Traditionally, only women have presented trophies at the Grammys, but at the 59th Grammy Awards ceremony this Sunday a man and a transgender woman will be among the presenters, Recording Academy President Neil Portnow announced Friday. "To be honest, the idea of a 'trophy girl' has felt antiquated for some time now," Portnow said in a statement. "Who wrote that rule anyway? The ability to present a trophy has nothing to do with one's gender."
Portnow explained the change wasn't intended to be "provocative or buck convention," The Associated Press noted, but to recognize that "music's universal power lies in its spirit of inclusion." The three trophy handlers for the 2017 Grammys are transgender model Martina Robledo, model and actor Derek Marrocco, and model and actress Hollin Haley.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Quincy Jones, music icon, is dead at 91Speed Read The legendary producer is perhaps best known as the architect behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'
-
OJ Simpson, star athlete tried for murder, dead at 76Speed Read The former football hero and murder suspect lost his battle with cancer
-
Momofuku's 'Chili Crunch' trademark uproarSpeed Read The company's attempt to own the sole rights has prompted backlash
-
Kevin Hart awarded Mark Twain PrizeSpeed Read He is the 25th recipient of the prestigious comedy prize
-
Is Downton Abbey set to return for a final film?Speed Read Imelda Staunton reveals that a third movie may be in the pipeline
-
'Oppenheimer' sweeps Oscars with 7 winsspeed read The film won best picture, best director (Christopher Nolan) and best actor (Cillian Murphy)
-
'Rust' armorer convicted of manslaughterspeed read The film's cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed by actor Alec Baldwin during rehearsal
-
The Beatles are getting 4 intersecting biopicsSpeed Read Director Sam Mendes is making four separate movies, each told from the perspective of one band member
