Love Island bosses are accepting applications from those who identify as nonbinary in advance of the new series which will air this summer.
ITV’s reality TV series hits features a group ITV singles in Mallorca who come together to start a summer of romance, dating and eventually, relationships.
22-year-old Liam Reardon and Millie Court, 24, were crowned the latest winners of the ITV2 show and bagged a cash prize of £50,000.
ITV producers made sure this year’s casting pools were more diverse and inclusive. They also allowed applications from people who are not of the same gender.
(Image: ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
People can select their gender on the application form: male, female or non-binary. You also have five options for sexual orientation: straight, gay, lesbians, bisexual, or another – reports The Mirror
A source told Silver Screen Beats: “Producers are under more pressure than ever to make this series as woke as possible after it has previously come under criticism for its lack of diversity.
“This move could complicate the basic rules of the show, since each ceremony seperates boys and girls. However, they want to have a nonbinary contestant this season. It’s about inclusivity and breaking down borders.
This announcement comes after Kevin Lygo, ITV’s director for television, said that they are still trying to find a way of including LGBTQ+ couples on the show.
Kevin stated: “Love Island is a particular thing, of course, it’s about boys and girls coupling up.
“If you’re interested in doing a gay version or if you want to broaden it, we are open to discussing it. However, we haven’t yet found the right way to make it suitable for that show.”
Last year, ITV commissioner Amanda Stavri said the show was keen to “Encourage greater inclusion of diversity and inclusion” – it was hard to include gay Islanders as the show’s format made it difficult.
She stated: “There’s been quite a few rumours circulating about featuring gay Islanders, so it’s worth touching on that really.
“We will announce the line-up soon. It is obvious that we want greater diversity and inclusion. The main problem for gay Islanders is the Love Island format.”
An official start date hasn’t been confirmed for the new series.
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