The Emmys are being criticized for limiting nominations to actors and actresses.  In fact, if you go back in history and look at past recipients of awards, 100% have been either men or women.  Obviously, there is a pattern of ingrained gender discrimination going on here.  And one actress, or actor, or something in between, is calling them out on it.

Fans of the Showtime series "Billions" have spent much of the second season enamored of the relatively unknown Asia Kate Dillon, who portrays a gender non-binary character named Taylor Mason.

Enamored.  Have a look at the photo of Asia below, and you can easily understand why Showtime viewers have lusted for the luscious Asia.  Is the "Holocaust survivor look" now considered erotic?

Showtime ... planned to submit Dillon's performance to this year's Emmy Awards.

There was only one issue. Much like the Mason character, Dillon identifies as gender non-binary and uses the pronoun "they."

They are not male.  They are not female.  They are not schizophrenic, although, 20 years ago, people who referred to themselves as "they" clearly were called that.

The Emmy Awards, meanwhile, only have two categories for best supporting performance – actor and actress. The network asked Dillon which category Dillon would rather be submitted to.

Asia wasn't sure.

How to figure it out?  Maybe if Asia put a full length body mirror in her bathroom, inspiration might hit her.  Asia pondered some more:

[W]hen I saw the breakdown for the character, it said "female, nonbinary" ... meaning a gender identity that is an umbrella term for people who identify as neither man nor a woman. I just went, oh my gosh, there is language to express something about myself that I've always known, but could never put words to.

Asia wrote the Television Academy, asking them why it is necessary to have different awards for men and women.  She feels offended by the two gender options that don't fit her, because in her mind, she is "they."  She eventually decided to go with "actor" because that seemed a little less gender-specific than "actress" in her mind.

Questions for discussion:

1) Should the Academy have a category for "Best Acteron" as well as "Best Actor" and "Best Actress"?  Or should this new category be simply called "Best Human Appliance"?

2) If people, in their minds, can be any gender they like, or even a non-gender gender (whatever that means!), why doesn't the Academy also have categories for people who think they are cats or people who think they are robots or even fire hydrants?

3) While saying she is not a man or a woman, Asia never goes into detail to explain what gender she thinks she is.  Do you think she fancies herself as some sort of exotic alien creature with long impregnating tentacles and a baby-hosting orifice lined with razor-sharp teeth?

Ed Straker is the senior writer at NewsMachete.com.