Join or Sign In
Sign in to customize your TV listings
By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy.
MTV Movies and TV Awards Break Ground with Gender-Neutral Acting Awards
The wave of the future
At the MTV Movie and TV Awards, the gender revolution will be (and was) televised, as the annual awards show became the first to desegregate its acting categories into one boundary-free mosh pit of nominees.
This year, men and women competed against each other for unisex Best Actor honors, a decision that became a hot discussion point on Twitter within moments of non-binaryBillions actor Asia Kate Dillon announcing the first gender-neutral winner.
The feedback from viewers was largely positive, with some expressing a desire to see more awards shows take a page from MTV's playbook.
MTV Movie and TV Awards: See the complete winners list
More, if not all, should follow in the #MTVAwards footsteps by having their categories be gender-neutral 👏💪
— Lauren Christine 💪 (@thatLCgirl) May 8, 2017
Others relished the idea of confused, stodgy adults becoming freaked out by the collision of a gender free-for-all with a non-stop female empowerment-fest, as Emma Watson and Millie Bobby Brown racked up wins in rapid succession for Beauty and the Beast and Stranger Things, respectively.
Imagine if every winner is a woman on this gender-free award show? It would blow those square gen X parents' minds #MTVawards
— Mike K (@CincinnatiGAZzy) May 8, 2017
The 8 best moments of the MTV Movie and TV Awards
Meanwhile, Watson, who has served as a UN Goodwill Ambassador for women and is one of Hollywood's most prominent young feminists, gave a heartfelt acceptance speech in support of the non-gendered categories after winning for Best Actor in a Movie.
"The first acting award in history that doesn't separate nominees based on their sex says something about how we perceive the human experience," she said. "Empathy and the ability to use your imagination should have no limits."