Emma Watson made a potent call for breaking down gender categories as she scooped up the gender-neutral film acting prize at the MTV Movie and TV Awards, in a speech that was broadcast on Sunday night. An award “that doesn’t separate nominees based on their sex says something about how we perceive the human experience,” Ms. Watson, who won for her performance in “Beauty and the Beast,” said in her acceptance speech.
“MTV’s move to create a genderless award for acting will mean something different to everyone, but to me it indicates that acting is about the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes; and that doesn’t need to be separated into two different categories,” she said.
Millie Bobby Brown, the 13-year-old star of Netflix’s show “Stranger Things,” won the gender-neutral award for best acting in a television series.
Ms. Watson’s speech was trending on Facebook on Monday morning, and gained traction on Twitter, where fans offered messages of support.
Others were less sympathetic. Also on Monday morning, the conservative British television personality Piers Morgan, a host of “Good Morning Britain,” lampooned Ms. Watson and the award, which he described as part of an “utterly ridiculous” culture of political correctness.
MTV’s prizes underwent an overhaul this year that included scrapping the male and female acting categories, and renaming what was previously called the MTV Movie Awards. The winners were chosen by public vote. “Beauty and the Beast” won the top film category, and “Stranger Things” won the top TV prize.

--- The New York Times