Kelly Mantle, a transgender artist, is now the first person to be eligible for an Oscar in both male and female categories.
Mantle, born a male, plays a transgender prostitute in the Miguel Ali-directed comedy drama Confessions of a Womanizer.
While filing Academy Award submission forms, the film’s producers were faced with the question to place Mantle in either the male or female category. They settled on submitting Mantle’s name for consideration in both categories, The Wrap reports.
The Academy repeatedly agreed and said the transgender performer is eligible for nomination in both categories.
Confessions, which also stars C. Thomas Howell, Gary Busey, and Andrew Lawrence, premiered in March 2014 at the Cinequest Film Festival and follows a compulsive womanizer who becomes best friends with a transgender prostitute. It has won several awards.
Mantle has racked up more than 30 acting credits since 1999, the first being a guest appearance on the MTV show Undressed.
Mantle’s most high-profile role to date was as a contestant on the sixth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter @jeromeehudson.
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