Problematic Casting Of Trans Character

[Butterfly]

Problematic Casting Of Trans Character
Transgriot
by Monica Roberts
Monday, March 21, 2011


http://transgriot.blogspot.com/2011/03/problematic-casting-of-trans-character.html


IFGE posted on its FB page a note about tonight's upcoming Harry's Law episode on NBC entitled 'Send In The Clowns'.   One of the storylines in it is about one of the attorneys defending a trans woman in a wrongful termination suit.

Well, what's mine, IFGE's and more and a few trans people's  problem with that?   They have a gay male actor in Queer Eye For The Straight Guy's Jai Rodriguez playing the role of the transwoman.

[tekla]

ProTip: try using an actor...

[Arch]

I've heard so many objections to casting for trans woman characters in movies and on television. If a cis man plays the role, it's insulting/inaccurate/misleading/fill in the blanks. If a cis woman plays the role, it's...well, the same, depending on who is objecting, plus some people call it "cheating." Now it's a problem if a gay cis man plays the role. But is it okay if an apparent straight cis man plays the role?

Sorry, folks, but Patrick Swayze is dead.

Yeah, I understand the concern over associations and stereotyping, but has anyone ever done a detailed survey of how many straight cis men have played such roles, how many gay cis men, how many cis women (gay or straight), and how many competent trans actresses are even working in TV and movies? The results might be illuminating for somebody. Maybe even me.

[~RoadToTrista~]

If a cis woman plays the role, it's...well, the same, depending on who is objecting, plus some people call it "cheating."

Really? I kinda like it. If a man plays the role of a transsexual woman then I find that insulting, but if a woman plays the role I think it's encouraging, and could maybe help people see us in our genders. (? Maybe not the best thing to put after that but I still like the idea of transwomen played by cis women XP) Perhaps I don't have enough experience with it, I can only think of Ugly Betty and Transamerica as examples. :3

There definitely are not that many trans actors or actresses.

[juliekins]

Alexandra Billings comes to mind. Wonder if she even got a casting call....

[Tammy Hope]

Would have been nice for Billings to have gotten the role but I thought the actor presented a very credible image and didn't look like the tedious "man in a dress" stereotype at all. i can't say it was brilliant acting but the appearance was fine.

And i thought the episode was very well written and respectful within the context of the regular characters. One of the better presentations of a trans character I've seen on a network series.

[tekla]

didn't look like the tedious "man in a dress" stereotype at all.

That's why they cast women, to avoid all of that.

[Arch]

didn't look like the tedious "man in a dress" stereotype at all.

That's why they cast women, to avoid all of that.

...and then somebody complains about it anyway because it's inauthentic or cheating or a copout.

You can't please everyone.

[tekla]

'Ya know - considering the huge amount of trans people who 'don't want to be trans' in some way, if not all ways - why would an actor who is TG ever want to play a TG part and get typecast as that forever?

[juliekins]

'Ya know - considering the huge amount of trans people who 'don't want to be trans' in some way, if not all ways - why would an actor who is TG ever want to play a TG part and get typecast as that forever?

Because they're unemployed and need the cash?

[Julie Marie]

Or they are hoping for, "I would have never known!"

[Cyndigurl45]

Did you happen to notice how he looked WOW!!!

[xxUltraModLadyxx]

probably the only movie i can think of that has a transsexual actress in it would be transamerica or the gwen araujo story. even then, i don't think the males playing the role are actually transsexual. the real gwen araujo is gone. i don't think there's ever been a movie with a real life transsexual actor/actress that wasn't all about gender change or story of a transsexual person. it shouldn't matter if the actor/actress is a real life transsexual. as long as the job gets done, that's all that matters. somehow, people view transsexuals as not real people.

[heatherrose]

Felicity Huffman, who portrayed "Bree" in Transamerica
is not a man nor a woman in transition,
just a very good actress playing the part very well.