor Bella Ramsey has weighed in on the debate over gender categories at awards shows — and their stance might surprise you.
Ramsey recently argued on the Louis Theroux Podcast that women need their own category separate from men. But at the same time, the The Last of Us star says there's still a lot of work to be done when it comes to making sure actors who don't neatly fit into a binary gender category still feel valued and comfortable in award spaces.
Today on Commotion, Xtra senior editor Mel Woods(external link) joins guest host Ali Hassan to unpack what the future of awards season could look like.
WATCH | Today's episode on YouTube:

Embed | YouTube

Open Full Embed in New Tab (external link)Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage than loading CBC Lite story pages.
You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen(external link) or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts(external link).

Interview with Mel Woods produced by Jess Low.

Embed | Other

To view this embedded content, please visit the full version of this story.Open Full Story in New Tab(external link)