Transphobia in movies

[Padma]

The Laurels are pretty understanding about the difficulties involved. I think they just like to see you show willing to be moving towards living full time. I was a special case, since I was already living full time when I arrived there.

[Arch]

The NHS in the UK doesn't provide trans women with any FFS or electrolysis, and since the funding changes that kicked in this month, no laser treatment either. It's a bit of a contradictory set-up, demanding that people live full-time and then making that only accessible to those who can afford to pay for their own beard removal (though it's definitely much better than nothing). Most trans women in the UK don't have FFS, but then in general we don't have the culture of cosmetic surgery that they do in the US, for example.

Thanks for the clarification, Padma. I still think they could have made her a lot less offensive...or they could have made the character cis. But then, they wouldn't have been able to build on the whole Buffalo Bill mythos, would they? (Or do Brits not watch The Silence of the Lambs?)

[Padma]

I saw the film and hated it all the way through. At the time, though, I was more focused on how the villain seemed a target for homophobia, rather than transphobia.