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AIBU?

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Original poster

to think you should only be given an Oscar for the female actor if you are female?

173 replies

amispartacus · 10/12/2016 14:40

Or at least you've had surgery 'down there'?

And not just because you're gender fluid?

www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/oscars-2017-history-made-as-academy-considers-rupauls-drag-race-contestant-kelly-mantle-best-actor-a7466981.html

Kelly Mantle is a drag artist. Fair enough. Not the first male to do drag and not the first actor to play 'drag' in films - cue Tootsie and all that.

But to be up for an award in the male AND female actor award?

OP posts:
CherryChasingDotMuncher · 10/12/2016 15:28

If liberal feminists are to be believed, there's about 80 genders isn't there? Can't imagine the oscars or golden globes will be expanding their criteria based on this any time soon because it would be fucking madness

BartholinsSister · 10/12/2016 15:28

Why do they have separate oscars for males and females? There would be uproar if they kept actors segregated by race.

Original poster
amispartacus · 10/12/2016 15:28

How do you live your life differently if you are gender fluid?

OP posts:
PeteSwotatoes · 10/12/2016 15:28

This all seems a bit regressive. It used to be the case that a man could slap on makeup and still be a man. Now it apparently makes you into a woman.

CherryChasingDotMuncher · 10/12/2016 15:30

Battholins to make it a more level playing field I like to believe, but i suspect it's also so they can dish out more awards in a way that's not complicated - there's only 2 sexes, there aren't just two races.

RJnomore1 · 10/12/2016 15:30

I think in one fell swoop this could offend women, the trams community and drag queens! Good lord talk about I'll judged.

ShowMePotatoSalad · 10/12/2016 15:32

Cherry you don't think a transgender person would have to face any kind of discrimination or hardship in their lives?

SpeakNoWords · 10/12/2016 15:34

Does anyone know why it's only the Actor/Actress awards that are split into the two sexes? Best Director isn't, and as far as I'm aware, none of the others are either.

MrsDustyBusty · 10/12/2016 15:34

Why do they have separate oscars for males and females? There would be uproar if they kept actors segregated by race.

Remember the Oscars so white thing? It would be exactly the same. Women wouldn't be nominated, women wouldn't win.

Original poster
amispartacus · 10/12/2016 15:37

Kelly Mantle is a drag queen. Looks like they have no desire to 'be treated as female' and to live their everyday life as a woman. No desire to have surgery or have hormones. He just wants to dress up as a drag character.

twitter.com/thekellymantle?lang=en-gb

OP posts:
SpeakNoWords · 10/12/2016 15:38

Maybe the Academy needs to add Best Trans Actor and Best Trans Actress to the list of awards?

Original poster
amispartacus · 10/12/2016 15:39

Maybe the Academy needs to add Best Trans Actor and Best Trans Actress to the list of awards

Ah, but Kelly Mantle is gender fluid - both male and female....So where would they go?

OP posts:
PeteSwotatoes · 10/12/2016 15:42

Gender fluid is not a thing. Kelly Mantle is a man in drag who wants to fit in with the current trend.

TheMortificadosDragon · 10/12/2016 15:42

Maybe the Academy needs to add Best Trans Actor and Best Trans Actress to the list of awards?

Despite the high profile the TAs are getting at the moment, this would be ridiculous as there are in reality only a very small percentage of trans people.

CherryChasingDotMuncher · 10/12/2016 15:43

Cherry you don't think a transgender person would have to face any kind of discrimination or hardship in their lives?

Every group faces discrimination on some level. Trans people included, but not the same as what women face and should not be allowed to muscle on on female-only privileges.

Someone born male can identify as a female all he wants - but the day he gets discriminated against for being pregnant, get fobbed off by their GP for endometriosis problems and paid less than a man for doing the same job, is the day I may start to believe they experience an iota of what women experience.

People like Kelly Mantle seem happy to take the advantages of being a woman whilst also holding on to their male privilege. That will never sit right with me

Original poster
amispartacus · 10/12/2016 15:46

People like Kelly Mantle seem happy to take the advantages of being a woman whilst also holding on to their male privilege

I just think they want to dress up and fit a certain stereotype. And then perform that stereotype as a drag artist at drag shows.

OP posts:
TheMortificadosDragon · 10/12/2016 15:47

Kelly Mantle is a man in drag who wants to fit in with the current trend.

Having never heard of this person I googled - on wiki he's 'he' in the text but 'she' on the picture. Hmm No idea what KM's preferred pronoun is now - if truly 'gender-fluid' presumably don't care or depends when you ask.

AcrossthePond55 · 10/12/2016 15:50

I think they're eventually going to end up with the categories being called "Best Performer in a Male Role" and "Best Performer in a Female Role" (same with Supporting Performer roles).

I'd be OK with that. Linda Hunt won Best Supporting Actress for playing a male role and there is more than one man who has won for playing some type of female role, be it trans-gender (Jared Leto) or 'just pretending' (Dustin Hoffman)

MrsTerryPratchett · 10/12/2016 15:56

When transmen start winning Man of the Year, male Oscars, winning gold medals in the male Olympic events and getting magazine covers left, right and centre, then I'll believe all this is 'progressive' rather than more fucking jam for men.

Still Spartacus.

TiggyD · 10/12/2016 15:59

Adam Sandler won awards for worst actor and worst actress for his "film" Jack and Jill. and worst couple.

YorkiesGlasses · 10/12/2016 16:16

Wonder if the actors will be as happy to compete in the female category when they realise the pay is much lower...!

I don't think it would work that way...

SpeakNoWords · 10/12/2016 16:21

I'm not sure I was being 100% serious about the Best Trans idea.

It should be just a Best Acting Performance award, I think. But I'm uncomfortable with that right now, given how few decent roles are there for women especially for women of a certain age. You only have to look at the Best Director award to see the issue - Kathryn Bigelow is the only female winner, and I can only think of a couple of other women that have ever been nominated.

DarkNanny · 10/12/2016 16:27

Is it the portrayal of best male or female ?

BowieFanMk2 · 10/12/2016 16:27

I can't say it really bothers me. I don't care if you want to be male, female or anything in between. What's the obsession with what we have in our underwear? If this person wants to compete as a male and a female, so what?

CherryChasingDotMuncher · 10/12/2016 16:29

If this person wants to compete as a male and a female, so what?

So much answer to this question - but in short, because they'd be having an unfair advantage and taking it away from real women when they are a man.

And I can't even begin to answer why it's utterly relevant what's in other people's underwear when it comes to discrimination. The night isn't long enough