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Brit Awards To Consider Scrapping Male And Female Award Categories

Brit Awards To Consider Scrapping Male And Female Award Categories

They wouldn't be the first awards to go gender neutral

Tom Wood

Tom Wood

The Brit Awards are thinking about scrapping their Best Male and Best Female solo artist awards in order to make them gender neutral.

Whilst reports that the days of gendered awards are over have been dismissed as 'based on rumour and speculation' there will be a review which will consider such a change, amongst other things.

Despite confirming that there will be male and female categories for the next awards ceremony in February 2020, the organisers admitted that there will be 'significant changes' that 'involve more music and some categories changes'.

A Brit Award.
PA

This news comes just a week after singer Sam Smith - a former best male nominee - announced that they do not identify as either male or female and asked to be referred to with gender neutral pronouns 'they' and 'them' rather than 'he' and 'his'.

Smith said that they had come to the decision 'after a lifetime of being at war with my gender'.

That means that The Brits, which have split categories between male and female artists since the show began in 1977, could in future be updated to accommodate non-binary artists.

They wouldn't be the first to do so. In fact, the MTV Movie and TV Awards announced such a move in 2017 when they presented a gender neutral acting award to Emma Watson for her performance in Beauty and the Beast.

In accepting the 'Best Movie Performance' award, Watson said: "With acting, you put yourself in someone else's shoes.

"The only distinction should be between each outstanding performance."

Not everyone is so happy about these proposed changes.

One such person is - you've guessed it - Piers Morgan.

ITV's professional windbag opened up about his concerns on Good Morning Britain, telling viewers that the Brit Awards stand in danger of 'wrecking' their reputation.

Piers Morgan in full flow.
ITV

Morgan ranted: "I'll tell you what will happen, it'll be like women's sport decimating.

"I suspect what will happen is male performers will end up winning all of the awards than the women. The whole point of having the gender categories is to make it fair and equal, now we're going the other way and that apparently is progress. I think it's a load of nonsense."

Despite Morgan's obviously nuanced and well considered comment, the MTV Movie Awards suggest that wouldn't be the case.

In fact, since the awards rewarded performance rather than gender, Ed Sheeran, Camilla Cabello, and Ariana Grande have taken home the award.

Sam Smith at this year's Brit Awards.
PA

Morgan also hit out at Smith, adding: "I think it's just great that time honoured traditions should be scrapped because one guy can't decide if he is male or female.

"So they are saying they want to accommodate non binary performers like Sam Smith. Now he'll enter the non-binary categories.

"The whole point of having gender categories is to make it fair, to make it equal. Now we are going to go the other way."

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: UK News, TV and Film, Music, UK Entertainment, US Entertainment