Asher Huey
D.C.-based progressive activist and organizer
Harmony Santana, Transgender Actress, Nominated for Independent Spirit Award
Posted: 12/12/11 05:06 PM ET
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/asher-huey/harmony-santana-transgender-independent-spirit-award_b_1140182.htmlOver the last few decades the LGBT community has made major progress in the entertainment industry. It was once thought of as career suicide to be openly gay, much less transgender. But in recent years, openly gay and lesbian actors are routinely nominated for major industry awards, ranging from the Oscars and Emmys to the SAG awards and various other critical acclaims. Sir Ian McKellen and Jaye Davidson have both been nominated for Oscars. Chris Colfer has won a Golden Globe, and his Glee co-star Jane Lynch has won both a Golden Globe and an Emmy. But a major milestone was passed last week when transgender actress Harmony Santana was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Independent Spirit Awards for her performance in Gun Hill Road. From what I can tell, she seems to be the first trans actress nominated for a major Hollywood award.
Trans communities face an incredible amount of disrespect because of a lack of understanding about pronoun use and various general misconceptions, and because of the confusion this nomination is particularly impressive. Trans people have to endure their identities debated by disconnected politicians who oppose changing names on a birth certificate or gender markers on a driver's license. And people in casual conversation will offensively ask what a person's "real" gender is. The answer to the pronoun conundrum is simple: use the gender with which the individual identifies. Santana was nominated for Best Supporting Actress, in her proper category, against other female actors.
