Two nonbinary Broadway performers have decided to participate in the 2023 Tony Awards despite its gendered categories.
J. Harrison Ghee, who stars in Some Like It Hot, and Alex Newell, performing in Shucked, decided to participate in the awards show for American theater despite the categories being restricted to men and women.
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Tony nominations were announced on Tuesday, with Ghee being nominated for the best leading actor in a musical category award and Newell receiving a nomination for the best featured actor in a musical category award.
Ghee and Newell are both biological men who identify otherwise. The two are being considered in the male categories.
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Nominations for the two nonbinary performers were reportedly the first of their kind in Tony history.
“It’s such an honor. I just continue to live in the four-fold way of living. I show up, tell my truth in present and I’m not attached to the outcome. So I’m just honored that the work is speaking for itself and I’m so proud of the special show we’ve got going on at the Shubert,” Ghee reportedly said.
Newell echoed this sentiment, saying, "It’s a step in the right direction, because there are so many gender non-conforming and nonbinary performers that might not ever get to shine because of these gendered categories."
Previously, fellow nonbinary performer Justin David Sullivan of the musical & Juliet opted out of Tony consideration due to the gendered categories.
Sullivan also appears to be a biological man.
“I felt I had no choice but to abstain from being considered for a nomination this season,” Sullivan said earlier this year. “I hope that award shows across the industry will expand their reach to be able to honor and award people of all gender identities.”
After Sullivan's decision, the Tony Awards released a statement, saying, “We recognize that the current acting categories are not fully inclusive, and we are currently in discussion about how to best adjust them to address this."
"Unfortunately, we are still in process on this and our rules do not allow us to make changes once a season has begun. We are working thoughtfully to ensure that no member of our community feels excluded on the basis of gender identity in future seasons," the statement continued.
The 2023 Tony Awards will air on CBS on June 11.
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Recently, fellow nonbinary actor Liv Hewson opted out of Emmy consideration similarly because of the award show's gendered categories.
The 27-year-old stars in the television series Yellowjackets as a teenage soccer goalkeeper named Van Palmer, who is also a lesbian.