It's Just Like The Movies

This post is for me and me alone, as the diary factory closed early today. If you want to read it, thanks for stopping by.

Mostly, I’ve wrestled with my interpretations and reasonings for why gender-inclusive acting categories are intimidating and necessary, as well as my larger thoughts on gender as a construct and how this should(not) impact this kind of film appreciation. Because gender is a construct, which exists only insofar as we all uphold certain standards of masculinity and femininity, who represents what and how. Such a fucking headache.

And yet, as Transgender Wamen, I do think gender is real enough to be macrodosing estrogen. So I have to embrace gender in all its forms while rejecting the framing of genderless acting categories as “negating” gender in some way. I very much like phrasing this as “Gender Inclusive” instead, embracing different identities as well as the transient nature of gender in itself. For example, I have felt weird about nominating Eighth Grade’s Elsie Fisher or Sidney Flanigan of Never Rarely Sometimes Always in Lead Actress when they were campaigned for this films because they identify as nonbinary. Or even more recently, Jack Haven in I Saw the TV Glow, who was campaigned in Supporting Actor for the film but received votes in all four traditional acting categories at the 2024 Gold Digger Awards. Recognizing any of these performers in a category solely for gender nonconforming reads for me as ghettoizing their contributions. Beyond that, it still does not avoid the perilous categorization that comes with nominating a “cis” performer before they make an announcement.

But really, if I’m being totally honest, the reason I’ve been trepidatious about gender-inclusive, ten-slot acting categories is . . . . I’m nervous enough making these lists as it is with just five people per category. What you mean it’s now ten nominees with fifty runners-up each? No!!!! It’s too much to think about. Forget all my previous neuroses about representing all my faves, all the little intangible dynamics of representation which really don’t matter but are pressing on the back of my eyeballs at all times to make sure my list is “right” and “correct”. Is all that horseshit halved or magnified now? What’s the most respectful way to be a misandrist? Or a misogynist! We gotta keep our options open.

The important part is that I am stating this intention out loud and committing to it! So THERE!!! WATCH THIS SPACE EVEN THOUGH I SAID NO ONE ELSE NEEDED TO READ THIS!!! IT’S FOR ME GODDAMMIT!!!!