Transgender Representation and the Voices we need

The media is promoting transgender representation, and I truly believe that it is as equally as important as covering any other issues that we are currently facing today. My question is, is it enough?

As a transgender woman, every time I see a movie trailer or a show with a transgender woman. I feel uplifted. Thinking, "Wow great, Hollywood is stepping up their game." In reality, they are not. How could Jared Leto being cast as a transgender woman in the film Dallas Buyers Club and take note, he won an Oscar from it. That is only one example of casting a cis-gender man to portray a transgender character. Eddie Redmayne played Lili in the movie The Danish Girl and Matt Bomer as Freda in the romantic drama film Anything(Joshi, R., 2021). Leto was very good in the movie and he truly deserves the award.

What does it tell the public? That transgender women are just males who can paint their faces, wear wigs and fabulously strut in heels. How can a cis-gender man portray a transgender woman's character when in fact he did not know anything about our struggles? His experience as a straight male is so different than what a trans woman is struggling with.

I can strut in heels, don't think Jared Leto did it well!

Movies and tv shows should be the frontrunner in the promotion of transgender representation. Yet, we do not see any transgender woman playing the parts that should be ours. We see producers and directors taking ownership of these materials and not using their thinking cap to be more inclusive, and I get it, the box office rating and the cash that comes with it is important. So we applaud these films and think they are progressive. Right!

However, their actions speak volumes that NOT casting a fierce transgender woman is a painful reminder of what our fights are in the real world. The portrayal of transgender characters by the media is unethical. (Nobe, J., 2013). We will continue to be reminded of those until we identify a change in how these films are produced and continue to advocate for inequality, discrimination, ostracism, and heteronormativity. The long-term effects are destructing. Shouldn't we be part of the writing and casting process because we recognize what's not effective and what's inoffensive? Ultimately, we should not be adding to the stigma that is already out there and adds more to the harm that we experience every day.

The portrayal of transgender characters by the media is unethical. (Nobe, J., 2013).

Sure, we see Laverne Cox outspokenly calling out people who are being disrespectful to the trans community. I find that great but to be brutally honest, all these outspoken trans women out there are privileged and have the connections. I am not diminishing their prior experience because their past is what made them stronger. We needed to hear those voices. However, they all have pussies and have managed to do all the necessary stuff to complete their transition. I do not know of any pre-op transgender women who are voicing out their concerns. Some underprivileged trans women are struggling to get a physician and book a psychologist appointment. There are also other trans women out there who are having difficulty accessing their hormone therapy because of the lack of support in the community and from their families.

We are not hearing these disadvantaged voices. We are giving the voices to those who have the means to get the treatment. They have easy access to a physician who will guide them on what to do. They can easily call a social worker who can navigate the system when there is food and housing insecurity. Prejudice and discrimination are still happening out there. We see it on the news. Gender-affirming care policies are still needing a revamp, comprehensive care for transgender individuals is not the same in every province in the country. (Taylor, B., 2021) We need to have our act together to make it more available to everyone.

What does it tell the public? That transgender women are just males who can paint their faces, wear wigs and fabulously strut in heels.

A groundbreaking change is significant, and we are seeing it. I am seeing it. The voices that should be out there should be coming from the people who are grappling with these disturbing concerns. Such as inaccessibility to healthcare and lack of education from healthcare providers. Mistreatment of trans people of colour, libraries that have very few selections of transgender materials and zero facilities that cater to 2SLGBTQIA+ palliative and hospice clients. We should now give light to the issues that the transgender community is facing. How many times, have I been misgendered in a clinic or a laboratory appointment? How many times, have I seen the look from other cis-gender women out there when I go to the bathroom? How many times, have I left a voice message to find a psychologist in my area to arrange an appointment. So I can at least offload things related to my gender dysphoria?

We are misrepresented in the media. This needs to change, and there should be more voices out there for us. Stop the misconception and the misrepresentation. Let us start a dialogue that includes an accurate depiction of what our struggles are and who we are.

References:

Joshi, R. (March 2021). The Misrepresentation Of Transgender People In Media And Why It Needs To Change. Retrieved from: https://www.shethepeople.tv/lgbtqia/transgender-representation-needs-to-change/

Nobe, J. (2013). Transgender Representation in the media. Eastern Kentucky University. Retrieved from: https://encompass.eku.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1145&context=honors_theses.

Taylor, B. (May 2021). Trans health care in Canada needs major improvements, advocates say. Retrieved from: https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/trans-health-care-in-canada-needs-major-improvements-advocates-say-1.5439295