Not All Celebrities Are Behind Us.

We all know that the author of the Harry Potter series J. K. Rowling is transphobic but added to that list over the weekend…

KISS and Twisted Sister Rock Legends Go Full-on Transphobic

KISS’s Paul Stanley and Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider both made very transphobic remarks on Twitter over the weekend.

The Advocate

By Christopher Wiggins

May 1, 2023

Paul Stanley has spent the better part of his 71 years on Earth wearing makeup and high heels, but the KISS co-founder believes that affirming children’s gender identity is a “dangerous fad.”

This is according to unsolicited “thoughts” the rocker shared on Twitter Sunday.

The singer and guitarist posted a statement titled “My Thoughts On What I’m Seeing,” which got attention for its bigotry and hypocrisy. He also seems to have gotten sexual orientation and gender identity confused.

“There is a BIG difference between teaching acceptance and normalizing and even encouraging participation in a lifestyle that confuses young children into questioning their sexual identification as though some sort of game and then parents in some cases allow it,” he wrote.

Ding, ding, ding, ding… “lifestyle!” These people still think that it is a choice!

Republicans have spent recent years demonizing gender-affirming care for children, leading to at least 15 GOP-controlled states banning what major medical associations agree is necessary health care for gender-diverse youth. Missouri Republicans banned this care for adults and minors alike. The bans from previous years on care are currently blocked by courts.

Online, people were quick to note that KISS released and performed the 1977 song called “Christine Sixteen” in which the adult singers lament their attraction to a teenage girl they have to have, according to the lyrics.

Dee Snider, 68, the former Twisted Sister frontman, endorsed Stanley’s message.

Their bigotry and phobias are coming out in open. They made millions off a very diverse fans but now they are sticking it to a part of their fan base.

After some Snider fans questioned why he contributed to anti-LGBTQ+ bigotry, he dismissed the community.

“Am I losing a hero here?” a Twitter user asked.

“Apparently so. I guess I’ll just need to turn in my LGBTQIA+ membership card…oh wait! I’m gonna need it in a big way TBA,” Snider replied.

After some Snider fans questioned why he contributed to anti-LGBTQ+ bigotry, he dismissed the community.

“Am I losing a hero here?” a Twitter user asked.

“Apparently so. I guess I’ll just need to turn in my LGBTQIA+ membership card…oh wait! I’m gonna need it in a big way TBA,” Snider replied.

[…]

Snider and Stanely spent decades making millions of dollars by applying makeup to their faces and wearing what many would consider traditionally women’s clothing and shoewear as they sang and danced and gyrated onstage with their respective bands.

Okay fans… bend over.

---

On the opposite side of the coin…

Xena Actor Lucy Lawless Slams Supergirl Star Kevin Sorbo for Transphobia: “You need to stomp on Transpeople to feel taller?”

Fandom Wire

By Ankush Mallick

April 4, 2023

Recently, Xena actor Lucy Lawless slammed Supergirl star Kevin Sorbo for his transphobic comments. Sorbo had made a statement on social media where he claimed that trans people were mentally ill and that allowing them to use the bathroom of their choice would lead to chaos. Lawless was quick to call out Sorbo for his ignorance and insensitivity.

Lucy Lawless was quick to shut down Kevin Sorbo

Lawless’ response to Sorbo’s comments is particularly significant because it sheds light on the ongoing issue of transphobia in our society. Despite the progress that has been made toward LGBTQ+ rights and equality in recent years, transgender people still face a great deal of discrimination and intolerance.

Don’t forget Nicole Maines played Nia Nal, who was Dreamer on Supergirl along side Kevin Sorbo.

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Met Gala 2023: Dwyane Wade uses red carpet to share powerful message on trans suicide rates

Basketballer Dwyane Wade, father of the pioneering 15-year-old trans model Zaya Wade, has used his appearance on the Met Gala 2023 red carpet to share an important message about trans suicide rates.

Pink News

By Marcus Wratten

May 2, 2023

Each year, the Met Gala is an opportunity for the biggest stars to share their best eye-catching looks, but it’s also a platform to share crucial statements of equality – like actor Tommy Dorfman’s ‘Protect Trans Kids’ bag at last year’s event.

This year, Dwyane Wade spent time on the red carpet promoting acceptance for trans youth, and underlining the harrowing reality of what happens when young trans people are abandoned.

Asked by a Variety reporter what message he would like to send to Florida governor Ron DeSantis, who is currently pushing forward with a string of anti-trans policies, Wade said: “I don’t know him. But I do know men lie, women lie, but numbers don’t.

“I do know that when our children feel accepted, that 43 per cent of our children that feel accepted, from their parents, from the world, it lowers the death rate.”

[...]

Continuing his powerful statement, Wade added: “Suicide is high in the trans community. It’s high in youth and so I’m going to step on the side of acceptance and I’m not going to even go on the other side. I’m going to focus on acceptance.

“Let’s make sure our kids have an opportunity to live this life that we all get to live.”

Amen.

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Update May 9, 2023

Paul Stanley is doing a quick two step...

Kiss star Paul Stanley backtracks after branding gender-affirming youth care a ‘dangerous fad’

The co-founder of heavy metal band Kiss, Paul Stanley, has backtracked over anti-trans comments he made last month.

Pink News

By Jake McKee

May 9, 2023

In a statement posted on Twitter on 30 April, Stanley criticised gender-affirming healthcare for trans youth, saying it had become “a sad and dangerous fad”.

The post was widely condemned, including by The Offspring guitarist Kevin Wasserman, who said it was “a very disappointing take, especially from someone who wore high heels, makeup and teased up hair his whole career”.

Wasserman – who is also known by the stage name Noodles – added: “As a young kid, your band helped teach me that I could be whatever I wanted to be. I guess it was just gimmickry after all.”

But Stanley now seems to have had second thoughts.

In a tweet posted on 4 May, he wrote: “While my thoughts were clear, my words clearly were not.

“Most importantly and above all else, I support those struggling with their sexual identity while enduring constant hostility, and those whose path leads them to reassignment surgery. It’s hard to fathom the kind of conviction that one must feel to takes those steps.

I am always a little leery of apologies or “correction” made after an outcry, I have to wonder if it is sincere or it is to deflect the outcry and anger.

Tony Awards!

A non-binary person just was nominated for a Tony Award but…

Trans nonbinary Broadway star withdraws from Tony consideration over gendered categories
New York Daily News
By Muri Assunção
February 2, 2023


One of the stars of the Broadway hit musical “& Juliet” has withdrawn their name from Tony Awards consideration after they were told they would have to “choose between one of two gendered categories.”

Justin David Sullivan, a transgender nonbinary singer and actor who’s “passionate about diversity and representation in the performing arts” is currently on Broadway playing one of the main roles in the critically acclaimed musical.

On Wednesday, the 23-year-old Broadway newcomer announced they were opting out of the prestigious award, in which the acting awards are divided into categories for men and women…

“I was disheartened to learn that the Tony Awards are not planning on making this year’s nomination categories more inclusive of gender expansive for trans nonbinary performers like myself,” Sullivan said Thursday in a statement shared on social media.

[...]

 Speaking as a “non-binary performer playing a non-binary principal role on Broadway,“ Sullivan said they “could not in good faith move forward with denying any part of my identity to conform to a system and structure that does not hold space for people like me.”

Even though it was a “difficult” decision, they hope the move can lead to a change in policy for future awards. Last year, Asia Kate Dillon, a nonbinary performer who played Malcolm in a production of “Macbeth,” also asked not to be considered.

Well I guess the awards has to only do one thing.

Get rid of the “Best Actress” and “Best Actor” categories and make it “Best Performer of the Year”

~~~~~

I was at a Broadway play one year when the Tony’s Awards show was on the day of the awards and the  the play we went to won: the Best Revival of a Musical, the Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical, the Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical, Best Lighting Design of a Musical, and it was nominated for; Best Costume Design of a Musical, Best Direction of a Musical, Best Sound Design of a Musical, and Best Scenic Design of a Musical.

You can read about it here.

TransFace

When I bring up cis gendered actors playing trans roles I get push back saying that there are no prominent trans people to play the characters, well I beg to differ, case in point.

MJ Rodriguez becomes 1st trans actress to win a Golden Globe
This is the first Golden Globe for the 31-year-old actress.
Today
By Kait Hanson
January 9, 2022


And the category is... Golden Globes history.

On Sunday, Michaela Jaé "Mj" Rodriguez, 31, took home a Golden Globe for best actress in a TV drama for her role as house mother and nurse Blanca on the FX show "Pose." It marks the first time in history a trans actress has won a Golden Globe.

This is also the first Golden Globe win for “Pose,” which premiered in 2018.

Rodriguez made history for the first time in summer 2021 after becoming the first transgender performer to be nominated for a lead acting Emmy. Rodriguez did not end up winning that award.

While “Pose” has been hailed for the largest transgender cast in a scripted series and for hiring the first trans woman of color director, the show's stars have been vocal regarding the lack of award recognition they have received.

You got that naysayers out there?

She won a Golden Globe!

In 2019 she won Best Actress - Television at the Imagen Awards, an annual event honoring positive representations of Latinx people in media.

She is just one of many talented trans actresses/actors who are receiving recognition for their work some of them are...

• Laverne Cox – Orange is the New Black
• Jamie Clayton – Sense8 & Generation Q
• Michelle Hendley – Boy Meets Girl
• Rachel Crowl – And Then There Was Eve
• Jen Richards – HerStory
• Nicole Maines – Supergirl

There are so many great trans actresses/actors out there that saying there are no trans actresses/actors who have box office draw is wrong.

Trans TV

As many of you know I am a big supporter of trans people playing trans people in the media. Well I came across an article in Out about just that.

12 TV Shows With Trans Men Characters Played by Trans Actors
By Mey Rude
September 3, 2021


We love to see positive trans representation!

As trans representation picks up, we're seeing more stories about different kinds of trans people. Thankfully, that includes trans men. These trans actors are changing the way people view trans men, and making it so that poeple who never saw themselves represented get to finally do that.

Unfortunately, most of these roles have been played by just a handful of trans actors, with Elliot Fletcher, Ian Alexander, Theo Germaine, and Brian Michael Smith each appearing multiple times on this list. Hopefully, we'll soon see a wider range of trans actors getting these roles!
There are trans people playing trans parts but also straight parts!

Here are 12 TV shows with trans actors playing trans men characters:

• '9-1-1: Lone Star' [Fox]
• 'Faking It' [MTV]
• 'The Fosters' [Netflix]
• 'Good Girls' [NBC]
• 'The L Word: Generation Q' [Showtime]
• 'Queen Sugar'[OWN]
• 'The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina' [Netflix]
• 'Star Trek: Discovery' [Paramount+]
• 'The OA' [Netflix]
• 'The Politician' [Netflix]
• 'Work in Progress' [Showtime]
• 'Shameless' [Showtime]

But it is not only the guys who are making inroads into acting careers but also the ladies. Last July Insider ran an article on trans actors/actresses here are the women.

18 transgender celebrities who are changing television
By Frank Olito
July 16, 2021


More TV shows are featuring transgender actors and characters.

• Zion Moreno is starring in the "Gossip Girl" reboot, which just premiered on HBO Max.
• MJ Rodriguez is known for her work on "Pose" and recently became the first transgender person to be nominated for a major acting Emmy.
• Elliot Page acted in "Umbrella Academy" and "Tales of the City" before coming out as transgender.
• Laverne Cox got her start on "Orange Is the New Black."
• Asia Kate Dillon stars as Taylor Mason in "Billions."
• Dominique Jackson made a name for herself on FX's "Pose."
• Indya Moore is another transgender person who appeared on "Pose."
• Hunter Schafer stepped into the limelight with HBO's hit "Euphoria."
• Josie Totah transitioned after starring in NBC's "Champions."
• Jen Richards produced and starred in the web series "Her Story."
• Alexandra Billings is most recognizable for her role in "Transparent."
• Trace Lysette has appeared in "Transparent" and the movie "Hustlers."
• Nicole Maines is portraying the first trans superhero on CW's "Supergirl."

Not name on the list but also an actress who also made a movie is Rachel Crowl (I have meet her and her wife Helen Boyd) who was in And Then There Was Eve.

It is really great for trans actors getting so much air time! It very important because one of the things that we know is the more visibility that we have the more acceptance we have. By having trans people in the media we also show that viewership doesn’t go down, which hopefully will results trans people can make a living in acting.

Breaking The Mold - Trans Actors

Those who follow my blog know that I am against transface and I get push back saying that there are no box office draw trans actresses/actors… Well here is my reply.

Clarice
Clarice is a deep dive into the untold personal story of FBI Agent Clarice Starling as she returns to the field in 1993, one year after the events of The Silence of the Lambs. Brilliant and vulnerable, Clarice's bravery gives her an inner light that draws monsters and madmen to her. However, her complex psychological makeup that comes from a challenging childhood empowers her to begin to find her voice while working in a man's world, as well as escape the family secrets that have haunted her throughout her life.

So who is playing in the prime time CBS drama?

According to IMDB...

Jen Richards ... Julia Lawson
2 episodes, 2021
- Silence Is Purgatory (2021) ... Julia Lawson
- The Silence Is Over (2021)

Wait! Jen Richards?

Isn’t she trans?

According to WPRI Channel 12...

Jen Richards’ character on Clarice is Julia Lawson who is a numbers genius who has found a quiet life working a lucrative corporate accounting job — until Clarice Starling knocks on her door asking for help with a dangerous case.

So she is playing a trans person… a trans person playing a trans person!

There are trans actresses and actors out there that can play in major television shows and movies! So don't tell me that there are no trans actresses and actors without box office draw.

Here is an interview that Dawn Ennis did for Forbes with Jen Richards.

And Dawn Ennis writes in a Forbes article...

CBS Tackles Transphobia In New Episodes Of ‘Clarice’

May 13, 2021

Thursday night on CBS, transphobia and the real-world troubles transgender people experience were explored in the serial crime drama, Clarice, spun-off from the Thomas Harris's 1988 psychological horror novel and the 1991 film adaptation upon which it is based, The Silence of the Lambs.

[…]

Julia is played by Emmy-nominated actor, writer and producer Jen Richards, who also worked as a consultant on the series. She co-stars with Emily Coutts of Star Trek: Discovery, who plays Julia’s cancer-stricken partner, Erin, and is the first to recognize the famous agent who solved the Buffalo Bill case: “This is her! It’s Clarice Starling.”

Stop right there… did you catch that? “Emmy-nominated actor, writer and producer Jen Richards, who also worked as a consultant on the series.”

“And this affected you personally?” a confused Clarice, played by Rebecca Breeds, asks Julia. The answer comes as a surprise to the ViCAP agent, when Julia explains, haltingly, breathlessly, why she must hide the fact that she is, in the words of the period, transsexual.

“I could lose my job. My life. I have to hide who I am because of stories like Buffalo Bill. And at the center of all of those was you,” Julia tells Clarice. “You made my life harder.”

Now tell me how a cis-gender actresses could know how to play a trans person coming out. We all remember the first time coming out to someone.

There are many talented trans actors who are just waiting for a part like this on their resume.

Talent

There is a lot of trans talent out there that are just waiting for that phone call to come in for audition.

20 Trans Actors Changing the Face of Hollywood
These trans celebrities are boosting LGBTQ+ visibility on screen.
Good Housekeeping
By Lizz Schumer
May 3, 2021


Like many other marginalized groups, trans people are only just beginning to appear in media in larger numbers. And thanks to trans actors and actresses who are finally getting noticed, more and more trans people can see themselves in the TV and movies they love. But it's not all good news just yet. GLAAD has tracked trans representation in the media since 2002, and found that 54% of TV shows that featured trans characters showed them in a negative light. An additional 35% ranged from "problematic" to "good," while only 12% groundbreaking, fair and accurate enough to earn a GLAAD Media Award nomination. "We hope that representations of transgender people on television evolve to become as diverse, nuanced and inspiring as the community those images reflect," said GLAAD President Herndon Graddick.

One of the persistent problems of trans representation onscreen is casting cisgender actors to play trans characters. This is harmful, because not only does it keep trans actors from getting work, it also perpetuates the stigma that trans people are just playing dress-up. But not only does having trans people in these roles, in writing rooms and as part of the production team improve visibility, it also results in more accurate stories. "The entertainment industry can help change that by giving us more opportunities and better parts that don't solely focus on our sexuality," actor Victoria Beltran told Vice. "It's really simple. People just have to take a risk and give us the opportunity."

So here are their picks for trans actors,

1. Elliot Page
2. Laverne Cox
3. Asia Kate Dillon
4. Indya Moore
5. Dominique Jackson
6. MJ Rodriguez
7. Jamie Clayton

I remember her from watching Sense 8 on Netflix, the show tells the story of eight strangers connected through what they perceive as dreams or visions, they suddenly find themselves growing mentally and emotionally connected. The shows were directed by Lana Wachowski and Lilly Wachowski

8. Hunter Schafer
9. Elliot Fletcher
10. Josie Totah
11. Jen Richards

I also remember her from the YouTube series that she directed and starred in Her Story.

12. Alexandra Billings
13. Brian Michael Smith
14. Nicole Maines

I meet her and her mother, we went out to dinner with her and her mother and the rest of CTAC board after her keynote speech at the Trans Health & Law conference.

15. Trace Lysette
16. Leo Sheng
17. Mya Taylor
18. Jake Graf
19. Scott Turner Schofield

I met him at Real Art Ways in Hartford where he did a show called “127 Way to Become a Man” and I also saw him at Fantasia Fair where he did a one man show.

20. Alexandra Grey

I would have included Rachel Crowl who has numerous plays and movies she is best know for “And Then There Was Eve” that won many awards at film festivals around the country.

So there is a lot of trans talent out there so there is really no reason to have trans face actors.

Trans Face

With the multitude of trans actresses and actors that are looking for work, a local theater casted a cis gender actor for a trans part… they learned their lesson fast!

Connecticut theater cancels ‘I Am My Own Wife’ after backlash over casting cisgender actor in trans role
Hartford Courant
By Christopher Arnott
May 03, 2021


The Warner Theatre in Torrington has canceled a planned production of the historical drama “I Am My Own Wife” after criticism from the transgender community over the casting of a cisgender male in the lead role.

Complaints on Facebook about the Warner’s production of the one-actor show said trans voices should tell trans stories, echoing an ongoing debate about representation in the arts world.

“It is incredibly damaging and harmful to trans people to cast cis men in trans women’s roles,” Embrys Graham, a genderfluid theater artist, wrote in emails to the Warner. “It perpetuates the damaging idea that trans women are ‘men in dresses.’ This concept has been the cause of hatred and violence against trans women.”

The reporter hit the nail on its head when he wrote,

The debate over representation in the arts has been gaining momentum, largely as it relates to the question of who should play parts portraying people in historically underrepresented groups. Most recently, a debate has unfolded over the casting of Ewan McGregor, who is straight, to play the gay designer Halston in an upcoming Netflix production.

This is about underrepresented populations. Through out the history Hollywood and the theaters didn’t hire minorities. Look at westerns almost all the original peoples were portrayed by white, Charlie Chan were played by Caucasian, and then Blackface, these all were done because of discrimination and bigotry.

Even the actor hired objected to be cast as a trans person…

“Of course I’m sympathetic to the trans community; I’m part of the LGBTQ community,” said Maher, a gay Connecticut actor. “Is [casting only a trans actor] a viable argument? Absolutely. Wouldn’t it have been best to use this as an opportunity to educate?”

The article mentioned that the play last year at the Long Wharf Theater used a nonbinary actor, Wikipedia says that in Chicago's About Face Theatre in 2016, Out Front Theatre Company in Atlanta, Georgia, and Spokane's Stage Left Theater all used trans actresses or actors.

There are those who argue that they should talent that can draw an audience but how do you get there if they don’t hire trans actresses and actors even for minor parts. The Warner Theatre is an excellent place to break-in new actors, it is off Broadway but close enough to get recognition and I bet you that some have gone on to Broadway. But trans actresses/actors are now showing up on mainstream television shows, on the big screen, and on Broadway, it is time to stop saying that there is no major trans talent out there.

Let us put an end to trans face and hire trans actors.

Visibility.

I have mixed feelings about the Transgender Day of Visibility, on one hand I realized that for many trans trans people being visible could be a death sentences for them but on the hand right now we need to be visible.

Trans Day of Visibility offers chance for community to stand in solidarity and support
The Conversation
By Jay A. Irwin
March 29, 2021


Visibility within the transgender community is often a Catch-22, especially for trans people of color, or those living in rural, conservative areas. Hiding one’s identity can be a damaging experience and increase feelings of isolation, stigma and shame. But standing out as a trans person can make someone a target for discrimination or violence.

As a trans man who studies transgender health and well-being, I believe Trans Day of Visibility – celebrated annually on March 31 – is an important day that allows community members to come together and find support and solidarity by knowing they are not alone.

A celebration’s history
Trans Day of Visibility acknowledges the contributions made by people within the transgender, nonbinary and gender-diverse communities (hereafter referred to as “trans” to encompass anyone who doesn’t identify with their sex assigned at birth).

TDOV has been marked annually since 2009. Before then, the only day of recognition the trans community had was Transgender Day of Remembrance – a day of mourning held on Nov. 20 to commemorate trans people who have died in the previous year.

We need visibility now more than ever, when we stay in the shadows the public only hears from the haters, research has shown when there is a face for the public to see the public is more likely to be for protection for us from the haters.

Fighting stigma
Visibility as a transgender person is not a one-size-fits-all approach for people within the trans community. Some people may embrace visibility while others, for comfort, safety or other deeply personal reasons, may not feel comfortable being visibly trans.

My manta. First rule in coming out… be safe.

However,

Magical feeling of casting off the invisibility cloak
Sidney Morning Herald
By Nyx Calder
March 29, 2021


My name is Nyx Calder. I am a non-binary and transmasculine actor, writer and speaker, and I use they/them pronouns. I have been living openly as a trans person for a little under 12 years, and working as an actor for a little longer than that. Most recently, I’ve been cast in the role of Scorpius Malfoy for the Melbourne production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. This role has had an immense impact on me, and I feel utterly thrilled to be portraying a lead role in such a major production while doing my best to provide what visibility I can for my own community.
[…]
I felt drawn to acting because I’d never seen anyone like me while I was growing up, or at least not in the mainstream media. I never had the opportunity to read books, see films or experience theatre that represented me or my identity in any meaningful way.
[…]
Every time I am messaged or contacted by a young gender-diverse person to say how awesome it is to see someone like them performing, whether they’re an aspiring actor or not, I know that I am one of the many talented folks stepping up to fill that void of representation I felt so keenly in my youth.

It’s what I’m celebrating on this Trans Day of Visibility. There are more of us every day, and if knowing we can work professionally and live happily gives guidance or hope to a younger generation, then I know I got into this profession for a far better reason.

My other mantra… No Transface!

I get a lot of push back on that from the community saying that actresses and actors… act and can play different characters so why not trans people? But… But… It goes far beyond that, it goes to employment, and it goes to visibility. It goes to the public seeing a trans person. It goes to the next generation having a role model.

Visibility goes beyond our country, it is global!

Tasmania celebrates Transgender Day of Visibility 2021
Examiner
By Isobel Cootes
March 31, 2021


March 31 is International Transgender Day of Visibility and it was marked by a historic moment in Tasmania, with the transgender flag being hoisted above Hobart Town Hall in anticipation.

The day was founded in 2009 as a reaction to the lack of LGBT recognition of transgender people, with the only national day being Transgender Day of Remembrance at the time.

Equality Tasmania spokesperson Dr Charlie Burton said the day was important as visibility increased awareness and in turn reduced stigma and discrimination.

It is important that we be seen!

It is important that President Biden appointed a trans person to a high office.

Biden picks 1st transgender person for Senate-confirmed post
AP News
By Will Weissert
January 19, 2021


WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden has tapped Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine to be his assistant secretary of health, leaving her poised to become the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

A pediatrician and former Pennsylvania physician general, Levine was appointed to her current post by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf in 2017, making her one of the few transgender people serving in elected or appointed positions nationwide. She won past confirmation by the Republican-majority Pennsylvania Senate and has emerged as the public face of the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Just like actresses and actors, Dr. Levine is someone other trans people can look up to and be a role model for other trans people.

When I was sticking my nose out of the closet back at the turn of the century the Standard of Care was about invisibility… you had to blend into society. Trans people like my could never have transitioned because I am easily identify as trans.

When Trans Visibility Comes At The Cost Of Trans Safety
Junkee
By Yves Rees
31 March 2021


Last year, the trolls came for my blood. It was December, I’d just published an op-ed in The Age about trans representation and was now a Visible Trans Person. My article, combined with several tweets, provoked the ire of online TERFs and other transphobes. My words were picked up by reactionary publications. For my sins, I was called a “heckler” and “hysterical rainbow bully”. The Catholics accused me of propagating “neo-Marxist gender ideology”.
[...]
So extreme was the vitriol, it would’ve been laughable if it wasn’t so alarming. Private messages placed curses on my family. I was sent a GIF of a burning effigy. “Fuck off”. “Piss off, zealot”. “Grow a spine snowflake”. It was relentless. This went on for days until, after almost a week, exhausted by the deluge, fearful of escalation, I deactivated my account.

Be Safe!

---

So what am I going to do TDoV?

Go grocery shopping.

Violence And The Threat Of Violence Shape Us.

Part of being trans is that worry in the back of our mind that nags us to be cautious, Laverne Cox speaks up about being attacked,

Laverne Cox speaks out on alleged transphobic attack: 'It was deeply traumatizing'
Good Morning America – Yahoo News
By Carson Blackwelder
December 23, 2020


Laverne Cox is continuing to speak out about the alleged transphobic attack she recently experienced in Los Angeles.

Recalling the incident, which occurred the Saturday after Thanksgiving while she was on a walk with her friend at Griffith Park, the "Orange Is the New Black" alum called the whole experience "deeply traumatizing" and "triggering" for her.

"Most of my life growing up in Alabama, I was bullied my whole life," Cox, 48, told "Good Morning America" on Wednesday. "Transitioning as a transgender woman in New York City I was harassed on the street practically every day, on the subway."
[…]
Cox explained, "It was a reminder for me, even though I'm like 'Laverne Cox, the actress who's on TV,' that if you are a trans person in public your life can be in danger and your safety can be in danger and the safety of people around you can be in danger just being trans in public."

We are never free of the violence, no matter how good you can assimilate into society, there is always that change of violence.

It's her hope, she shared, that people use this opportunity to "question their relationship to gender and policing people's gender in public."

Being a target of hate brings about a change in you, sometimes it for good and reach out to help others, and sometimes it is for the bad and you withdraw from society.

"That is an opportunity to really engage with having a good relationship with myself, and it has been messy," she continued. "It's been painful, but it's been really incredible and it's really been a great opportunity for spiritual growth."

"It's been nine months since the first quarantine in March and you can birth a baby in nine months," Cox stated. "You can birth a new you in nine months and I do feel like I'm becoming a new version of myself that I'm really excited about."

Violence tends to be top down. What I mean by that you usually find that violence is done by people who think that they are superior to you, to teach you a lesson. Take your pick… they are protecting women, because you thought that you could fool them (them meaning the perpetrator), or that they think that you were flirting with them) or they are protecting their fragile male ego.

No One Is Immune.

Trans people are not immune from violent attacks, the latest trans person to be attacked is Emmy-nominated actress Laverne Cox.

Laverne Cox Says She And Friend Were Attacked Because She’s Trans
Forbes
By Carlie Porterfield
November 29, 2020


Laverne Cox, best known for her role on Netflix hit Orange Is The New Black and for being the first openly trans person to be nominated for an acting Emmy, said she and a friend were targeted in a transphobic attack over the weekend by a stranger “looking for trouble because I happen to be a trans person in public.”
[…]
“It doesn’t matter who you are. You can be Laverne Cox, you know, or whatever that means,” she said. “If you’re trans . . . you’re going to experience stuff like this.”

It doesn’t matter who you are, whether you can integrate in to society or you are recognized as trans there is always that threat of violence.

Laverne Cox is 'in shock' but OK after she and a friend were targeted in transphobic attack
USA Today
By Hannah Yasharoff
November 29, 2020


Actress Laverne Cox is "definitely in shock" and "triggered" but OK after a transphobic attack while walking with a friend in a park.

Cox, 48, shared in a live Instagram video Saturday that she and a male friend had been walking earlier that day in Los Angeles' Griffith Park when a man "very aggressively" asked for the time. Cox's friend told him what time it was, after which the man asked, "Guy or girl?"

Her friend, understanding the man was referring to Cox, told him to "(expletive) off" and the man began hitting her friend, she recalled. The actress and her friend, whom she wanted to keep anonymous, believed the man wanted Cox to answer his questions so he could gauge "whether I'm trans or not."
[…]
"This dude was looking for trouble ... because I happened to be a trans person in public," she said. "That's all it felt like. This isn't shocking to me – obviously, this is my life. I've dealt with this a lot, but it never fails to be shocking, I guess... I've been trans my whole life, I've been harassed and bullied my whole life. None of this is new, but it's still just kind of like ... why do you need to be aggressive?"

She added: "If doesn't matter who you are. You can be, like, Laverne Cox, whatever that means. If you're trans, you're going to experience stuff like this."

Haters have been emboldened by Trump and have crawled out the swamp into the open.

I am a little leery because I have been on the local news many times and you never know what the right-wing “patriots” will do. One time a reporter found my home phone number and address, if he could find where I lived anyone could.

I worry about trans people like Jazz and other out trans young women, like Ms. Cox they can become targets for violence.

Be safe out there!

Trans Playing Trans

What a novel idea having a trans woman playing the part of a trans woman, that is something many of us hoped for.

Saved by the Bell star Josie Totah agreed to play show’s first trans character on one crucial condition
Josie Totah agreed to join the new Saved by the Bell cast on one condition: that she was given a voice behind the scenes.
Pink News UK
By Reiss Smith
November 26, 2020


The Saved by the Bell reboot landed on streaming service Peacock Wednesday (25 November), 27 years after the original series ended.

Along with the original cast, the new series introduces a new generation of Bayside High kids, including Totah’s character Lexi – a mean girl cheerleader with a sharp tongue and an even sharper wit, who is also the franchise’s first transgender character.

“Lexi is this mean, fun, aspirational, fantastical character that also happens to be transgender — but it [isn’t] everything about her,” Josie Totah, who is also trans told Teen Vogue.

The only thing I wonder is “a mean girl cheerleader with a sharp tongue,” will she be the villain of the show?

Teen Vogue had this to say about her…

Josie Totah has been gracing your television screen for nearly a decade. The talented young performer boasts an impressive resume, having previously starred in Disney Channel’s Jessie, Glee, and NBC’s Champions. But in those roles, Josie was contorting her identity in a way that acting should never require. In 2018, Josie penned a poignant essay for Time in which she publicly announced that she was transgender. According to Josie, that essay was more for the public than herself. Her family had known she was transgender since she was in pre-school. It was simply time for the rest of the world to catch up. In the op-ed, she manifested a bright future for her career, writing that coming out would allow her a “clean slate — and a new world.”

Now 19, Josie's new world includes college, where she studies film and belongs to a sorority, and affirming roles in Netflix's No Good Nick and the upcoming Amy Poehler-directed film Moxie. “It feels extremely exhilarating and freeing to get to not only do what I love but be who I am,” Josie tells Teen Vogue. “It definitely makes my job a lot easier, and just makes it more fun ... not having to worry about everything that came with playing a different gender.” Josie’s latest role is in this fall’s highly-anticipated revival of Saved by the Bell.

And it had this to say about being a “mean girl,”

Josie plays Lexi: a sharp-tongued cheerleader, the epitome of a Gen Z Valley Girl, and the fashionista queen bee of Bayside High, who is also transgender. In the show, Lexi’s gender identity is not her biggest plot point and is instead treated as a matter of fact, something that excited Josie when showrunner Tracy Wigfield approached her for the role. “Getting to play a role that’s dynamic and interesting and more than what people think about on the outside is such a gift as an actor,” Josie says. “[Lexi is] this mean, fun, aspirational, fantastical character that also happens to be transgender — but it [isn’t] everything about her. That was really important to me and the people that I talked to in the trans community because so much of the trans representation in [media] has to do with struggle ... and that's only when it's done in favor of trans people, [most] of the time [the media] perpetuates the negative stigmas and stereotypes that create the erasure of trans people in our world.”

Josie worked alongside Tracy to build the character of Lexi and is the only member of the younger cast to have a producer credit on the show. Josie wanted to not only ensure that they were flipping the popular cheerleader archetype on its head, but to more importantly protect the integrity of a trans character on and off-screen. “It had become clear to me that I wasn't going to participate in a show that depicted a trans character as one of the leads but didn't have the representation in the writers' room or on the producing team,” shares Josie. “It didn’t feel just to me. I told Tracy, ‘I will do the show, but only if I get to serve as a producer.’ She was so accepting and supportive of that idea and she really pushed the studio for me to get to have that role. Getting to play this multidimensional character and actually get to serve as a producer, to the point where I had a say in her layers, was a super cool opportunity.”

At the end of the Teen Vogue article I think Josie sums it up pretty good…

“I just want to tell stories that haven’t been heard,” Josie expresses. “I want to highlight creators and storytellers that are marginalized like myself and get to be in things worth talking about... and that make people feel seen.”

Hedwig

I have seen the musical twice the first time was at the Hartford Stage Company and the second time on Broadway with Neil Patrick Harris and the first time the lead was played by Anthony Rapp.

Down under there is a protest over the lead role in the musical.

'It's not about cancel culture': Hedwig and the Angry Inch postponed after trans-led petition
One of Sydney festival’s flagship shows will no longer go ahead, after the casting of Hugh Sheridan drew ire from sectors of the queer community
The Guardian
By Kelly Burke
18 November 2020


The actor who launched a petition that led to Sydney festival’s cancellation of Hedwig and the Angry Inch has spoken out about why they believe “it’s time to make change happen” when it comes to casting transgender roles.

The January festival announced the postponement of rock musical and seminal queer show Hedwig and the Angry Inch on Tuesday, following a flood of complaints over the casting of a cis male in the title role.

The Packed to the Rafters actor Hugh Sheridan was announced to be playing the role of Hedwig, a complex genderqueer character, in early November.

Okay so what are they protesting? They want a trans actor to play the part of Hedwig.

Since launching a social media campaign on Monday, Daya Czepanski has collected more than 1,700 signatories expressing the transgender community’s “profound sadness and disappointment” over the casting of “a cisgender male as a transgender character”.

“[This] is offensive and damaging to the trans community, and continues to cause genuine distress and frustration amongst trans and gender non conforming performers all across Australia,” the open letter posted on Instagram said. It called on the show’s producer and the Sydney festival to “rectify this casting choice” by casting a transgender actor in the title role, employing “trans advocates on the [Sydney festival] creative team”, and including “trans advisors and talent” in the Hedwig production.

Who knows the story of Hedwig, raise your hand.

Hmm… I don’t see many hands raised.

Well the story is about a teenager in East Germany in the 1970s, an American soldier is smitten with Hansel Schmidt (Hedwig) and the soldier concocts a plan to get Hansel out of East Germany by having a “sex change operation” (I didn’t use “Gender Confirming Surgery” because he was never diagnosed with gender dysphoria) then they can marry.

“It’s not about cancel culture,” Czepanski said, from their Covid-19 quarantine hotel in Christchurch, New Zealand. “It’s just about bringing an awareness that systemic change needs to happen from the ground up, and if we can fix the root cause of the problem we can work towards a healthy environment for non-cis trans artists.
[…]
“I don’t have all the clear answers; it’s a developing conversation, but it’s a conversation that needs to happen,” they continued. “It’s time to make change happen, and we can’t use the past as an excuse to not make that change.”

Those who follow my blog know that I am a support of trans characters play by trans actresses/actors so the conversation boils down to is Hedwig trans?

John Cameron Mitchell, an American actor, playwright, screenwriter and director who created Hedwig and originated the role, has previously said that he does not see Hedwig as a trans character, and that it was a role that could be played by anyone.
[…]
“Hedwig was forced into kind of an accidental trans state by political and by patriarchal pressures,” Mitchell told Buzzfeed. “I’ve seen trans people [play] it, I’ve seen female people do it … the feelings and the ideas are more important than the attributes of the person playing it physically or age-wise.”

The counter argument is...

“We are in a different time now, and we are trying to find a way to have these discussions,” she said.

So what do you think? Is Hedwig trans?

survey services

It’s A Bird, It’s A Plane, It’s Supergirl!

Or was Supergirl.

The show has been canceled.

Is the End of ‘Supergirl’ a New Start for Dreamer? Nicole Maines Hints We May See Her Again
The Cheatsheet
By Erika Delgado
September 25, 2020


Arrowverse fans everywhere are lamenting over the end of an era. Supergirl will conclude after the show’s forthcoming sixth season. Social media has been buzzing with reactions from the cast, including Nicole Maines, who brought a little hope for the future of her character.

[…]
Is the end of ‘Supergirl’ a new beginning for Dreamer?
Maines joined Supergirl as a series regular — and television trailblazer — in season 4. The star portrays Nia Nal, a journalist turned superhero who also happens to be transgender.

The character’s Naltorian lineage on her mother’s side gives her the power to dream the future. Hence, she took on the moniker of Dreamer. Aside from her precognition skills, Nia possesses superhuman strength and the abilities to astral project and manipulate energy in the physical world. Many of her storylines inspired, encouraged, and enlightened viewers of the show.

Now that Supergirl is ending, fans are bummed to lose a character they came to adore. But, in an Instagram post, Maines hinted that it might not be the end of the road for Nia Nal.

Maines began by saying, “While I’m sad that this must come to an end, I am beyond happy and proud. I am proud that I have been privileged enough to be able to bring Nia Nal to life, and to have been able to be a part of her evolution into Dreamer. She has meant so much to so many, and it has been my complete honor to get to play her for the past few years. And though she was created especially for Supergirl, I think we can all agree that we haven’t seen the last of her, and I cannot wait to see where she pops up next.”

Is there another amazing escapade for Dreamer?

Will we see her display her super powers again?

Stay tune for the next exciting adventure of Nicole Maines!

But in all seriousness it is nice to see a trans woman have such a following and make it in television.

Saw The Light… Change Can Happen

Back a couple of years I wrote about a cisgender woman cast to play the part of a trans woman and that  she backed out of the part, now they cast the part to a trans woman.

Scarlett Johansson’s infamous transgender film role will now be played by trans actor

But instead of a movie, the project has been turned into a television show.

LGBTQ Nation

By Alex Bollinger 

July 22, 2020

Actor Scarlett Johansson stirred controversy two years ago when it was announced that she would be playing a transgender man in the upcoming film Rub & Tug.

She withdrew from the film and people wondered if that meant that the story wouldn’t get told, but now Deadline reports that it has been turned into a television show and a transgender man will be cast as the lead.

In 2018, Johansson was cast in the role of Dante “Tex” Gill, a transgender man who ran massage parlors in Pittsburgh in the 70s and 80s, which caught people’s attention because she’s a cisgender woman.

[...]

Film and television production company New Regency – which had already bought the rights to journalist and author Brendan Koerner’s research on the Pittsburgh’s “Massage Parlor War” – announced that the project will now be a TV series and that Our Lady J, who is transgender, is involved in the project as a writer.

New Regency is also reportedly committed to casting a transgender actor to play Gill.

“Tex’s life story is like no other, and the rich landscape of this unexplored moment in time has truly captured my imagination,” said Our Lady J, who has written for the TV shows Pose and Transparent and appeared on RuPaul’s Drag Race as a pianist.

It is great that they are going to have a trans person play the part, I have always said that there is enough excellent trans talent out there and we just needed a chance to audition. 

Potpourri

Today’s post is a potpourri of news articles…

Nonprofit hopes to build 20 'tiny homes' for Black transgender women

Memphis-based My Sistah's House is one of several trans-run groups working to create long-term housing solutions for Black trans people in the South.

NBC News

By Julie Compton

July 12, 2020 

Ever since Perriviia “Black Butterfly” Brown moved into her Memphis, Tennessee, apartment in 2015, she has been afraid to sit on her front porch. A Black transgender woman who is partially blind, Brown said she doesn’t feel safe in her neighborhood. She said she often deals with transphobic abuse when she ventures to the nearby grocery store.

“I just stay in the house and mind my business,” Brown, 46, told NBC News. “If I have someone come over, they just have to come over on the inside. I would love to entertain on the outside, but it’s … so violent out here, and you don’t know who likes you and who don’t like you, and you don’t know if they got a hatred against trans women.”

[…]

But thanks to a recent campaign that has raised over $250,000 to build a small neighborhood of 20 “tiny homes” for Black trans women and nonbinary people in the Memphis area, Brown may soon own her own home — one with a porch where she can sit outside unafraid.

“Tiny homes” are a rising trend made popular with reality TV shows like HGTV’s “Tiny House Hunters.” Seen by some as a path to affordable, minimalist living, tiny homes are pre-made studio structures, sometimes converted from sheds, that cost a fraction of the price of a traditional home.

I would like to see something like that here but notice that they raised $250,000! And they will probably need to get that much money every year something that I think will be impossible here in Connecticut.

---

I think that this might be the dream of every trans women

Valentina Sampaio Is the First Transgender Model for Sports Illustrated

The Brazilian model, who is in the magazine’s swimsuit issue, was also the first transgender woman to work for Victoria’s Secret and grace the cover of Vogue magazine.

New York Times

By Derrick Bryson Taylor

July 11, 2020

Valentina Sampaio made history on Friday, becoming the first transgender woman to be featured in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, the magazine said.

In a personal essay on the magazine’s website, Ms. Sampaio, a 23-year-old Brazilian model, said she was honored to be in the publication.

“The team at SI has created yet another groundbreaking issue by bringing together a diverse set of multitalented, beautiful women in a creative and dignified way,” she wrote.

While Ms. Sampaio’s inclusion in this year’s swimsuit edition has earned headlines, it’s hardly a first for her: Last year, she became Victoria Secret’s first openly transgender model and was hired for catalog work for VS Pink, the company’s athletic line. In 2017, Ms. Sampaio was also the first transgender model to grace the cover of a Vogue edition.

[…]

MJ Day, the editor of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, said in a statement that Ms. Sampaio had been on her radar for some time and that she had noticed her passion for activism, calling the Sports Illustrated rookie a “true pioneer for the LGBT+ community.”

Do you think that we’ll see Ms. Sampaio on the big screen?

It think so. She has already but on one television show.

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Next up is an article about the trans ban in the military.

House Democrats call on military to end ban on transgender service

Military Times

By Harm Venhuizen

July 9, 2020

More than 100 House Democrats are calling for an end to the military’s ban on open transgender service.

In a letter sent Wednesday to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Attorney General William Barr, 116 lawmakers urged the DoD to update its policies, removing the ban in light of the Supreme Court ruling on Bostock v. Clayton County protecting LGBTQ people from workplace discrimination.

[…]

“This policy is an attack on transgender service members who are risking their lives to serve our country and it should be reversed immediately,” the letter stated.

Rep. Adam Smith, chairman of the House Armed Services committee, said last year that he hoped to revisit legislation regarding transgender military service in 2020.

The DoD says while it has some numbers on transgender service member, it doesn’t track transgender status of service members.

[…]

A workplace and gender relations survey conducted in 2016 showed just under 9,000 service members consider themselves transgender individuals, according to a DoD statement on transgender service members issued back when the policy was changed last year.

[…]

A workplace and gender relations survey conducted in 2016 showed just under 9,000 service members consider themselves transgender individuals, according to a DoD statement on transgender service members issued back when the policy was changed last year.

I think that it would be a very cold day in hell before Trump reconsiders the ban.

Trans Actresses/Actors

We have made big strides with trans actresses and actors so many more are getting parts in television shows and the cis actresses and actors are getting the message.

Halle Berry said she's going to play a transgender man in an upcoming movie, calling it a 'female story'

Insider

By Canela López 

July 6, 2020

• Actress Halle Berry announced in an Instagram Live that she is going to play a transgender man for an upcoming film. 
• Calling the plot a "female story," Berry told hairstylist Christin Brown she wanted to focus on a trans storyline because "who this woman was is so interesting to me, and that will probably be my next project."
• Berry's announcement comes just a couple of weeks after the release of the Netflix documentary "Disclosure," co-produced by Laverne Cox, which described the damaging history of cisgender actors playing trans roles.
• On Monday night, Berry issued an apology on Twitter.

Actress Halle Berry said she will "probably" play a transgender man in her next film role during an Instagram Live over the weekend.

"[The film is about] a character where the woman is a trans character, so she's a woman that transitioned into a man," Berry said. "She's a character in a project I love that I might be doing."

During the interview with hairstylist Christin Brown, Berry repeatedly referred to the transman she's going to play as a woman while using "she/her" pronouns to refer to him.  

"I want to experience that world, understand that world. I want to deep dive in that in the way I did 'Bruised,'" Berry said. "Who this woman was is so interesting to me, and that will probably be my next project, and that will require me cutting all of my hair off."

"That's what I want to experience and understand and study and explore," Berry said. "It's really important to me to tell stories, and that's a woman, that's a female story – it changes to a man, but I want to understand the why and how of that. I want to get into it."

“...it changes to a man…” Well she is off to a very, very bad start.

Then she finds out what we think of her Twitter thought of her comments.

Halle Berry Apologizes For Considering Playing A Transgender Character

Forbes

By Elana Lyn Gross

July 7,2020

TOPLINE

Halle Berry apologized Monday night and said that she will no longer consider playing a transgender person in an upcoming film role, opening up a larger dialogue about representation — last month multiple actors and actresses who were set to play people of a different race were recast.

KEY FACTS

• In an Instagram live interview on Friday, the actress said that she was preparing for a role, but had yet to be cast. 
• Berry received criticism on social media for misgendering the character multiple times throughout the interview using the pronouns “woman” “she” and “her” to describe a character who transitioned and calling it a “female story.”
• On Monday night she apologized on Twitter and said that “the transgender community should undeniably have the opportunity to tell their own stories.”
• LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD tweeted that they were pleased Berry “listened to the concerns of transgender people and learned from them” and urged other powerful people to do the same and to watch the Netflix documentary Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen, which examines Hollywood’s portrayal of transgender people. 
• The controversy about cisgender people playing transgender people in movies has gone on for decades — notable actors and actresses who have played transgender people include John Lithgow, Hillary Swank, Felicity Huffman, Sofia Vergara and Glenn Close.

There are some many trans actresses and actors out there that are getting parts in TV shows, plays, and movies out there and hopefully the tide is turning for us.

So You Say There Are No Good Trans Actors?

I hear the argument all the time that the reason cisgender actresses/actors get trans parts in movies and television show is that there are no trans actresses/actors who are known… we that isn’t true.

Mj Rodriguez Wins Best Actress at Imagen Awards, Makes Trans Herstory
The Pose actress is breaking new ground.
The Advocate
By Daniel Reyolds
August 13, 2019

Mj Rodriguez is a trailblazer once again.

The Pose star became the first transgender woman to win Best Actress - Television at the Imagen Awards, an annual event honoring positive representations of Latinx people in media.

Rodriguez, who portrays Blanca on the acclaimed FX drama, recognized the historic nature of her win Saturday onstage at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel.
[...]
"Obviously, this is not just for me," she added. "This is for the little kids like me ... and I’m just trying to speak as much as I can for my community as possible and that goes for my Latino community."

She is just one of many talented trans actresses/actors who are receiving recognition for their work some of them are...

• Laverne Cox – Orange is the New Black
• Jamie Clayton – Sense8 & Generation Q
• Michelle Hendley – Boy Meets Girl
• Rachel Crowl – And Then There Was Eve
• Jen Richards – HerStory

There are so many great trans actresses/actors out there that saying there are no trans actresses/actors who have box office draw is wrong.

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White actors playing…
Blacks
Chinese
Indigenous peoples

We find these offensive why don’t we find it offensive when cisgender people play trans parts?

Transface vs Blackface and how they are the same and different.
Planet Transgender
By Ariel Williams
June 20, 2017

Hollywood still doesn’t seem to understand a man playing a transwoman (transface) is no better than blackface. (I want to be clear that this is for different reasons but still just as bad.) I get that there is a smaller pool of trans actresses to choose from. That’s not to say they couldn’t find one if they tried but at least they could cast a woman to play the role of a WOMAN and lessen the narrative of trans = “man in a dress” a little as a compromise. This also lets them drive the movie with “starpower”. Though if trans women never get the roles when will we have a trans actress with “starpower”?
[…]
In many ways transface is a problem that shares the same core issues and criticisms with it’s cousin. One of the reasons blackface is universally despised is because it was historically used to make caricatures of black people that were insulting, demeaning and even dehumanizing of black people. Historical blackface was not even an attempt to actually look or portray a character as black. It was a wink and a nod to the audience to let them know this was a white man pretending to be black and then he would play a racially stereotyped, and insultingly biased mockery of black people.

Using a man to play a transgender actress is the same kind of wink and nod to the audience that this is not “really” a woman. They want the audience to look at the character and not think of her as a woman. By continuing to cast men as MtF they perpetuate the myth that transwomen are not women. And for that matter FtM should similarly be played by Transmen or men not women. All the better if they could cast a transwoman or transman 100%.

If you look at the history of trans characters in the media with characters like Milton Berle, Red Skeleton, Flip Wilson they all got laughs at our expense.

Then there were movies like Physco and Dressed to Kill that portrayed us as deranged killers.

In someways we are far beyond those portrayals but in other ways we are still struggling against those portrayals and having trans actresses/actors in trans roles and in cisgender parts will help break us out of the images that were created in the 50s, 60s, and 70s.

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The Wachowski sister Lilly commented on early portrayals of trans people

Lilly Wachowski makes rare public appearance to talk trans visibility
Page Six
By Alex Heigl
August 2, 2019

Lilly Wachowski took a rare step into the spotlight Thursday.

The transgender director — who, along with sister Lana, was responsible for the groundbreaking “Matrix” trilogy, and, more recently, the cult Netflix sci-fi series “Sense8” — was part of a panel discussion at the TV Academy’s Saban Media Center in North Hollywood Thursday night, titled “The Power of TV: Trans Visibility in Storytelling,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
[…]
“As I was growing up all of the trans characters were played by cisgender actors; there was a façade and the characters lacked real depth … the characters I would see — John Lithgow playing trans in ‘The World According to Garp’ — while it was lovely portrayal, there was an element missing.”