Are There Too Many Transgender TV Shows

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/terri-lee-ryan/are-there-too-many-transg_b_7845150.html?utm_hp_ref=transgender

The Huffington Post/by Terri Lee Ryan   07/24/2015

"With the highly anticipated Caitlyn Jenner's show on E! airing this week, it occurred to me that the bigger issue than whether Jenner should have received the Arthur Ashe reward at the ESPY awards, is are there too many TV shows depicting transgender people?

Is it just too much at one time for an audience to absorb? Are we in the TG community attempting to force acceptance through highly scripted and well-staged reality shows that may or may not be representing the majority of the TG community? Will having so many transgender topic shows educate or turn off the very people they are attempting to appeal to, because it is too much, too soon?"

It's simply a mater of Hollywood not having any imagination. When somebody comes up with and idea, everybody copies it. Some of the cycles I have seen are Variety shows, Westerns, Detective, Spy, Space, Family sitcoms, People thrown together under one roof, talent shows and the one that is winding down is reality shows. Hollywood is looking for the next hot thing and they don't always get it right. This will run out of gas at some future date and Hollywood will be on the hunt for the next big thing. These shows are not intended to educate but are for entertainment. If people want an education they turn on PBS or another like channel that has far more content and far less fluff than these shows have. I am somewhat offended by them because I don't think they are a true reflection of the community but as I said, they will only be around for a short while until Hollywood moves on to something else.

I'm some what concerned about what where this Caiyln Jenner production will go. It has potential for either serious education or incredible superficiality .

I would like to see a sitcom with a transgender central character; laughter has a way of openining peoples hearts.

So far my favorite of the shows featuring trans characters is Sense8, It is clearly a science fiction series, which happens to have one of the main characters be transgender, but its not about a transgender former computer hacker getting super powers, its about a strong capable young woman in a long term loving and devoted relationship with another woman, who has a history of trouble with the law due to youthful computer crimes, who happens to be transgender. Her status as a trans woman is only brought up occasionally, she only outs herself to one other main character and that was in a very reasonable way and there is only one tiny minor moment where they indicate any part of medical transision. So ya the character is a openly gay woman who loves her girlfriend and happens to have been assigned male at birth.

Serena

I'd really like to see a transgender version of Will & Grace or a show like Modern Family that has transgender characters in it.

Quote from: Valwen on July 26, 2015, 12:04:37 AM
So far my favorite of the shows featuring trans characters is Sense8, It is clearly a science fiction series, which happens to have one of the main characters be transgender, but its not about a transgender former computer hacker getting super powers, its about a strong capable young woman in a long term loving and devoted relationship with another woman, who has a history of trouble with the law due to youthful computer crimes, who happens to be transgender. Her status as a trans woman is only brought up occasionally, she only outs herself to one other main character and that was in a very reasonable way and there is only one tiny minor moment where they indicate any part of medical transision. So ya the character is a openly gay woman who loves her girlfriend and happens to have been assigned male at birth.

Serena

So I originally wanted to watch this show just because of the cool concept but... ->-bleeped-<- I think I need to watch it now. I think a very important mile marker for any movement is the point where someone being in that group is merely a side note. I personally look up a lot to Neil Degrasse Tyson for this concept. Becoming famous not for being a black astrophysicist, just for being an astrophysicist.

If what you say is true, Sense8 might just be an incredibly important step for the trans community.

I felt that Nomi's status as a trans woman was only brought up in very reasonable and expected situations, but with a transgender actress playing a transgender character under the direction of a transgender writer/director it worked out to a show where 95% of the characters sceens would require no real change if the character had been cis. Hmm 12 episodes and several have no trans mention at all, though her love and devotion to her girl friend is apparent in all of them.

Plus her girl friend is played by martha jones of doctor who fame, so my labido was on board from minute one :-P

I would like to see a huge movie blockbuster with the tragedy, drama and brilliance that the film "Philadelphia" had.  I'd like the film to feature and star huge hollywood names as well, and if Tom Hanks were interested in appearing in a transgender movie, why not?  I wouldn't mind.  He was in the TV show "Bosom Buddies".     

Miles

If someone did a huge blockbuster movie i would love for there to be a trans character either as a main or major supporting character as long as that fact was not a major part of the characters story, a few vauge refrences perhaps to a old girlfriend who broke it off, or a friend saying something like "I knew you changed but your new look is not what I imagined" and mabye one direct comment something like "when the war began I was only a child a boy to everyone but myself, it too seeing those terrible things to give me the strenght to show the world who I really am"

In short there are far too many trans character in shows to be trans characters, what we need is characters in shows who happen to be trans.

also the whole field of LGBT seems drawn to theater and entertainment it shoudlent be too much work to cast more trans actors for trans parts, or better yet non trans parts, because unless your making porn whats in a performers pants should not matter to the part they play.

 

Reminder, site TOS 10:

Quote10. Bashing or flaming of an individual or group is not acceptable behavior on this website and will not be tolerated in the slightest for any reason.

Another word of warning.  Intentional misgendering of transgender people will NOT be tolerated here.

Too many? No, not at all. There could be more, but there needs to be a variety of stories and varying degrees of visibility. Some trans characters should be the stars and tell their tales, while others should be more towards the background living their lives. What I like is to find various movies or shows that have characters and situations that I can relate to. Unfortunately, there still isn't enough variety for me and I can't exactly relate to a lot of the trans stories or characters out there so far.

I'm all for entertainment and movies with intelligent stories to tell. I'd like to see some really in depth medical and social documentaries. A trans James Bond or MTF Vampire would be interesting.

odd side note in retrospect In Anne Rice's vampire chronicles lestat's mother comes off as FtM. She expresses her dislike of the feminine roll she has been forced into in life, though she loves her children and endures her husband she laments her gender, its limitations, and how she feels she should have been a man. Then right after being transformed into a vampire she discards her feminine garb and spends the next few centuries wandering the world presenting as male. Not exactly the same but still notable.

Serena

Doesn't dallas buyers club fit into that category even if it has some serious plot holes (trans woman helps run a business that imports non approved drugs from all around the world but seems unable to get hormones)

I quite enjoyed the I am Cait show, and sense8 was great, helps it was made by a trans woman of the matrix fame.

What about this new show, "Becoming Us".
I watched it for the first time last week end, It seemed to tell an accurate story about a family with a MTF.
Sorry I don't remember what station had it on, About 9:00 pm local time.

I enjoyed watching it !!



Jamie2

What is needed for the world to see us as we are.  People, not stereotypes.

A sitcom about a transgender woman would not attract the desired audience.  It would be quickly dismissed as a show about being transgender.  That could be good from your point of view or mine but would not attract the necessary audience to be a prime time program.

A large part of the potential audience will automatically switch to some other channel.  They - the majority of the populace - are not especially interested in people like us.  The haters won't even turn on that channel, and a lot of moderates wouldn't either.  People need a reason to watch a show.

What would work best is desensitizing the audience, not hitting them on the head with our concerns. 

Take a show like the Big Bang Theory.  There are five main characters and several others that appear regularly.  Stuart, the comic book store owner, Raj's sister Pryia, and Sheldon's nemesis, Leslie Winkle are examples.  Add a trans character to that group they way they added Bob Newhart.  Perhaps as another worker at their university.

That's the way I see it, anyway.  Your mileage may vary.