Reflection
The learning outcome that I would like to focus on is the second one — how institutions maintain the dominant assumptions that influence the development of individual identities. Specifically, I’d like to focus on the trans identity, and how a young trans person’s self-esteem can be hindered because of dominant social beliefs and unfair representation.
Going on this trip reminded me (as I have needed to be reminded) that there is no one way to be trans. We, like every part of the community, host a spectrum of people that have all different stories, lives, and expressions. But not everyone is as lucky as I am and gets to see the kind of queer diversity that San Francisco has to offer. Instead, many trans people (trans youth in particular) are stuck with the poor representation that we are forced to wrestle out of Hollywood. Filmmaking institutions, for the most part, avoid writing trans characters into their stories. On the rare chance that they do, the actor portraying the trans person is usually not a trans actor. For example, many cis females are cast to play young trans men. Additionally, even if there is a trans actor cast for the role, they tend to fit in the same box. Fully or nearly fully transitioned, very attractive, able-bodied, slim, and usually white. Because of these casting choices, a young trans person will have a limited view of what it means to be trans, as well as a lack of understanding of the range and dynamic identities within the trans community. The filmmaking and television industries have, unintentionally or not, created a box that many young trans people find themselves wanting to fit into. The desire to appeal to cis people and conform to the ideals of gender that they find appropriate is even more enforced by the cisgender directors, producers and writers who refuse to diversify our community in their media format.
Casting cis actors in trans roles is just as upsetting, if not more upsetting, then seeing the limited amount of trans representation. Although I would never argue against choosing the best actor for the role intended, in today’s climate, it is more important than ever to see trans people on the screen. The decisions made by production companies to cast cis actors leave the impression on trans people that they are not “truly” the gender they identify as--and the same impression is left on cis people. Eddie Redmayne acting as a trans woman in The Danish Girl frustrated many viewers--not because of Redmayne’s lack of acting skill, but because of the very fact that he was acting. Cis viewers could assume that trans people are doing the very same thing, simply “acting” as they present as the opposite gender, when in reality they are presenting their most authentic self and removing the mask of pretending to be their birth gender. Additionally, these decisions have an effect on the trans people who view them. Again, I look at the impact on young trans people. If a young trans man sees himself portrayed by a female actor, he begins to assume that’s the way that people see him--simply a woman dressed and acting as a man. These decisions give young people a warped and misinterpreted view of their own identities, and cause more harm than good.
While I could argue a million reasons why these actions have debilitating consequences on the viewers, I cannot argue that any of these choices were made with malice or harmful intent. The problem lies in the fact that many of the people trying to tell stories about transgender people are not transgender themselves. Instead, we see cis directors, producers, and production companies run by cis people who have decided to tell a story that is not their own. Consequently, the film becomes unintentionally warped with assumptions that cis people make about trans people. This is also done with the assumption that this film will be viewed by a cis audience--who will also view all of these decisions as perfectly fine. Because of cis people having the dominant voice in media, trans people’s stories often get stolen and twisted out of their hands, and rarely do we get a chance to tell our own story in a way that is by and for trans people. Trans people are not objects for cis people to decipher, nor are they an interesting plot point for cis people to offhandedly include. There need to be more stories made by trans people, for trans people. Only then will cis people be able to see what it is like to be trans--when they have no hand in deciding for us.
