Burlesque (movie) - Transphobic slur?

[Summerfall]

There's a scene in the movie where Christina Aguilera's character first meets a rude dancer at the club. They exchange some words, which ends with Christina commenting:

"You're so beautiful... no one would ever know you're a dude." Zing.

About five to ten minutes later, someone asks the rude dancer why she doesn't like Christina, and rude dancer replies, "She called me a drag queen!"

I personally found at least the initial comment to be very hurtful and transphobic at heart. My stomach sank when I heard it. The implication seems to me that, no matter how beautiful a person is, if you can call them out, or even just chidingly accuse them, as trans, then you've put them in their place. To be clear, transwomen are not/never were really "dudes", but ignorant, transphobic comments like, "She's really a man, you know" are unpleasantly familiar to almost anyone living in this society.

I know that I wouldn't have watched the movie in the first place if I knew such comments would be present.

How does everyone feel about this? Does the drag queen comment actually remove the anti-transsexual aspects?

[xAndrewx]

When I saw it I just assumed it was a drag queen joke and not meant to be transphobic so it really didn't seem like an insult. Had the girl actually been a transwoman I would have seen it differently. To be fair I'm not a transwoman so that could be why it didn't offend me. However if I reversed it and had she been saying something like "You're so handsome... no one would ever know you're a woman" or something like that it wouldn't have bothered me if she was talking to a drag king however might have been offensive had it been aimed at a transman.

Sorry I'm tired so sorry if that didn't make sense. I hope it did.

[spacial]

While I do understand where you're coming from it sounds more like an attempt at being bitchy.

Bit like the woman who said to another, 'Nice dress, but you left the curtain rings in'. Or the one who said, 'When you talk to your husband, do you say Woof woof!!'

Attacking another woman's femininity seems to be a running theme among some women.

[Wendy1974]

It is the very definition of transphobia.

[Cruelladeville]

Film makers always play the Trans thang as a cheap eyebrow lift moment....

In the gym yesterday I caught this ad on the plasma screens....



Yep he is..... i guess in this case it's judged to be kool....hip and trendy....

Sadly no matter what we ever do the cliches will keep-a-coming..... 

[Epigania]

I actually took no offense to the line when I saw it.   As someone mentioned, it was meant to be a bit of a catfight sort of comment implying she was a drag queen, which do shows that are similar to the lip syncing shows they were doing.

I saw no malicious intent in the line, but didn't find it funny either.   I'll be honest, the acting in that movie wasn't Oscar quality.

[tekla]

I'll be honest, the acting in that movie wasn't Oscar quality.

Our local reviewer said that it could have been the new Showgirls, but it wasn't that good.  Ouch.

[Summerfall]

When I saw it I just assumed it was a drag queen joke and not meant to be transphobic so it really didn't seem like an insult. Had the girl actually been a transwoman I would have seen it differently. To be fair I'm not a transwoman so that could be why it didn't offend me. However if I reversed it and had she been saying something like "You're so handsome... no one would ever know you're a woman" or something like that it wouldn't have bothered me if she was talking to a drag king however might have been offensive had it been aimed at a transman.

Sorry I'm tired so sorry if that didn't make sense. I hope it did.

I've tried to think about it as a drag queen joke. But I keep coming back to the heart of the joke being that she is "really a man". It's not like anyone was attacking her for being campy or over-using makeup.

It's probably not worth getting too upset about, but its distressing to feel like a target for ridicule when I thought I would be enjoying a movie.

@Cruella: How clever of them! SHE is really a HE! OMG! 

[Crimbuki]

Well I'm glad I passed this movie up last night for Skyline (totally bad ass).

I think the comment is definitely trans-phobic and stems from the common perception that anyone who has or has had a penis is less of a person of beauty or grace than the vagina-havers.

[Britney♥Bieber]

I loved the movie and it's one of my favorites. I don't think this line was ~transphobic~ or anything and those who think so, imo, are reading too much into it. I thought it was funny cuz the girl was being a bitch and Christina's character wanted to make her feel stupid. She was just saying she looked like a man. Nothing to do with being trans.

[Summerfall]

Well I'm glad I passed this movie up last night for Skyline (totally bad ass).

I think the comment is definitely trans-phobic and stems from the common perception that anyone who has or has had a penis is less of a person of beauty or grace than the vagina-havers.

I'm happy at least one person didn't pay to feel like they were insulted. I'll have to go see Skyline next time at the movies.

[Crimbuki]

Ok, but go in expecting some cheese. It's a fantastic film, if you could make a fantastic film by mushing Independence Day and The Matrix together.