(yawns)
- Sorry, I'm just really tired
of these trans tropes in movies and TV.
Hey friends, it's Pride Month.
Yay!
So let's celebrate because it's a great time
for trans visibility in media right?
Eh, not quite.
While it's awesome to celebrate how far we've come
with seeing trans folk on screen
we have to recognize that not all representation
is good representation.
Quality, not just quantity matters
because 84% of Americans only learn about trans people
through the images they see in media.
That means, as a cis gender woman
or a woman who was assigned female at birth
I'd only be adding to the problem
if I just spouted facts at you.
So I invited by friend, Patti Harrison to help out.
Hey Patti.
- Wait, so does that mean that 84% of Americans
are watching me right now?
(giggles nervously)
- No, it just means that over 270 million Americans
don't know any trans people.
So their only exposure is through media.
- Oh (beep) I can't screw this up.
- No Patti, the point of this video
is that you shouldn't have to be perfect
when representing the trans community.
Just be authentically yourself.
- Oh yeah, just be me.
- So fire up that projector
because here are five trans tropes in media.
- Number one, gender identity as a punch line.
- Which played in a theater near you in Zoolander 2.
The comedy sequel features a non-binary character
which sounds amazing
but it was played by cis actor, Benedict Cumberbatch
largely to comedic effect.
- If an identity is a punch line
then you're kinda teaching the audience
that it's cool to make fun of it.
- One of the jokes is Owen Wilson asking the character
whether they have a hotdog or a bun.
- Also, don't ask trans people about their genitalia.
It's offensive.
And I don't ask you about your junk.
Or what it smells like.
Even though I do wonder sometimes.
- Number two, trans trickery.
- Which you may have seen in the Zak Efron movie
Mike & Dave Need Wedding Dates.
The title characters are, you guessed it
looking for wedding dates.
Mike and Dave's Craigslist ad goes viral
and one responder is a man wearing a wig
to trick them into thinking he's a woman
because he really wants to go on a vacation.
Hilarious!
- Now, as GLAAD points out
it actually seems this character is not actually trans
but this funny moment perpetuates the outdated notion
that people use gender presentation as a trick
to get what they want.
When in reality, trans folks present as their true gender
only to be more themselves.
- Number three, trans identity as a plot twist.
From Ace Ventura, to Pretty Little Liars
Hollywood loves making gender identity
part of the big reveal.
- If you've seen Pretty Little Liars
you know that the whole series was building up
to the identity of the villain.
Spoiler alert, at the end of season six
fans got their answer.
Even worse spoiler alert, the show fell into the trap
of using gender identity as a plot twist
and associating it with criminality.
- They're also robbing the character of nuance
by making their coming out a dramatic plot point
and not a major life decision.
Which brings me to something I need to tell you.
Franchesca, I'm trans!
- I know.
- Oh!
Cool, yeah.
- Number four, dumb science.
- The recently released and thankfully
recently forgotten action movie, The Assignment
start Michelle Rodriguez as an accidental trans person
because a vengeful doctor performs gender confirmation
surgery on Michelle's character.
That can't be right, is it?
Okay, so that's art.
Someone made that and that's art.
Okay, great.
- Gender confirmation surgery is a huge undertaking
but is a years long process.
It involves counseling, hormone treatment in preparation
oh, and a life time of being a trans person.
It's not a revenge plot.
- Number five, trans folks played by cis actors.
Finally, roles for them!
Did you notice that everyone we mentioned is not trans?
Everyone.
Benedict Cumberbatch, not trans.
Bob Turton who tried to date Mike and Dave, not trans.
Vanessa Ray, who played CeCe Drake
not trans.
Michelle Rodriguez who played a character
who inexplicably was made trans as an act of revenge
not trans.
- But what about the argument that they're actors
and acting is about playing someone
that's different than you?
- Currently the roles available to trans actors
are few and far between.
And when they do get a role, it's usually limited
to playing a character who's renting to be trans.
So if a cis actor takes that role
there's almost nothing left.
- Which is exactly why we need even more
trans representation in media.
So that 84% of the country
can see the diversity of trans experiences.
I mean, no one person can represent the whole community.
- Plot twist, or can they?
- No, I don't think they can.
- Oh yeah, you're right.
Why did I say that?
- Thanks for watching
and thanks for our special guest, Patti Harrison.
We'll see you next time right here on Decoded.
(ambient music)