The Representation of Trans People of Color in TV & Film

A blog for GWS294 Spring 2016

[transpocrepresentation]

(10th Post) Reflection 

Going into this blog project I knew the representation of trans people of color in television and film was good, but not great. But as I continued research I realized just how narrow the stories are for trans characters (and even narrower if you aren’t white). It as if writers don’t know how to write a compelling story and characterization for trans actors and actresses. Those complex characters and stories are reserved for cis actors and actresses who portray trans characters. I wanted to focus on trans people of colors portrayals, because other than a small handful, all the memorable and high-profile trans characters and celebrities are white. Given all the statistics of the negative life experiences trans women of color face it is ridiculous that their stories aren’t told in mainstream media. 

Knowing what I know now I’m hopeful for the future of media in regards to diverse storytelling. I stand by saying that things are good, but not great. Accurate trans representation in the media is at an all time best, but that’s because it is building off of non-existence. Mya Taylor’s big win at the Independent Spirit Awards is indicative of the upwards trend of trans actors and actress (especially those of color) recognition from (slightly) mainstream media. That is all good and well for trans women, who have women visible in the media, but trans men still seem to be lacking coverage. This is likely due to both transmisogyny from the media and that given the rate of violence and sex work trans women are subjected to. In my first post I said that I couldn’t name a trans man or transmasculine  character or celebrity of color in the mainstream media. That’s still true for the most part, event the white trans men or transmasculine are famous because of some sort of angle. Chaz Bono got so much media coverage because of the fact that he is Cher’s son and was present to the media as a child. Aydian Dowling, it can be argued, got so much media coverage because he is conventionally attractive to a hetero-normative audience. Trans men of color receive so little attention from the media, if you weren’t educated you wouldn’t think they’re out in the world (at least in the U.S.) 

Trans stories are getting more accurate as time progresses, but the focus is on gender too much. So much so that these characters can have little substance as the writers or producers fail in making them complex and realistic people. There are more facets to a person than just one thing, although one aspect can affect a persons life there are so many other factors that play a role. That’s just intersectionality 101, a concept television and film creators haven’t yet grasped. In perfect timing as I was scrolling through my timeline I was reminded of the screening and panel about of Her Story that is taking place at UIC, and a blurb from the flyer stood out. It read as follows: “Trans women in the media have long been punchlines, pathetic tragedies, and dangerous sirens. Rarely have they been complex characters who laugh, struggle, and grow, who seek and find love and sisterhood” If we can’t achieve to make trans characters more than a single talking point or gender spectacle, the media has simply failed the trans community that need. accurate and complex representation.  

-Michael 

Info on the Her Story screening and panel at UIC: http://gws294spring2016.tumblr.com/post/141110599174/we-are-extremely-lucky-to-have-this-event-taking

Gif Credit: fuzzy hellspawn tumblr 

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(9th Post) Additional Sources 

1. TransWomen of Color Collective 

I briefly mentioned this collective in one of my first posts, but this is a great resource for trans women of color to access to seek help in many areas, not just in media. Their mission statement reads as follows, “To uplift the narratives, lived experiences and leadership of trans and gender non-conforming people of color, our families and comrades as we build towards collective liberation for all oppressed people”

Link to their website: http://www.twocc.us/

2. Brothers Web series 

Although the cast isn’t made up of trans or gender variant men of color, this is the only series of it’s kind. The lives and stories of trans-masculine people and trans men is looked at and focused on. But given that, this is an indie series that needs help and contribution to continue. The series “ is a narrative web series about a group of four trans masculine friends in Brooklyn.. follow[ing] their daily lives, the ups and down, in and outs, of what it means to live as a transgender individual in today’s urban society.”

Link to info about the series: http://www.brothersseries.com/aboutbrothers/ 

3. Original Plumbing (OP) Magazine 

Again, there is no sole focus on trans people of color, but this is a different media outlet solely dedicated to trans men and trans-masculine people. And this magazine does want to showcase the intersection of the different aspects in the lives of the men they feature. “ The magazine is dedicated to documenting diversity within the trans male community through photographic portraits and essays, personal narratives, and interviews. We feel that there is no single way to sum up what it means to be a trans* man because we each have different beliefs, life experiences, and relationships to our own bodies.” Although print magazines and newspapers are a dying breed (the magazine is quartley published), OP looks to continue on with inclusion into online use. 

Link to the magazine: http://www.originalplumbing.com/index.php/about

4. Queer Women of Color Media Wire (QWOC Media Wire) 

This organization goes for the scope of all kinds of queer women’s (lesbian, bi, trans, queer, gender non-conforming) lack of or misrepresentation in media. The media shapes how we view things and QWOC Media Wire knows this and doesn’t queer women of color to be misrepresented. They describe themselves as a “media publishing and advocacy organization that amplifies the voices of Lesbian, Bisexual, Queer, Transgender women and gender non-conforming people of color, diaspora, and other racial and ethnic minorities around the world.”

Link to website: http://www.qwoc.org/about-us/ 

5. 8 Trans Women of Color You Should Know 

This article by The Root puts a spotlight on eight trans women of color from different areas in media who are making a difference and receiving widespread recognition. Two  of which I’ve already mentioned, Laverne Cox and Janet Mock made the list obvious reasons. But other women have made the list too like activists (Precious Davis), magazine editors (Monica Roberts), athletes (Fallon Fox), and musicians (Tona Brown). 

Link to article: http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2015/06/_8_transgender_women_of_color_who_are_using_their_visibility_to_empower.html 

Gif credit: Harry Potter is a Lifestyle Tumblr

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(8th Post) Summary and Connections to the Course 

Looking at the current research I’ve done up until now, I feel as if trans people of color’s representation in television and film is still too young and new to analyze. There is very little scholarly work done on trans people in the media, much less trans people of color. But this topic is relevant and informative. Surprisingly enough, the group of people who are most at risk of violence are recently having accurate portrayals of their stories portrayed in television and film.  Black trans women can now have careers in television and film, without playing joke roles. They can tell the stories of struggle that trans women actually face today. The arrival into the mainstream is slow, but coming. Even though the highest profile roles in trans stories are given to white cis men (adding to this are also usually straight, so not even part of the queer community). So there is a lot of work to be done from the entertainment industry, especially in making trans men (of color and in general) visible. But when I look at the character of Sophia in Orange in the New Black and the film Tangerine as a whole I’m reminded of discussions from class and certain readings. 

I immediately think of the reading from Clare, but the takeaway (in relation to this topic) is from the discussion in class. When we talked about  #BlackTransLivesMatter, which is relevant here. It is a sad fact that trans women of color, usually black women, face high rates of violence, unemployment, homelessness, and death. But with accurate representation this is addressed and tackled. When you have a TV host like Janet Mock who was a sex worker in the past to make it by, you have someone who knows how to address and report om the issue accurately. That also relates back to the reading Meaningful Work: Transgender Experience in the Sex Trade which brings up many issues (like harassment, violence, sex work, housing and employment instability) and statistics that are all hinted at in both Tangerine and Orange is the New Black. I want to point out that I keep using the same like three references because that is all mainstream media has given me to work with. As discussed in class in relation to Sylvia Rivera, there is this erasure of trans people of colors stories throughout history. Like in Dallas Buyers Club, filmmakers would rather create a white character with AIDS instead of use a real trans person in history or write the role for an actor or actress of color, which would have more realistic given statistical evidence. 

I feel bad since I meant to also focus on trans men and trans-masculine people of color, but they kind of fell into the background. Which is really a metaphor for who these men are treated in the media, and that’s not all. I didn’t just want to focus on trans women of color, who get more attention because of transmisogyny. In films from class, the only time I saw trans-masculinity portrayed was in documentaries set in Asian countries (specifically Toms in Thailand). Even in the Ravine reading, Ravine had difficulty finding people who identified as men. It is such a rare portrayal in television and film, just in general. But it is more challenging to find anything about trans men of color in American media. In that regards I didn’t really have much to research, because their was so little to look at. 

-Michael 

Gif Source 

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(7th Post) Analysis of a Second Scholarly Source: Ambiguity& Metaphor in Relation to Gender and Sexual Identity  

This source doesn’t specify on any sort of gender variant person or people of color, but it will have to do given it’s analysis of queer representation in the media (the book title is Queer Media Images: LGBT Perspectives)

In the chapter “Should We Stop Believin’ ” television show “Glee” is looked at for its different approaches of identity and how those identities are disclosed within the show and the characters. As “Glee” already was prominent for it’s lead characters being the unusual and unpopular high school students, the inclusion of of characters with different gender identities isn’t too unexpected. But these identities might be too central to the character(s) and in doing so define them. Like in it’s characters of color and cis gay male characters. But is a bit more ambiguous with its sexually fluid and gender variant and/or non-conforming characters. That can be confusing, refreshing, and also frustrating. Like to portrayal of character Santana Lopez, “her sexual identity is not directly stated at the beginning of the series, her sexual relationship with fellow Cheerio Brittany is referenced...in addition to her numerous sexual encounters with male classmates...the viewer can at best assume that Santana is bisexual.” The character then goes on to say that she doesn’t like or use labels for her complex sexuality, but is somewhat out-ed and called a lesbian by fellow glee club members. “While it is clear that the members of the glee club believe they are doing her a service, Santana’s continued discomfort with the label (most notably in her hesitation to use the term to describe herself) is unsettling.” This portrayal is refreshing in that a character (of color) doesn’t like labels or to be defined by them. While the ambiguity and refusal to label oneself, it can be argued that any sort of pansexual or bisexual representation is needed (especially since the character is seen as a lesbian by others because of her relationship with another female character). But frustrating is this portrayal in the sense that some much time and speculate is made in labeling the character. 

Gender identity is also tackled within the show in the form of character Shannon Beiste, the football coach. The character is described as, "physically imposing and gruff, with a deep voice, a short haircut, and a lumbering gait... identifies as heterosexual and engages in flirtations with men, but she is positioned in the show as anything but a woman." This at first glance is a bit problematic as it seems a bit stereotypical to have to football coach be a butch female. But the continuation of the character's story-line is more complex. The character goes on to not use gendered pronouns (preferring to talk about them-self in the third person). The character isn’t simply a butch female stereotype, "an essentialist categorization as ‘woman’ does not accurately describe the complexity of her identity, and as such would be an act of categorical violence... she also does not identify as a man, suggesting that a constructivist read of her maleness would also be an oversimplification." The character eventually, does transition and come out a transgender though, which might be problematic in oversimplifying the characteristics and choices of the character. (after the publication of this book did this happen though). 

Differentiating from ambiguity, is the use of metaphors to showcase LGBT stories. The example used here is Buffy the Vampire Slayer, in which the use magic as a metaphor and in Glee where musical numbers are used to express feelings. This may not have anything to do with trans or gender variant stories, but it is good in seeing that stories don’t have to always be literal. More abstract story-telling can be more successful than straightforward dialogue, "the intimation of feeling through metaphor has much more narrative potential than the explicit portrayal of character interaction... letting viewers experience media messages through their own lenses is perhaps the more effective way to express complex ideas about identity." Regardless of if you are expressing gender, race, or sexuality 

-Michael

Work Cited: Campbell, Jane, and Theresa Carilli. Queer Media Images: LGBT Perspectives. Lanham: Lexington Books, 2013. Web.Export As... PrintEmail

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[transpocrepresentation]

(6th Post) Analysis of A Scholarly Source: Representation of Queer People of in Commercials  

I’d like to begin that finding a scholarly source in relation to my topic was extremely difficult. So I had to work with what was available, and what was available was about transgender representation as a whole. There is little discussion of race, gender does surprisingly play a role in this article. I’d also like to point that in my research, in the area of media representation, transgender people are always grouped in with the overall representation of the LGBT community. Which is what this study is focused on (in 2004 though)

In this study, the portrayals of trans people (and also LGB people) in mainstream commercials are dissected. The results were not that surprising as trans people are rarely seen in commercials in comparisons to gay, lesbian, and bisexual people. “Gay-baiting” is very common in commercials by having companies take a stance by featuring gay characters in their commercials to gain loyalty. This in itself is often problematic as these commercials usually feature white middle-class gay men as lesbians were often viewed as non-essential to advertisers. “ The consequence of identity-based marketing has a tendency to focus on the prosperous white man as the representative homosexual since the social dominance of whiteness and maleness leaves the gay part of their identity as the most salient.” This is all marketing so it’s crucial to note that accurate representations aren’t the goal, the goal is to resonate with those you want associated with your product. 

This is apparent with bisexual representation as well, who are in this instance as much of underrepresented group as transgender people. Bisexuals were only visible in two of eighty commercials looked at by the researcher. And in these commercials bisexuality is water-downed to stereotypes that “appeal to straight men’s fantasy of lesbians and bisexual women”. This is the opposite of gay-baiting as the intended audience for this portrayal of bisexuality is for straight people’s sexual desires. Desires that apparently only apply for white bisexual individuals.  

Transgender representation in commercials also uncommon in mainstream media, but when there are it is also (at the time) to result in a joke that is in poor taste. “ The only type of transgender/transsexual people presented in commercials is the male-to-female transgender person who is shown in an extremely sexy and feminine manner in order to serve up a surprising twist: ‘She is a He!’...transgender people in advertising are implied to be dangerous and deceitful, always wanting to trap innocent straight men”. This isn’t harmful per se, as these commercials are around 30 seconds, but it just shows that advertisers only see trans people as an outdated joke and stereotype. And that is with the little exposure trans people do get. Trans men and people of color have no visibility in mainstream commercials. Summarized well  “the current practice of gay advertising and its skewed representations of white, upper-middle class, and/or “straight-looking” gay men are at the expense of those who are more distant from and threatening to the mainstream, such as the queer people of color, butch lesbians and transgender people.” 

As discussed before, queer is a term that describes people go against grain and popular belief. But in commercials the idea is to “assimilate” to hetero-normative culture and appear normal. 

Works Cited:  Wan-Hsiu Sunny Tsai (2004) ,"Gay Advertising As Negotiations: Representations of Homosexual, Bisexual and Transgender People in Mainstream Commercials", in GCB - Gender and Consumer Behavior Volume 7, eds. Linda Scott and Craig Thompson, Madison, WI : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 1 to 26. 

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[transpocrepresentation]

(5th Post) Trans WoC Making Waves in Film : Mya Taylor, Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, and the Power of Tangerine  

In comparison to television and streaming services, film(s) have a long way to go in getting their representations of trans people and stories correctly. Very few movies with any trans or gender variant characters that receive any sort of mainstream recognition or awards appeal and if they do cis-gender actors get the praise for their portrayal of trans characters. The 2015 indie film Tangerine goes against the grain in being genuine in its representation of the lives of trans women of color. Not only that, but the film was an indie hit and was a critical success. That success aimed mostly at the film’s two leads, Mya Taylor and Kitana Kiki Rodriguez. 

What is amazing about this movie, is the trust put into trans individuals who shared their stories to help shape the movie and make it as realistic as possible. This trust was also put in the hands of the stars who carried this movie, and it was both women’s first acting role. The fact that the budget was limited, but that’s not the focus of this (but it does show that studios are cautious to invest in the stories of trans people). But through the process of crafting the stories the (cis white) filmmakers looked at the trans people in the community to help shape their story. And this story also sheds the light on the lives of sex workers, regardless of gender. But the film gets a plus for looking at the intersections of peoples lives.   

That leads to a pivotal point, that this movie is just more than the gender of it’s leads (and extras), it has a plot that goes beyond “transgender”, that is just an aspect of the characters (that does play into the situation these characters are in though). In a piece by The Advocate writer Daniel Reynolds looks at the film like this, “ Tangerine is ultimately a story about two friends who overcome obstacles together...it may be one of the most human stories of the year.” He continues, “the friends happen to be transgender sex workers searching for a cheating pimp is just icing on the cake.” Unlike other films it doesn’t make a spectacle of the trans aspect of the film. 

This film is also groundbreaking in the recognition the lead actresses got from critics, that resulted in award nominations and victories. Both Taylor and Rodriguez were nominated for “Breakthrough Actor” at the 2015 Gotham Independent Film Awards, with Taylor ultimately winning the category and became the first trans women to win a Gotham award. And on a much more mainstream stage both received acting nominations at 31st Annual Independent Spirit Awards (Taylor for “Best Supporting Female” and Rodriguez for “Best Female Lead”), in which Taylor also took home the trophy. Which was a big deal as Taylor became the first trans actress to win a major acting award. There was also a campaign to get the women nominated for Academy Awards, which would have been historic as a trans actor or actress has never been nominated. These were huge strides for trans people of color in the media, as a light was shed on the trans talent there is in acting (and the trans talent in people of color). Which is a good comparison to the trans stories and cis-actors who got recognition. Neither Taylor or Rodriguez got the Oscar nomination (or anyone of color for that matter, but that’s a whole other issue), but Eddie Redmayne did get a nomination for his performance as Lili Elbe in The Danish Girl again showing the white cis actor get all the praise for their performance as gender variant or trans individuals. This also draws parallels to Hilary Swank and Jared Leto’s Oscar winning performances trans-masculine Brandon Teena in Boys Don’t Cry and the fictional character Rayon in Dallas Buyers Club , award winning and praised performances for a cis people’s portrayal of a real trans person and a fictional one.  

Regardless of the awards outcome, Tangerine has left it’s mark and shown that intersectional stories with non-cis leads can succeed and resonate with audiences. Taking a chance on trans people of color can pay off and the results can be happily surprising. Reynolds had this to say about the film’s impact, “ Taylor and her co-star Kitana Kiki Rodriguez have helped turned what might have remained a well-reviewed but little-recognized indie movie into a movement... these trans actresses are speaking frankly about their past experiences as sex workers in order to help move the needle. And they’re not afraid to address those who criticize Tangerine”

-Michael 

Photo Credit

Helpful Articles Used in This Post: http://www.advocate.com/film/2015/12/29/tangerines-stars-have-turned-movie-movement 

http://www.ew.com/article/2016/02/28/mya-taylor-tangerine-spirit-awards

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(4th Post) Analysis of a Second Non-Scholarly Source: The Non-Existent Roles for Trans-masculine/Trans Men of Color & Transparent’s Poor Portrayal of Trans Men 

In an op-ed from The Advocate following the first season of the Amazon series Transparent writer Cael Keegan looks at mainstream media portrayals of for trans men and trans-masculinity, both in general and for actors of color. And how underrepresented these men’s stories are. Even though the focus of this op-ed is television portrayals, this also applies to trans-masculine representation in film as well. Both of which are severely lacking, as mentioned before you really have to think to have any names come to mind. 

Historically speaking, in regards to both trans men and women, any sort of gender variant character is portrayed by a cis-gender actor or actress. Which is also alarming given that few stories are already told as it, but when they are trans men are overlooked and forgotten.  Keegan looks at the few well-known trans characters in TV shows and movies like Degrassi, The L Word, and Boys Don’t Cry (recently there was also Elle Fanning’s portrayl of trans character in the 2015 film About Ray). But Keegan makes a very good point about these white trans male characters “all three media products were either poorly written or politically problematic, featuring cisgender female actors playing the trans male roles”. And these are just the cases for trans characters that aren’t of color. 

This issue becomes more problematic when the intersection of race is involved. Although media portrayals of trans women of color are catching up and getting better, it is just not there yet for trans men of color. For trans women of color, their narratives are important given the sexual assault and street violence/harassment they face at high rates, and although stories of trans men aren’t as highly reported on news outlets that doesn’t mean their representation isn’t necessary. Quick point to make that Keegan does acknowledge is that exposure isn’t always positive as trans women are often and easily exploited by the media. But again without any trans male characters of color or a trans-masculine or trans male celebrity they receive no visibility. In comparison to white trans men Keegan puts it simply, “Trans men of color fare even worse: representations of their lives in scripted media are nonexistent.”

Relating this back to Transparent, who only really featured one trans-masculine character in its first season, the portrayal wasn’t anything spectacular or ground-breaking. And although this character was not of color, it is still important to break down. Starting positively the character, Dale, was portrayed by trans actor and comedian Ian Harvie. However, during this character’s brief arc (2 episodes) they are almost the butt of dull and tasteless jokes and story-line. Keegan points out that this sole trans-masculine character has bad dialogue (”I’m a man with a vag”) and that genitals are a focus of this characters interactions. Masculinity for this character is in relations to having a penis or not, which is a backwards portrayal for such a progressive show. This goes back to interviews where Katie Couric saw it appropriate to ask model Carmen Carrera about her genitals. It’s just in poor taste and after a failed sexual encounter with another character, Dale is not seen again. 

-Michael

Link to article: http://www.advocate.com/commentary/2014/10/22/op-ed-how-transparent-tried-and-failed-represent-trans-men

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[transpocrepresentation]

(3rd Post) Trans WoC Making Waves in TV : Janet Mock & Laverne Cox  

As of late television has been a more progressive platform for accurate and diverse storytelling, characters, and opportunities. Two women stand out as prime evidence of this, Laverne Cox and Janet Mock. These two women are paving a path trans people of color to thrive in television. Although both are recognizable as activists, both have different roles when it comes to their position in television and media presence. Both are important and visible figures nonetheless. 

Laverne Cox is sadly in a uncommon position as her portrayal of Sophia in the Netflix series Orange in the New Black is one of the few to have a trans actress portraying a trans or gender variant character. These roles are usually given to cis-gendered actors and actresses. For her praised performance on the show Cox was nominated for an Emmy, becoming the first openly trans actress to be nominated. Cox’s performance and the character of Sophia are both fairly ground-breaking as a trans actress of color is portraying a complex trans character on a consistent basis. Although Cox was nominated for “Guest Actress in a Comedy Series” (during the show’s first season) she has since become a series regular. With Sophia we have complex trans character in a popular show, whose story-lines both go beyond just trans identity, but also tackle the issues the trans women can face. 

Janet Mock is also groundbreaking in her own right. Besides being a best-selling author, Mock has her own talk-show. As of right now she is one of the only women (and women of color) to have their own talk-show, let alone a trans women of color with a talk-show. In a field usually dominated by white men and if there are women they usually have a co-host. But her gender isn’t central to the show or the sole purpose of it. Her weekly (as of late more like bi-weekly) show So Popular! talks about relevant topics in all sorts of pop culture and political realms. But given her experience Mock is able to shed some insight on topics usually shied away from and invite guests not usually booked for talk show interviews. Mock describes the show as “ our goal is to discuss the things you pretend you're too smart to like, in an effort to expand the idea of what is considered political and worthy of analysis.” To me personally it is like a much smarter version The View with all the bullshit cut out. 

It is important to note here though that both programs these women are in shows that aren’t aired on conventional TV, but are streamed online. This results in a mix bag. While it is true that streaming shows and programs can reach a wider audience, they usually get less recognition than shows aired on broadcast TV or cable. There is also no knowing the exact viewership of these shows. But, these women are pushed off to online platforms because of a lack of popularty, but rather the intended audiences are more likely to use streaming services than conventional TV. But there is a lack of recognition and dare I say respect for having your show on Shift by MSNBC than say NBC or MSNBC for that matter. But these women are managing to make their marks on the platforms they are given and are accurate representations of the lives, stories, and perspectives of trans women of color. 

-Michael 

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Helpful Articles Used in this Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/10/laverne-cox-emmy-nomination_n_5574608.html 

https://bitchmedia.org/post/a-talk-show-that-puts-people-of-color-front-and-center-janet-mock-so-popular-msnbc-review

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(2nd Post) Summary/Analysis of a Non-Scholarly Source: Caitlyn Jenner’s Success & What That Means fro Trans PoC in the Media  

I recently read an article on Fusion published right after Diane Sawyer’s interview with Caitlyn Jenner (back when she was still going by Bruce and using male pronouns) and how that televised interview effects trans people of colors stories going forward. This article featured interviews with Katrina Goodlett (of the Trans Women of Color Collective) and Alexa Vasquez  (of the Transgeneros en accion Santa Ana) who seek to bring forward the varying stories and perspectives of Trans people (more so women though) of color. This article really highlighted that with the focus when looking at Jenner is a visible transition as the sole aspect of being trans or gender variant isn’t representative of the lives of trans individuals. And how the media focused more on a white trans women of notoriety and high social standing more than any other trans, gender variant, or gender non-conforming person ever. Goodlett put it well when she said, “ mainstream media wants to prop up this narrative of “transition” when for many trans folk that is not the goal!” 

The discussion then shifts to not trusting the media to accurately represent the lives and struggles of trans people of color. The media will stick to portraying and exploiting trans celebrities and personalities, instead of sharing stories of everyday people. This article came out last year and it was pointed out quickly how mainstream  TV news  focused on Jenner, yet didn’t mention the high rates at which trans women (most of which were of color) were being killed. There is also this erasure of the the presence of trans people of color, who as pointed out by Vasquez are at the forefront of fighting for trans rights and inclusion. 

To me all this reads as the media’s misconception of trans lives. There is so much focus on transition and genitalia that all these other issues are ignored. And without an trans individual of color to have as much exposure as Caitlyn Jenner the complex struggles that come with trans identity. This essentially white-washes the greater trans narrative. Being trans should not be portrayed as some spectacle, but rather looking at what being trans entails and the lives of these people. And without any trans people of color in the mainstream, this portrayal won’t be accurate. Vasquez had this to say about the exposure trans celebs like Jenner receive, “Jenner is choosing to “come out” and make a circus announcement is so dishonest to our community.” She continues,”many will tune in to watch and begin to believe they understand, accept, and value our community based on Jenner’s experience...women of color have used their voices to empower and uplift a revolution based on real issues, not a mockery.” 

Regardless of what Jenner’s true intentions were by making her coming out a televised event, her narrative effects all trans people as she is currently the most high profile trans celebrity. And I use the term celebrity lightly as Jenner hasn’t done much with her new found fame. Which more the point was the fear of these people when this article was published and Jenner had only just come out. With her show, the focus was on a privileged white woman with promos focusing more on mundane issues like if she has a crush on her friend than actual issues that affect trans individuals and the community. Issues that could use addressing on a such a big platform, but without proper representation from those actually effected and the forefront these issues might not be addressed. 

-Michael 

Link to Article: http://fusion.net/story/125983/what-trans-people-of-color-fear-after-bruce-jenner-media-circus/

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(1st Post)Introduction: Trans PoC Representation in Television & Film

For this blog I will be looking at the representation on transgender (gender variant/gender non-conforming) people of color in television and film. This is relevant to our class because we’ve discussed that trans/gender variant studies is often done from a privileged or white perspective/lens. And this might translate when trans people are represented in TV and film. When I think of one trans man and one trans woman you are the most recognized and looked at the two people that come to mind are Chaz Bono and Caitlyn Jenner. I’m not criticizing them specifically (at least not Chaz), but again white people are at the forefront. Any group needs accurate representational and portrayals of experience and struggles, and trans people of color aren’t having their stories told. 

This topic also interests me because I find that there is an inequality in the representation and presence of trans women of color and trans men of color. When I was thinking about this topic I was going to talk about Mya Taylor (the first trans actress to win a major acting award pictured above), Janet Mock, Laverne Cox , and Carmen Carrera. But when I tried to think of a trans man of color I couldn’t think of any that I saw on TV or in a film. I’m hoping to look at trans men more closely because their representation might be non-existence in the mainstream media. And also I feel trans women of color have been getting pretty good platforms as of late (not perfect, but they’re getting some good exposure). 

-Michael  

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