Cole Escola just won a Tony Award and made history doing it. The non-binary writer and actor took home the award for Leading Actor in a Play at Sunday night’s Tony Awards, for their performance in the titular role of Oh, Mary!, which they also wrote.
While it’s a win for trans people and fans of the erratic cabaret stylings of Mary Todd Lincoln, it makes you wonder why—in the big year of 2025—are most major acting categories still so gendered?
Escola becomes the third openly non-binary person to win a Tony for acting following Alex Newell and J. Harrison Ghee, who both took home awards in 2023. But the gender binary has been baked into acting awards shows since the first Academy Awards ceremony in 1929, with categories recognizing “Best Actor” and “Best Actress” and later “Best Supporting Actor” and “Best Supporting Actress.”
While some award shows have done away with gendered acting categories altogether, including the Independent Spirit Awards, the Gotham Awards and the MTV Movie and TV Awards, the major players are still tied to the gender binary.
We break down some of the recent history of gendered acting awards categories and what Escola’s big Tony win means in the broader context.
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