Today, the MTV Movie & TV Awards made history in the best way possible. The event became the first award show to ditch the "Best Actress" category and instead make Best Actor an open non-binary category where all actors are nominated alongside of each other based on their impressive talents, and not their gender. And it's all thanks to Asia Kate Dillon, a new actor on the scene who is quickly making their voice heard on important topics like gender inclusivity and thus progressing how the entertainment industry approaches award shows.
Dillon is the first non-binary actor to play a non-binary character on the Showtime series Billions. The actor presented the first award of the evening with an enlightening and emotional speech highlighting the importance of the categories name change.
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Dillon starts the speech with a powerful introduction: "I am Asia Kate Dillon."
They continued: "I am the first openly non-binary actor to play a non-binary character on a major television show. And now it is so cool to be here presenting the first acting award ever that celebrates performance free of any gender distinctions. Tonight we celebrate portrayals of the human existence, because the only distinction we should be making when it comes to awards should be between each outstanding performance. I am honored to give this golden popcorn trophy to one of these talented nominees."
Watch the special moment below.
This article has been updated to reflect Asia Kate Dillon's preferred gender pronoun usage.
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