The Academy Awards has allowed a gender-fluid actor, who many fans may know from RuPaul’s Drag Race, to be nominated for both Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress.

This is believed to be the first time an actor will be allowed to be considered under two differing gender categories.

Kelly Mantle, who made the mistake of wearing bacon on season six of the Logo competition show, starred with Gary Busey and Andrew Lawrence in the independent film Confessions of a Womanizer.

The film, which shows what happens when a womanizing man working a sunflower shop falls in love, stars Mantle as Ginger. It was screened at 30 film festivals, and won 10 awards.

Miguel Ali, the director and writer, campaigned for Mantle to be considered under both acting categories and it worked.

This doesn’t mean Mantle is automatically nominated for an Oscar. It just means she will be considered to be nominated. Viola Davis for Fences, Naomie Harrie for Moonlight and Michelle Williams for Manchester By The Sea are tipped to be nominated at the 2017 awards in the Best Supporting Actress category, while Mahershala Ali for Moonlight and Dev Patel for Lion are likely frontrunners in Best Supporting Actor.

‘The Academy Awards have kindly gotten back to us and confirmed that Kelly Mantle will be considered for both the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress for her role in Confessions of a Womanizer – this is in recognition of her androgynous identity,’ Ali said.

‘To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time in Oscar history that a person will be considered for an acting Oscar in both gender categories.

‘Of course – I hope we get Kelly nominated. Regardless, we are bringing spotlight to our androgynous and transgendered community. I’m grateful for the path that has already been carved by transgender/androgynous-empowering Oscar-contending films like Tangerine and others. 

‘I firmly believe that our androgynous/transgendered acting community is the most untapped resource in Hollywood. We need to bring them more attention, and by doing so, we will create more empathy for our androgynous/transgendered brothers and sisters.