Ruby Rose lauded for promoting gender fluid movement at MTV EMAs
The OITNB actress welcomed 'ladies and gentlemen, and everyone in-between' to the show
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Ruby Rose flew the flag for gender fluidity from a very public platform at the MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs) overnight.
The Orange is the New Black actress sent Twitter into a frenzy by promoting inclusiveness in her introduction when she welcomed “ladies and gentlemen, and everyone in-between”.
Rose, whose performance at the EMAs with her co-host Ed Sheeran was roundly well received by critics, does not identify as exclusively male or female. The 29-year-old has become a spokesperson for gender fluidity by speaking extensively about her self-identification and released Break Free, a short video celebrating gender fluidity, in 2014. The film has been watched almost 13 million times.
Rose defines gender fluidity as the feeling of not sitting at one end of the gender spectrum or the other.
“For the most part, I definitely don’t identify as any gender,” she told Elle in June. “I’m not a guy; I don’t really feel like a woman, but obviously I was born one. So, I’m somewhere in the middle, which – in my perfect imagination – is like having the best of both sexes.”
Rose has described the turmoil she felt growing up before understanding that she did not have to identify strictly as one sex.
“As a little kid, I was convinced that I was a guy,” she told The Guardian. “I used to bind with ACE bandages, which is really, really bad for you. I was like, five or six? I was really young. I didn't have anything there to bind! I used to sleep on my chest because I thought it would stop me from getting boobs. I used to pray to God that I wouldn’t get breasts.”
The LGBT charity Stonewall commended Rose for subverting gender binaries with her address. A spokesperson told The Independent: "Addressing a room as ‘ladies and gentlemen’ is gender presumptuous as it excludes those who identify outside of the male and female gender binaries. It was fantastic to see gender fluid Ruby Rose subvert this and address all individuals inclusively at the EMAs last night."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments