Freaks

[sam1234]

It seems like any time a transgender (someone who plays one), is on a T.V. show, they are portrayed as perverts, oversexed creepy people or, more rarely, child molesters. I tend to watch forensic show like CSI. Everytime I see a transgender on T.V. I wind up getting pissed off.

Is it just me or the genre of shows I watch? People watch those shows, and if they have never known a transgender, might think we are all bad. (Actually I'd bet that most people have either known or dealt with a transgender at one time or another and had no idea). If that is all people's exposure to transgenders is, its no wonder there is hatred towards us.

Sam1234

[suzifrommd]

Is it just me or the genre of shows I watch? People watch those shows, and if they have never known a transgender, might think we are all bad. (Actually I'd bet that most people have either known or dealt with a transgender at one time or another and had no idea). If that is all people's exposure to transgenders is, its no wonder there is hatred towards us.

Not just you, Sam. Seems that way to me too. I think this is a big problem when we try to pass anti discrimination laws. People think "well employers SHOULD discriminate against freaks like that" when these laws come up for vote.

I'd like to see organizations like GLAAD hold TV studios accountable for their portrayal of trans people the way the NAACP does for portrayals of people of color.

[Jade_404]

Yeah, I hear what you are saying. I have a friend and she is cool with me. One time tho... she says " Hey its all good as long as you don't get all "Buffalo Bill" on me and make me put the lotion on"  From "Silence of the lambs"...  Well, I just kinda laughed it off, but I was saddened deep to my soul that she would even associate me to that film Unfortunately many peoples window to the world it through their TV sets and that is all they know. I think [hope] things are changing in media and Transgender will be portrayed in a better light. I know my friend said it jokingly, she has been a supporter and ally to me, but I do wish we were not portrayed as freaks...

You know, she has also told me that I am the sweetest and most genuine person she has ever met, so I guess it balances out in the end 

-Jade

[Cindy Stephens]

Actually, I think that there has been a sea change in how we are presented.  A number of forensic shows have us as suffering the same problems as cisgirls and we are unknown until autopsy.  I have seen shows where some "guy" makes a nasty comment and someone else defends us.  That wouldn't have happened 10 years ago.  Silence of the lambs was a 1991 film.  Things are better. 

[Elis]

This is what annoys me most. Trans people too often are portrayed by cis people, for example Dallas Buyers Club or there's that new film about a trans guy played by a female actor. Yes they may be good actors, but they don't know what we go through and don't fully get across the point of how difficult our lives are, except maybe for TransAmerica. I was glad that Laverne Cox got a role in Orange is the New Black, but she's not even one of the main characters and only has a few lines each episode, if she appears at all. The Bruce Jenner reality show is going to be awful for our community too. It's going to portray falsely that transitioning is easy and can be done quickly,  bcos she's a millionaire and can afford the best therapists and doctors as well as the health insurance. We need documentaries depicting ordinary trans people to show it's not like that. If we have sympathy then maybe we can have acceptance. My rant over.

[sam1234]

Ok, so I'm not crazy. No one on T.V. could get away with the same attitude and jokes about females that have to have a mastectomy for cancer or a guy had a vasectomy. I guess people, at least in some cases, are afraid of us. We turn their world upside down. As long as gender dysphoria is considered a mental illness, and people keep thinking that gender reassignment surgery is either just a sex issue or a perversion against God, there will be discrimination.

More than once I've heard people say that transitioning is a sin because God made our bodies and we should "not give in to perversions" because God meant for us to be the gender our bodies reflect. What then of cleft palates or other deformities? Should they have to remain the way they were born and not insult God by fixing the cleft palate or other deformity?

Sam1234

[Elis]

Ok, so I'm not crazy. No one on T.V. could get away with the same attitude and jokes about females that have to have a mastectomy for cancer or a guy had a vasectomy. I guess people, at least in some cases, are afraid of us. We turn their world upside down. As long as gender dysphoria is considered a mental illness, and people keep thinking that gender reassignment surgery is either just a sex issue or a perversion against God, there will be discrimination.

More than once I've heard people say that transitioning is a sin because God made our bodies and we should "not give in to perversions" because God meant for us to be the gender our bodies reflect. What then of cleft palates or other deformities? Should they have to remain the way they were born and not insult God by fixing the cleft palate or other deformity?

Sam1234

I don't how else to describe my being trans with a medical word instead of mental illness though (I would never say it's that though, just say my sex doesn't match with my brain). GID sounds just as bad. There's also people who don't understand how hard dysphoria is and say top surgery is mutilation, eg my brother.

[Ms Grace]

I've found I feel a lot better about myself if I just ignore stupid people and their small minded beliefs. As for Hollywood's depiction of trans people, it's a cliche festival which represents the ignorance and juvenile attitude of many writers, directors, actors and producers. There has been a shift though and the depiction is becoming more even handed and in some cases trans characters are being played by trans actors.

[Shodan]

Transparent, for all it's faults, does have a fairly solid representation of the trans community. As a show it has some deeply serious flaws, though, one of which that it does play an FtM character as kind of a joke.

[JoanneB]

My perception is during the ratings "Sweeps Weeks" is when the dust of a script with a trans person. Always an big ratings grabber    Very few shows portray a trans person, especially MTF in a favorable light. I think the first with a recurring character was Ally McBeal. Sadly the trend pretty much died in the 80's(?) with the show

[Ms Grace]

It's a reflection of cis normative fears, the idea of being "fooled" and ending up in bed with "damaged goods" seems to be a strong theme. Elementary has a trans character plYed by a trans actress, although she's barely seen. Likewise Orange is the New Black.