Maureen Lipman has some thoughts on BAFTA offering gender neutral engravings on awards

If there is one thing we can count on during awards season, it is that there will be drama and controversy. But you know what wasn't on our awards season bingo card? How about Maureen Lipman (The Pianist) getting upset at BAFTA for their attempts at being inclusive.

That's right, Dame Maureen Lipman is upset that BAFTA offers the option for people to get performer engraved on an award that they win versus using actor or actress. While the categories continue to be broken down by best actor, best actress, best supporting actor, and best supporting actress (for example), if you win the award, you get the choice of what your statuette reads.

However, that doesn't seem to be something that Lipman wants as an option. In fact, she had quite a bit to say about BAFTA offering this gender neutral option to winners.

Dame Maureen Lipman calls out BAFTA for offering gender neutral engravings on awards

According to Deadline, in a diary piece that was written for The Spectator, Maureen Lipman dubbed BAFTA as "DAFTA" while talking about the brilliance of the actress Anne Bancroft. In the piece she writes, "Yes, you heard me: actress, you numbskulls at Bafta. Not a ‘performer’, as you now label us. Thanks, but I’m not a gymnast or a juggler – I’m an actress, and proud of it. Perhaps the organisation itself should be renamed Dafta?"

But that was not all she had to say, as she also added that she considers herself to be a "drama queen," and used that to continue her thoughts about the gender neutral engraving option by saying, "Note, Bafta: a queen, not a royal non-binary."

Maybe I am the "DAFTA" one, but it certainly seems like maybe Dame Lipman missed the point of the fact that this is an option. No one is saying that everyone has to use the word performer in place of actor or actress. Instead, BAFTA is doing the right thing by allowing people to choose what their award reads.

It seems like some people don't understand the idea of inclusivity and maybe that is more of a problem than BAFTA offering people a chance to use a more gender neutral term on their own awards.

What do you think of Dame Maureen Lipman's thoughts on BAFTA offering gender neutral engravings? Do you think she missed the point?