Trans Media Arts: Trans in Entertainment!

Aloha, my friends, and welcome to our little trans entertainment corner of the world. Spring has sprung and Old Man Winter has been kicked to the curb. Hope springs eternal. I’ve tilled up some good stories for you. 

Shangela and her dancers did Beyoncé for Beyoncé.

The 2019 GLAAD Media Awards were held and Former Drag Race star Shangela Laquifa Wadley, known to her many fans as simply “Shangela,” performed for Beyoncé and Jay-Z at this year’s GLAAD Media Awards, adding to her stellar and promising year. The drag queen, who was a runner-up on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 3 and recently appeared in the Oscar nominated A Star Is Born, launched into a 7-minute medley of Beyoncé songs. Her performance was so good that even Beyonce herself, was thoroughly impressed. Shangela’s performance was designed to honor Beyoncé and Jay-Z, attended the ceremony to accept the Vanguard Award, which celebrates folks in entertainment who advocate for equal rights for LGBT people even though they don’t identify with the community themselves. 

Andreja Pejic modeling Bonds lingerie.

Andreja Pejic is the first transgender model to be the lead model for a “comfortable, but still sexy” Bonds’ lingerie line. The 27-year-old Bosnian-Australian model based herself in the United States seven years ago after being told she would not find work in the industry in Australia. She was born in Tuzla in the former Yugoslavia and in 2000, her mother emigrated them to Australia. Pejic states, “I think I have had a very interesting career. I have been very lucky to travel the world and work with incredible people and brands. I have proved myself beyond just being a ‘label’ and it’s nice to finally be recognized for my work.” Pejic’s journey to womanhood started at 13. She underwent sex reassignment surgery in 2014. She said, like a lot of young women, she had a complicated relationship with her body. “It took a really long time to accept myself and be comfortable with what I saw in the mirror,” she said. “Up until recently, I would say I would look in the mirror and would look for things that were wrong and to change and I had to train myself on how to look in the mirror and how to appreciate what was in front of me.” Even the beautiful ones doubt themselves when it comes to being trans. 

Shika Corona on stage.

Shika Corona, 42, is a transgender lead singer and guitarist of Tingtong Ketz, a Malaysian three-piece band whose upbeat songs about queer and transgender life are unique in the ultra-conservative Southeast Asian nation. Malaysia is a Muslim country, and anti-LGBT activity is on the rise as it LGBT visibility worldwide rises. Her songs focus on her trials of being trans in her country. She cites America’s own trans punk rocker Laura Jane Grace of Against Me! as a huge influence. 

Speaking of Laura Jane Grace, she is enjoying life on the road with her side project Laura Jane Grace and the Devouring Mothers. She had a little FFS in December. But she is planning on reuniting with her full Against Me! band to tour in May. There will be a show in San Francisco to kick it off. Not sure about the band’s plans for a new album, but knowing them, they are definitely writing. 

Laura Jane Grace and The Devouring Mothers.

In honor of Transgender Day of Visibility, Users in the U.K. could ask Alexa from Amazon to play the voice of a trans man who told a fictional, but compelling story compiled from actual trans stories. The story tells how the man hated wearing feminine attire and about his suicide attempt. Fortunately, it ends positively and says the trans guy is doing very well today and is much happier.

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Tags: featured, music, Musician, news, Transgender

Category: Transgender Fun & Entertainment