IN EVERY STATE, AND THEY ARE THE
FOCUS OF A NEW SERIES CALLED
"TRANS IN TRUMP LAND."
JOINING US NOW IS TRACE LISSETT.
>> HI, JOSHUA.
HOW ARE YOU?
>> I’M WELL.
BEFORE WE BEGIN, MAY I ASK WHAT
PRONOUNS SHOULD I USE WHEN
REFERRING TO YOU?
>> OH, I’M OLD SCHOOL.
IT’S JUST SHE/HER.
>> THANK YOU.
JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE I USE
IT RIGHT.
IT IS REALLY DEVASTATING JUST TO
GIVE PEOPLE AN IDEA.
HERE IS ONE OF THE MORE POIGNANT
MOMENTS FROM THE TRAILER FOR
"TRANS IN TRUMP LAND".
>> THIS WAS ACTUALLY ME WHEN I
WAS 12.
YOU KNOW, I JUST WANT TO LET YOU
KNOW NO MATTER WHAT THE
PRESIDENT SAYS ABOUT YOU, YOU
EXIST.
AND YOU’RE HUMAN.
>> THAT MOMENT OF REASSURANCE IS
VERY POIGNANT.
HOW MUCH OF THE DOCUMENTARY’S
FOCUS OVERALL IS ABOUT
REASSURANCE?
>> WELL, I THINK PROBABLY A GOOD
AMOUNT.
I THINK FOR A LOT OF TRANS
PEOPLE, WE KIND OF NEED THAT
VALIDATION FROM SOMEONE ELSE WHO
HAS WALKED THE WALK BECAUSE WE
DON’T OFTEN GET THAT IN OUR
BIOLOGICAL FAMILIES.
I HAVE BEEN VERY LUCKY TO HAVE A
TRANS MOTHER BY THE NAME OF
RONDA WHO TOOK ME UNDER HER WING
WHEN I WAS A TEEN TO KIND OF
VALIDATE ME IN THAT WAY AND SHOW
ME THE ROPES, SO TO SPEAK, OF
WHAT THIS LIFESTYLE AND WHAT
THIS LIFE IS LIKE IN A COUNTRY
THAT IS CONSTANTLY TRYING TO
ERASE US.
>> CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT THAT
MEANS FOR PEOPLE WHO MAY NOT BE
FAMILIAR WITH THAT TERM, A TRANS
MOTHER?
WHAT DOES THAT RELATIONSHIP
INVOLVE FOR YOU?
>> SO FOR ME, IT’S REALLY
ANYTHING FROM EMOTIONAL SUPPORT
THAT -- OR PHYSICAL SUPPORT
THAT, YOU KNOW, LIES OUTSIDE OF
THE REALM OF WHAT MY BIOLOGICAL
MOTHER MAY HAVE BEEN ACCUSTOMED
TO GIVING ME.
YOU KNOW, NAVIGATING THE WORLD
IN A SPECIFIC WAY, SURVIVAL
SKILLS, ALL OF THOSE THINGS, I
THINK, COME INTO PLAY WHEN
YOU’RE DEALING WITH CHOSEN
FAMILY AND TRANS FOLKS THAT THEY
CAN KIND OF LOOK AFTER THE NEXT
GENERATION.
I KNOW FOR ME I PROBABLY
WOULDN’T BE HERE WITHOUT MY
TRANS MOTHER AND I KNOW A LOT OF
TRANS PEOPLE FEEL THE SAME WAY
ABOUT THEIR TRANS PARENTS.
>> I KNOW THAT I HAVE HAD A LOT
OF GAY DADS OVER THE YEARS THAT
HAVE MADE MY LIFE A LOT EASIER
AND KIND OF EXPLAINED THINGS
THAT FAMILY UNITS HAVE TO SORT
OF LEARN ABOUT THEIR LBGTQIA
KIDS IF THEY CHOOSE TO.
THAT’S A LOT OF WHAT YOU DEPICT
IN THE FIRST FEW EPISODES OF
THIS DOCU SERIES IS HOW TRANS
PEOPLE LEARN HOW TO NAVIGATE THE
WORLD AND HOW SOME IN THEIR
WORLD LEARN TO CONNECT WITH
THEM.
WERE THERE ANY OVERALL MESSAGES
OR STORY LINES THAT YOU WANTED
TO PORTRAY IN THIS SERIES?
>> WELL, I THINK IT WAS
IMPORTANT TO SHOW WHAT WE’RE UP
AGAINST IN TERMS OF LEGISLATION
AND ALL OF THAT AND WHAT WE HAVE
TO KIND OF BOB AND WEAVE WITH
EVERY DAY IN ORDER TO SURVIVE.
BUT ALSO, I GUESS, IT’S
IMPORTANT TO SHOW UNITY AND JOY
AND WHAT TRANS JOY LOOKS LIKE.
AND, SO, I THINK WE DID A GOOD
JOB OF COVERING BOTH SIDES OF
THAT PENDULUM.
AND I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT TO
REMAIN HOPEFUL, ESPECIALLY NOW
THAT TRUMP IS OUT AND BIDEN AND
KAMALA ARE IN AND WE CAN
HOPEFULLY BE ON OUR WAY AND GET
SOME CHANGE GOING AND REALLY
PRESERVE WHAT RIGHTS WE DO HAVE
BECAUSE THE LAST FOUR YEARS WERE
SO SCARY FOR US.
>> WE SPOKE LAST WEEK AHEAD OF
THE PASSAGE OF THE EQUALITY ACT
WITH A LOT OF ITS SPONSORS.
CONGRESSMAN DAVID CICILLINE WHO
IS OPENLY GAY.
WHAT IS YOUR SENSE OF WHERE WE
STAND AS A COUNTRY IN FINALLY
NOT BEING SO REACTIONARY AND
JUST HEAVY HANDED AND BIGOTED
ABOUT TRANS ISSUES.
IT ALWAYS SEEMS TO COME DOWN TO
BATHROOM ISSUES.
EVEN NOW, THERE IS NO ADDITIONAL
SAFETY RISK TO THE PUBLIC,
DESPITE WHAT SUPPORTERS OF THESE
SO-CALLED BATHROOM BILLS SEEM TO
SAY.
WHERE DO YOU THINK WE ARE IN
TERMS OF NOT BEING STUCK ON ALL
THIS STUPID ABOUT BEING AFRAID
TO LET TRANS PEOPLE DO SOMETHING
AS SIMPLE AND BASIC AND
DIGNIFIED AS GO TO THE BATHROOM
IN.
>> UH-HUH.
I THINK WHEN HB-2 WAS INTRODUCED
IN NORTH CAROLINA, WE KIND OF GO
OVER THAT WITH THE FIRST EPISODE
IN NORTH CAROLINA.
BUT I THINK THAT IT JUST
SHOWCASED AMERICA’S HATE TOWARDS
US AND THEIR PARANOIA, REALLY,
AROUND BATHROOMS.
AND IT’S A FEAR THAT IS NOT
BASED IN ANY FACT BECAUSE, AS
YOU SAID, THE TRANS PEOPLE ARE
MORE LIKELY TO RUN INTO A
PROBLEM OR BE ASSAULTED IN THE
BATHROOM THAN PERPETRATORS.
AND, SO, IT’S REALLY
UNFORTUNATE.
BUT I THINK A LOT OF THE STUPID
TALK THAT WE DEAL WITH AND THE
HATE THAT WE DEAL WITH COMES
FROM US BEING FOREIGN TO MIDDLE
AMERICA.
AND A LOT OF IT HAS TO DO WITH
THE STORIES THAT ARE TOLD IN TV
AND FILM AND THE LACK OF STORIES
TOLD IN TV AND FILM AND ALSO IN
THE REALITY TV SPACE.
AMERICA JUST DOESN’T FEEL LIKE
THEY KNOW TRANS PEOPLE VERY
WELL.
I THINK A LOT OF TIMES THEY’RE
SCARED OF WHAT THEY DON’T KNOW.
>> FOR SOMEONE WHO IS TRANS IN
TRUMP LAND WHO IS LIVING IN
PARTS OF THE COUNTRY LESS
WELCOMING, LESS AFFIRMING, WHAT
WOULD YOU SAY TO THEM BASED
PERHAPS ON WHAT YOU MAYBE
LEARNED FROM THIS DOCUMENTARY?
WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE TO TRANS
PEOPLE IN TRUMP LAND?
>> MY BIGGEST MESSAGE WOULD BE
TO FIND COMMUNITY.
IF YOU HAVE TO DO THAT OVER THE
INTERNET OR IN UNCONVENTIONAL
WAYS, SEEK OUT PEOPLE WHO ARE
LIKE MINDED AND WHO MAY BE GOING
THROUGH SOMETHING SIMILAR TO
YOURSELF.
I THINK THAT’S WHAT SAVED ME,
WAS FINDING OTHER TRANS PEOPLE
AND CONNECTING WITH THEM.
I ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE TO FIND
YOUR TRIBE AND FIND YOUR
COMMUNITY AND CLING TO IT, EVEN
IF YOUR BLOOD FAMILY DOESN’T
QUITE UNDERSTAND YOU OR IF YOU
ARE LIVING IN AN AREA THAT IS
EXTREMELY HATEFUL TOWARDS TRANS
FOLKS, TRY TO PUT YOURSELF IN A