Hollywood 'woke': L.A. Film Critics Association eliminates gender distinction in acting awards
The decision will have a negative impact on the film industry. "A lot of research has shown is that a film will end up being more successful if an actress wins a Best Actress award."
The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) will no longer give awards based on a person's gender. The influential film critic group "decided to give in to gender ideology," reported Women's Liberation Front (WoLF) executive director Mahri Irvine.
A citizen anonymously came forward to WoLF with evidence claiming that LAFCA had decided to change the way performance awards, usually based on gender, are handed out. According to Irvine:
"Gender-neutral categories"
Last month, LAFCA announced on Twitter that they would add "gender-neutral categories" for its annual awards dinner on January 14, 2023: "For this year's awards voting, LAFCA will also present gender-neutral performance categories, with two awards for the 'Best Lead Performance' and two awards for the 'Best Supporting Acting,'" the tweet read. "Our voting meeting will take place on December 11, 2022."
"Simply put, they said they will respect all non-binary and transgender identified people, and will only give awards to people in general who are the best in acting roles," the director noted. However, he believes the decision could have a negative impact on the film industry:
Irvine fears the change could effect young women's acting dreams: "What this is going to do is end up disincentivizing directors and producers from even choosing women in the first place, so we're really concerned about this."