Enlightened Entertainment: Finding Life Lessons in Movies & Television: 'DISCLOSURE'
Dr. Sara B. Frawley
In honor of LGTBQ Pride Month and the Supreme Court’s proclamation that the Civil Rights Act include those who are transgender, it was only appropriate for Netflix to release Disclosure. This documentary shares the perspectives of leading trans creatives and thinkers about Hollywood’s impact on the trans community. Covering everything from Bugs Bunny to The Three Stooges to the ballrooms in the film Paris is Burning, this documentary highlights the good and bad of transgender representation in the spotlight.
For as Long as Cinema Has Existed So Has the Representation of Trans
Most of us are only familiar with trans people through the media (80% of us actually), so all we really know is the misrepresentation of their truth. Most transgender women roles in Hollywood are of serial killers, sex workers, or victims of hate crimes. Not until recently have transgender actors, and their characters, been allowed to just exist as non-transgender roles.
We have come a long way in our acceptance of the LGBTQ community. Unfortunately, the more transgender people are open about who they are, the more they are at risk of hate crimes.
It is time that the non-transgender community stands behind the characters that we fell in love with in television shows like Orange is the New Black, Billions and Pose by voting and supporting legislative movements to protect their rights.
Learn how you can educate yourself and help the cause here:
https://www.freedomforallamericans.org/trans-101-information-for-trans-public-education-campaigns/
Male Comedians Dressed as Women are Disparaging Towards All Women
For male comedians, especially black male comedians, dressing up as a woman on film is a rite of passage as pointed out in the series White Famous. The association of men in dresses with comedy has trained us to laugh at this away from the silver screen. But these representations of women are not only disparaging to trans women but to all women. They often stereotypically show women as giddy and shallow.
There is also a long history of emasculating black men to make them seem less threatening. We no longer do this in a violent literal sense, but we still pressure them to wear dresses to make it “big” in Hollywood. Can we stop this now? Let’s listen to what Dave Chapelle had to say about it
Trans Women Are Not Trying to Appropriate Women and Trans Men Are Not Traders to Feminism
Transgender people are just trying to feel comfortable in their skin. They are just trying to be who they know they are deep down. Am I appropriating ‘gingers’ by dying my hair red? No. Am I a traitor to my gender by wearing pants? No.
They are not taking anything away from cisgender women. And if you feel like they are taking something away like author J.K. Rowling did, those are your own insecurities bubbling up that you need to address privately as you educate yourself.