Tales from The Wokeplace: An actor writes

Hi Graham,

I remember a while back you were looking for examples of extreme wokeness in the acting / performance industry. If you're still interested in these, I've got one for you. Do you know Mandy Actors? It's a casting website that used to be called Casting Call Pro and, after Spotlight, it's probably one of the biggest casting sites around. Basic membership is free but to apply for any paid jobs and to appear in searches etc you have to be a premium member at a cost of £156.00 per year.

I've received an email from Mandy Actors about the new 'inclusive' gender categories being used on their site. There's information on the website about this when you log in, too. Apparently, I am now to be described as a 'cis female'. They talk a lot of nonsense about a 'Cis female' being 'A person who was assigned female at birth and whose gender identity is female'.

So, I've just written Mandy Actors an email explaining that their bullshit new 'inclusive' categories are sexist and offensive:

"I do not have a 'gender identity' and my sex was OBSERVED at birth, not 'assigned'. To say that a woman's 'gender identity' is female is to suggest that she accepts and aligns with all the sexist and oppressive stereotypes attached to her sex. Well, I and many other women do not want to enable an oppressive system that suggests being a woman is nothing more than adherence to stereotypical femininity. I do not 'identify' as female, I just AM female. It's not something one can identify into or out of. 

As for your category of 'Non-binary', you may find that is massively over-subscribed. Because EVERYBODY IS NON-BINARY. Nobody conforms 100% to the stereotypes attached to their sex, not even the most masculine man or the most feminine woman. Whilst I agree wholeheartedly that genuine transsexual performers should be able to choose categories (ie transwoman or transman) which better describe their personal situation, categories based on 'gender identity' (which is little more than individual personality and dress) are pointless and, more importantly, hugely regressive. Again, they suggest that those stepping outside of the rigid stereotypes attached to their sex require special titles and pronouns. But there is no right or wrong way to be, live as, look like, dress as or feel like a man or a woman. The ONLY criteria are to be born either biologically male or female. 

I am NOT a 'cis female'; I am a woman and need no further descriptor.  I really resent spending £156.00 pa to be described as a subset of my own sex. I will be cancelling my Mandy Actors membership and want a refund of my hard-earned (by a FEMALE) money."

This tweet (one of many I've seen) demonstrates how very woke the industry has become.

shaheen baig casting @sbaigcasting

New casting search! Please share and RT. Closing date 20th Nov 2020 Text: txt.do/1efxf Thank you x #RepresentationMatters #inclusivecasting #DisabilityOptIn #disabilityrepresentation #gendernonconforming #nonbinary #inclusivecastingcall #opencall #casting

Not only laughable but also really damaging to groups who are genuinely in need of better representation etc. They actually specify 'all genders' ahead of ethnicity and disabled actors. So, a white able-bodied man is considered as badly under-represented as an actor who has a disability? Just got to say the magic words "Non-binary" and suddenly you can be special too. It's a joke.

Look at this word salad: What the hell is a non-binary femme performer? 

Every time I see an opportunity which is supposed to be for women it's usually open to those who 'identify as female' (so men as well, then).

Because men are so massively under-represented in the theatre, right?