An Open Letter to @dropoutdottv & @samreich
I speak not as a representative of any media outlet or anyone with influence on that kind of scale. I'm simply a transfem member of your audience, one with a moderate following on tumblr at best, one who has introduced multiple friends to your shows, and one who has been rooting for you since I discovered the joy of Game Changer and your other shows around...probably mid-2022, to my best estimation? A good few years, at least. I speak as, I think, an overall average audience member in most respects.
However, as of late I've had a couple of concerns and frustrations with what I'm seeing from your network, which I know I'm not alone in.
I'm sure you're at least familiar to some degree with discourse that brewed up a couple of years ago here about lack of transfeminine representation. The numbers I've seen compiled on the demographics of the cast across your shows is a bit staggering, but up to now I'd been willing to chalk that up to maybe being due to factors outside of your control. The more I've been ruminating on that though, especially over the past day or so, the more I feel a bit troubled.
From my perspective at least, Dropout as a whole seems to market itself as being a hub of creative diversity, that invites the viewer to feel connected with your performers. Once I realized though, that I can count on one hand the number of times I can recall seeing someone appear on one of your shows that I share my sense of transfeminine identity with, it's something that's continued to itch at the back of my mind. Persephone is an excellent cast member, and I'm delighted and starry-eyed every time I see her show up on Game Changer or any of your other properties. But when she's the only transfem on your network I can name at a glance, to me, it also can start to feel very...tokenized?
This matters to me because we as trans women and other assorted folks affected by transmisogyny are at a point in history where we are under exceptional scrutiny, suppression, and oppression. We are a people in need of positive representation and community, and as a network that has overall seemed to be extremely welcoming and supportive of the queer community as a whole, I think it would mean a hell of a lot to those of us particularly looking for lifelines to see that we're not universally hated and ignored, to be seen, to be acknowledged, to be considered in the same regard as anyone else, instead of feeling like an afterthought at best.
I don't want to come swinging out the gate with bold accusations of intentional transmisogyny on the part of your network, frankly that kind of combativeness leaves a sour taste in my mouth when nothing of the like has been proven. But ☝️ I do have Questions. Things I'd like to see some kind of clear recognition of and response to. I'm doing my best to come at this not from an "us vs them" kind of perspective, but with a sense of communication and collaborative effort, the kind of thing I hope you and your teams might still value. And I guess those questions fall under one particular Umbrella Question:
How does Dropout decide who gets to become a cast member?
Do you hold open casting calls? If so, how accessible are they to people of marginalized identities and means? Do your methods leave adequate room and availability for people outside of normative cultural identities to feel comfortable to apply?
If not, do you instead scout and hunt out talent directly? Are your criteria for finding new people geared at all toward uplifting marginalized people? Has there been any consideration in recent years specifically toward branching out for more gender-diverse talent? Because I promise you there are some very funny transfems out there, I can't imagine they're that hard to find.
Listen, I'm personally not going to go so far as saying that we are Owed An Explanation. I'm not in a position to make that kind of demand. BUT. I do think, at the very very least, some transparency on this long-standing matter would go a decent way toward repairing some of the goodwill that has been lost by myself and others like me, who might otherwise be some of your most devoted supporters, were it not for the, I think, pretty poor handling of this subject.
......I wish that were all I had to say here.
But. On the subject of goodwill. I'm not sure I would even be speaking on this if it weren't for the latest bit of news that has me strongly questioning the decisions and creative direction of Dropout's leadership. As kindly as I can muster asking:
What in the world led to you going forward with a collaboration episode with The Rookie, of all things?
I'm, frankly, completely baffled and sideswiped by this decision. I had never heard of the show until this news broke. But I know copaganda when I see it, and I would be shocked if Sam and Dropout leadership at large didn't. Y'all straight up sell merch on your site amplifying the sentiments that many of us on this side of the political aisle resonate with, acknowledging the police in general as an adversarial force. Show me a world where this decision to cooperate with a show that stars a fictionalized version of the LAPD, known ICE collaborators, does not seem wildly inconsistent with the views that we as viewers have seen the stars of your shows take. Like, hell, it feels like you may as well have invited on Tucker Carlson onto Make Some Noise or something, y'know?
I dunno. I'm just. Frustrated and disappointed, and confused, and troubled. I want to know how this happened. Is this indicative of a larger trend toward the kind of mainstream outlets Dropout plans to work with moving forward? Is this just a one-off Whoopsie? Who thought this was a good idea in line with the network's apparent values??
I've been a supporter of your shows for a few years now, and I don't relish the idea of giving up on that. But if things keep heading in this kind of trajectory, then I will be making that choice, and I wouldn't begrude anyone else to do the same. I want y'all to be the best you can be, and in my eyes at least, this definitely isn't it. I would like to see some transparency and course correction if I'm to continue my support.
I know I can only truly speak for myself, but. I post this here in case others read this and wish to echo or add onto these sentiments [in a PRODUCTIVE way, please!!! No harrassment, death threats, etc. we're all humans, we all have the capacity to make mistakes and learn and change.]
I know this has been long and perhaps rambling, but. I've had a lot of thoughts and they're difficult to un-jumble. And if you've stuck with me for all this, thank you. I appreciate your time and patience, and I wish us all well. 💙
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