Mae Martin says 'gender is a construct' after Bafta best female performance nod

Actor and comedian Mae Martin has said "gender is a construct" after being nominated in the Best Female Performance in a Comedy Programme category at the Bafta TV awards.

The 33-year-old - who is non binary and uses they/them and she/her pronouns - received the nod for their role in Channel 4 series Feel Good.

Martin posted the nominee announcement to Instagram and thanked co-writer Joe Hampson as well as Charlotte Ritchie, who plays their character's girlfriend in the programme.

Read more: Diversity's Black Lives Matter dance nominated for Bafta must-see moment award

"Wowowow. Thanks so much @BAFTA this is beyond thrilling," Martin shared. "THANK YOU to Joe Hampson and Objective Fiction and Charlotte Ritchie and @allypankiw all the other supportive patient angelic people who helped make this show, this nom is very much theirs."

"Ps gender is a construct 🙃," they added.

The Canadian is nominated in the category alongside Breeders star Daisy Haggard, This Country’s Daisy May Cooper, Sex Education’s Aimee Lou Wood and Emma Mackey and Famalam star Gbemisola Ikumelo.

Martin recently spoke about their gender identity, stating it is "ongoing and evolving" and that labelling them as a "female comedian" is inaccurate.

"I haven’t been that clear publicly, or privately to some of my friends to be honest. That’s mainly because I’m still figuring it out," they wrote in the Instagram post shared earlier in April.

The use of gendered categories in awards shows has also been spoken about by non-binary singer Sam Smith recently.

Read more: Small Axe and The Crown lead race in Bafta TV awards

After the Brit Awards decided not to get rid of gendered categories, the Dancing With a Stranger hitmaker said: "The Brits have been an important part of my career, one of my earliest achievements was winning Critics Choice in 2014.

“Music for me has always been about unification, not division. I look forward to a time where award shows can be reflective of the society we live in.

“Let’s celebrate everybody regardless of gender, race, age, ability, sexuality and class.”

With additional reporting by PA.

Watch: Steve McQueen's Small Axe leads Bafta TV awards nominations