Trans in Film and Video 5/2/22
Hunter Schafer
Hunter Schafer, one of the stars of Euphoria, spoke out recently about the anti-trans bills Texas has passed into law. Schafer is a trans woman who portrays a teen trans girl on the show. She has had experience living in a state that banned her from using public restrooms and was asked by Variety what advice she has for the trans children of Texas. She told them “I think just stand firm in what you believe in.” Pointing to her heart, she added, “That’s in here, and their bulls–t rules can’t change that. That’s the real s—t.” Watch her interview with Variety.
Other transgender celebs are also working to assist trans kids through these tough times. The trans film makers, the Wachowskis, are auctioning off props, artwork, and artifacts that were used in their films such as The Matrix series, Jupiter Ascending and the show Sense8. The proceeds of the auction will be given to Ariana Grande’s Protect & Defend Trans Youth Fund.
If you want a piece, or two, of the Wachowski trove you can access the auction online. The live auction begins May 12 at 11 a.m. ET.
Bishesh Huirem
Indian film makers have be criticized by the trans community in India for casting cisgender male actors to portray trans women characters. Some would maintain that the films need star power in order to attract an audience and while that maybe true it should be a problem solved by making trans actors into stars that can fill theater seats. One such performer is Bishesh Huirem. Huirem is the winner of the Best Actor trophy by the Manipur State Film Awards for her role in Bobby Wahengbam’s Apaiba Leichil (Floating Clouds), which portrays the struggles of third gender people in Indian society. Winning the award garnered national headlines and recognition outside her home state. With her as a role model other trans actors may be encouraged to pursue an acting career. The Manipur film industry has been employing third gender people in crew positions, such as make-up artistes and choreographers but Huirem has emerged as a rare transgender mainstream performer. Learn more about her from The Print.
Laverne Cox said in a recent interview, “I’m flummoxed, outraged, baffled by how hard conservatives are going against trans people.” Could that be because all the hate directed at transgender people is totally not necessary? People do just want to live their life and are no threat to anyone. Cox made that statement at the beginning of an interview with the website them. As the most famous Black trans woman in the world she is using her fame to promote equal rights for trans people. Learn how she rose to stardom from humble beginnings in the them interview.
Yasmin Finney
British coming of age romance Heartstopper is based on the webcomic and graphic novel of the same name. The romance is between two British school boys, Charlie and Nick as they strive to understand if their relationship means more than just being friends. One of the supporting characters has been accused of stealing the show. The character is a trans girl named Elle, portrayed by Yasmin Finney. Learn more about her and the Netflix show in ReVamp.
Disney’s delayed response to Florida “don’t say gay” law has led The Chi to lose actress Jasmine Davis. Davis quit in protest. The Chi has completed its fourth season on Showtime and is a Disney production. Davis tweeted “Due to the many inquiries I’m officially announcing. I will not be in season 5 of @SHOTheChi and I will no longer be part of #thechi/#disneyproduction.”
Amit
The Spectrum Film Festival on Martha’s Vineyard is featuring a film titled Family in Transition. the documentary film is set in the northernmost Israeli coastal city of Nahariya and was directed by Ofir Trainin. It is the story of Amit Tsuk’s transition from male to female. It took Amit over twenty years to come out as a woman and during that time they had married and raised a family. At first supportive of Amit their wife became more concerned about how they would maintain their relationship as hormonal changes happened and surgery was discussed. For more on the film visit the Martha’s Vineyard Times. Family in Transition will be shown during the festival on May 7.
Category: All TGForum Posts
About the Author (Author Profile)
Angela Gardner is a founding member of The Renaissance Transgender Assoc., Inc., former editor of its newsletter and magazine, Transgender Community News. She was the Diva of Dish for TGF in the late 1990s and Editor of LadyLike magazine until its untimely demise. She has appeared in film and television shows portraying TG characters, as well as representing Renaissance on numerous talk shows.Subscribe
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