Trans Media Arts — Trans-centric Entertainment!
Hello All!! Well, we’ve almost made it through another year. It has been a rough year for LGBT people. We have come under attack like never before. Perhaps it is payback for our increased visibility. One thing for sure is that transgender people in entertainment aren’t going away anytime soon. There is always somethin’ a-brewin’ lately. So take a break from the Christmas rush, grab a cup of hot cocoa or some hot cider and keep warm with us here on TMA, the Trans Media Arts column. I will be your Ho-ho-hostess with the mostess, as always. This month’s column is fuller than a stuffed Christmas stocking! One final blowout for the year.
Danica and Demi
Singer Demi Lovato made a statement with her date at the 2017 American Music Awards. She decided to bring along Danica Roem, who was elected Virginia’s first transgender state legislator earlier this month. “We contacted her because I heard her story. She’s the first out and seated transgender state legislator in American history,” Lovato said. “When I heard that, I was just completely inspired by it. My story with Sorry Not Sorry”, her new single, “is all about bullying and I wanted to have her in the audience with me tonight because I feel like we’ve been through some of the same things and now we get to share this experience together.” Roem beat out an incumbent for the Virginia legislature by running on a platform of fixing local infrastructure, and showed that there is a glimmer of light in these dark political times for LGBT folks.
Tambor (L.) and Lysette
Jeffrey Tambor, a cis, male actor, has received praise and critical acclaim for his role as Transparent’s Maura Pfefferman, a transgender woman and parent. Sadly, it seems Tambor’s on screen nature may not extend to his real-life interactions. He has now been accused of sexual harassment by two separate transgender women who appeared on the show. Earlier this month, Amazon, which produces Transparent, has launched an investigation into Tambor’s behavior in response to a leaked Facebook post from his former assistant Van Barnes, which was circulating within Hollywood’s transgender community. The post described the lewd behavior of Tambor, and how he tried to tie keeping quiet about the harassment to him being able to raise the profile of the accusing actresses in Hollywood. Transparent’s writers have since been contemplating whether the fifth season can continue on without its accused star. Now, further allegations have emerged, this time from co-star Trace Lysette, who plays yoga instructor and transgender woman Shea on the show. She alleges that Tambor made sexually charged remarks and pressed his penis against her between takes, making subtle grinding moves. It’s all very creepy stuff if it is indeed true. We will follow this continuing story.
Rihanna, the singing superstar, tweeted her support for the trans community. She doesn’t like trans people being exploited for the sake of diversity just to sell products. She was asked by a fan to consider using a trans woman to promote her Fenty Beauty make-up range. Says Rihanna, “I’ve had the pleasure of working with many gifted trans women over the years, but I don’t go around doing trans castings! I don’t think it’s fair that a trans woman, or man, be used as a convenient marketing tool. Too often I see companies doing this to trans and black women alike. There’s always just that one spot in the campaign for the token ‘we look mad diverse’ girl/guy! It’s sad!”
Deen
Mashuq Mushtag Deen has a great story to tell. He tells that story in his autobiographical, one man show about his gender transition in Draw the Circle. On a sparse stage with only a white chair and a screen behind him, he weaves a tale full of emotion and many different characters, which he portrays. Curiously, he does not play himself in this tale. The amazing one-man show is playing in Washington DC at the Atlas Performing Arts Center through December 24th. Check it out if you are local to DC.
Chelsea Manning will take part in a keynote conversation about technology during Moogfest, a music, art and technology festival to be held May 17-20 in downtown Durham, North Carolina. Manning, a controversial figure who was assigned male at birth and served with the U.S. Army as an intelligence analyst under the name Bradley Edward Manning, was court-martialed and pleaded guilty on 27 charges related to leaking classified intelligence documents. She was sentenced to 35 years at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. She was released recently after her sentence was commuted.
Daniela Vega
A new movie called A Fantastic Woman follows a young transgender woman who works as a singer and waitress in Santiago, Chile. Daniela Vega plays Marina Vidal, who has just watched her lover succumb to an aneurysm. In trying to sort through her lover’s affairs, she finds drama, sadness and accusations, but also finds love and hope along the way. Vega is transgender herself, and her casting has been rightly hailed as an art-house breakthrough.
The new season of I Am Jazz begins on January 2nd. Jazz Jennings, a popular teen trans girl, is growing up fast and starting to experiment sexually. She is being introduced to another girl, which confuses her, but may blossom into a relationship. She also continues the quest for Gender Confirmation Surgery, but her special needs continue to get in the way. Hurricane Irma headed straight for her family in the Atlantic and haters confront Jazz in public. Sounds like Jazz has got her hands full with some big drama this season.
Jenner and “friend.”
Caitlyn Jenner has been seen around town with a girl in her twenties sparking the rumors that ole’ Cait is robbing the cradle with this girl. Cait has put those fears to rest thank goodness by denying those rumors saying that they are “just friends.” Suurrrrre they are. I think Cait needs to come down off of the mountain in Malibu and mingle with the commoners once in a while. Maybe I will head down there and slap her one. Bap!!
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old lang syne?
Yes, it’s time to say goodbye to 2017. What a year ‘twas. Enjoy your family, in whatever form that is. Gather close to loved ones and tell them that you love them. As always, enjoy those Holiday movies, which are in full swing now. Tell Santa what you want for Christmas. I want a 2018 Chevy Camaro SS. Hehe. So long for now folks! See you next year here on TMA!
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Category: Media, Transgender Fun & Entertainment
About the Author (Author Profile)
I am a transwoman originally from Pittsburgh, PA. I have been living full time for 5 years. I work in retail but am an artist/Graphic Designer and aspiring writer. I tend to address the controversial in my writing. I would love to change the world one article at a time. I moved to The San Francisco Bay Area to start over, again. But recently moved back to the East Coast. The adventure continues...Subscribe
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