Brit Awards drops gender-specific categories to address non-binary exclusion
The Brit Awards has confirmed today that it will get rid of gender-specific categories in its annual celebration.
There will now only be a single Artist of the Year and International Artist of the Year.
The organisers have dropped the male and female categories after artists including Sam Smith, a winner in 2015, and Will Young, a winner in 2003 and 2005, objected to a system that they said excluded non-binary artists.
This means the likes of Ed Sheeran will now compete with the likes of Adele and Taylor Swift for the big awards.
Nadine Dorries, Culture Secretary, aired her concerns about the move during a DCMS committee meeting this afternoon.
She challenged the gender-bias that already exists in awards and how difficult it can be for women to compete with the arts.
However, she did admit she hadn’t read up on the story.