Here's why The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey supports gendered award categories

Nonbinary actor Bella Ramsey, who's earning Emmy Award buzz for their powerful performance on HBO's The Last of Us, recently weighed in on the debate about whether gendered acting categories should continue in award shows.

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While discussing gendered acting categories and asked if they were insulted about being potentially nominated as an "actress" for their role as Ellie — a female character in the live-action adaptation of The Last of Us on HBO — Ramsey told the titular host of The Louis Theroux Podcast that no, they didn't feel insulted.

"They don't have a nonbinary category. So which category would you be in?" Theroux asked, adding: "If you have a single category for everyone, then basically a lot of women wouldn't get nominated."

Ramsey agreed, "I think it's so important that that's preserved, as well. The recognition for women in the industry is preserved."

Ramsey admitted that they have thought a lot about the issue, but "I don't have the answer, and I wish that there was something that was an easy way around it, but I think that it is really important that we have a female category and a male category."

On the other hand, Ramsey did express a certain discomfort when they're called an "actress." The Last of Us actor explained: "I have a guttural, 'That's not quite right,' instinct to it. But I just don't take it too seriously… It doesn't feel like an attack on my identity."

Ramsey was previously nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress for portraying Ellie in 2023 following the first season of the hit HBO series.

The Independent Spirit Awards got rid of gendered categories in 2022. In the three years since, the award for Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series has had 14 women nominees, 13 men nominees, and 3 nonbinary nominees (Ramsey, Emma Corrin, and Lily Gladstone).

The Gotham Awards also switched to genderless categories in 2021. In the four years since, 24 women, 15 men, and one nonbinary actor (Gladstone) have been nominated for Outstanding Lead Performance in a film.

The Grammy Awards got rid of gendered categories in 2012. An AKAS report published recently found that, between 2017 and 2024, only 20 percent of all nominations and wins went to female artists.