GLAAD

This Trans Awareness Week (#TransWeek), GLAAD sat down with transgender people and their families for a look beyond the surface of what it means to be trans. This video series explores a variety of issues affecting the trans community.

The people spotlighted in “Beyond the Surface” speak about their experiences with trans representation in the media, societal expectations and gender roles forced onto children from a young age, and the specific risks transgender people (especially trans youth) face. But they also talk about the positive—family bonds that are stronger than fears, the ways in which things are changing for the better, calls to action against anti-trans policies and rhetoric in our daily lives, and messages of love and resiliency for transgender youth.

Here is a deeper look beyond the surface:

Ivory Aquino, she/her

“Claim your power…Don’t wait for anyone else outside of yourself to validate you…You’re worthy of love, you are enough as you are. “

Ivory, an actress known for her role in the ABC miniseries When We Rise, discusses her experiences as a trans actress and shares a message for trans youth of self-acceptance. Ivory discusses how seeing beauty pageants helped her realize her identity a a trans woman, and how the expectations society put on her made her realize that she was different. She also talks about childhood bullying and how hopeful she is for the future, given the increase in trans representation in the media.

Transgender people are disproportionately at risk for harrassment, homelessness, and suicide. Though transgender representation in the media is on the rise, it is still marginal: only 17 transgender characters were counted broadcast, cable, and streaming TV shows in GLAAD’s recent 2017-2018 Where We Are on TV report. 

Jodie Patterson, she/her

“And then Penelope said, ‘No Mama, I don’t feel like a boy, I am a boy…The more I started listening to Penelope, those initial fears went to the background.”

Jodie, owner of her own beauty company and mother of five, discusses her experiences raising her transgender son, Penelope. She talks about her concerns as a parent of a transgender child, especially given the violence transgender people face. Penelope began telling his mom that he was a boy at the age of three, and Jodie talks about how she raises her children to love and respect themselves. She talks about the importance of acknowledging that, while Penelope being trans is a part of his story, he is so much more than his one identity as a trans kid.

Violence against trans people, especially transgender women of color, is on the rise in the United States. Transgender youth are disproportionately at risk for bullying and harrasment at school. Despite this and other adversities, there are very limited legal protections in place for transgender people. 

Tiq Milan, he/him

“It’s really important for us to see that we exist, and that we’re happy and that we’re healthy, and that we’re loved, but at the same time what’s even more important is that we are in control of the images that we see.”

Tiq, an advocate, journalist, and media consultant, discusses why he works as a media advocate. He talks about the need for trans people to be represented in all aspects of media content creation, the specific risks faced by trans people, especially trans youth, and the dangerous false misconceptions behind current anti-trans policies. He also discusses the difficulties in being out and visible as a trans person, how the media narratives around trans people need to shift, and the importance of beginning conversations that will ultimately lead to a shift in opinions around trans people.

Chris and Courtney Rhodes, he/him and she/her

“I wish I had an easier or smoother life… or it would be easier if I was cisgender… but this awakening and falling back in love with myself – I don’t know how I could have gotten it any other way.”

Chris and Courtney Rhodes are identical twins that discuss their experience of coming out together initially in high school as lesbians, and then again once Chris realized that he was trans. They discuss their relationship and how it has evovled as Chris has transitioned, family reactions to their coming out while living in rural Texas, and the lessons that they both have gained from Chris’s transition. They also talk about the importance of respecting everyone regardless of identity, the strength it takes to be authentic, and Chris’s journey to self-acceptance. 

Family acceptance can be so important for those in the transgender community. There is research that suggests that family acceptance can be an a large factor in positive mental health outcomes for transgender people. In fact, the 2015 U.S. Trans Survey found that trans people whose immediate families were supportive were less likely to report a variety of negative experiences related to economic stability and health, such as experiencing homelessness, attempting suicide, or experiencing serious psychological distress.

Transgender people and issues of particular importance to the trans community are more than the surface-level representations and narratives often presented by the mainstream media, and it’s important that we all have a deeper understanding of them. All of the hardships discussed in this series contribute to a climate of hostility that makes it difficult for transgender people to simply live their lives. But these negative conditions are not irreversible, and they are not the entirety of what it means to be trans, as these videos show. The stories of Ivory Aquino, Jodie Patterson, Tiq Milan, Chris and Courtney Rhodes and so many others show how complex and intricate this really is, and why all we need to continue pushing beyond mere surface-level representations of the trans experience.  

In addition to producing this video series for #TransWeek, here are more actions GLAAD is taking to accelerate acceptance, and foster a climate of acceptance:

We’re proud to be going Beyond the Binary, and to provide examples of how our language can change to be more inclusive of people of all gender identities. Take the pledge to go Beyond the Binary today! 

It’s #TransWeek! Let’s look #BeyondTheBinary at 5️⃣ ways you can be gender inclusive with your language. t.co/wqkF7cskrm pic.twitter.com/vodgJhTTbs

— GLAAD (@glaad) November 13, 2017

For Trans Awareness Week, GLAAD’s offers some ways to take a stand in the fight against anti-trans policies.

In addition, GLAAD hosted a Q&A Twitter chat on the subject of trans masculinities:

⚡️ Creating our own trans masculinities: trans men discuss for #TransWeekt.co/aaXrqKk51y

— GLAAD (@glaad) November 15, 2017

Want to share your story, speak out, or read more from others? Use or read through the hashtag #TransWeek on social media, and join the conversation today!

Every week, the GLAAD Wrap brings you LGBTQ-related entertainment news highlights, fresh stuff to watch out for, and fun diversions to help you kick off the weekend!

1) The Light of the Moon opens in Los Angeles this week. The film premiered in NY on November 1 and will expand to Houston and Seattle next weekend. The Light of the Moon follows Bonnie (out actress and Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Stephanie Beatriz) in the six weeks after she is sexually assaulted while walking home from an evenining out in Brooklyn.The film explores how the assault impacts Bonnie herself, as well as the effect it has on her relationships with colleagues at work, her longterm boyfriend, and with her best friend Jack (out actor and How to Get Away with Murder star Conrad Ricamora). Check the film’s website for more information on how to find a screening near you, as well as special events which will include appearances by cast members. You can watch the trailer below for The Light of the Moon.

2) The official trailer has been released for out YouTube star, singer, and actor Todrick Hall’s documentary Behind the Curtain. The film follows Hall through the process of producing and starring in a full scale musical Straight Outta Oz and his journey from a small town in Texas to fame. Hall also announced this week that he will be returning to Broadway to play Billy Flynn in Chicago, in the run starting November 30^th. Behind the Curtain will be available on iTunes on December 12^th, and DVD on December 19^th. In other documentary news, Greenwich Entertainment has just bought the rights to documentary Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood.

3) The full length trailer for Lena Waithe’s upcoming series The Chi was released on Thursday. Created and executive produced by the Emmy Award-winning out lesbian, along with actor and musician Common, The Chi follows a group of different people in the South Side of Chicago as they become connected by events out of their control. The trailer gives a more in-depth look at the characters, while showing their different perspectives. The Chi premieres January 7^th on Showtime.

4) The GLAAD Media Award-winning drama The Fosters has dropped the first promo for the series January return! This marks the second half of the series’ fifth season, and this spring will include the show’s landmark 100th episode. Check out the promo below which includes some clips of everyone’s favorite moms, Stef and Lena, and promises some drama ahead for Callie and Aaron’s relationship. The Fosters will return January 9th on Freeform.

5) The official trailer for FX and Ryan Murphy’s The Assassination of Gianni Versace was released this week. The miniseries, second of the American Crime Story anthology installments, focuses on the people and events that lead to the infamous gay designer Versace’s assassination by Andrew Cunanan. The series stars Edgar Ramirez, Darren Criss, and out singer and actor Ricky Martin. The Assassination of Gianni Versace will premiere on January 17^th, and you can watch the trailer below.

6) Netflix released its first trailer for season two of Easy, a series of vignettes set in Chicago of people navigating through modern romance. Last season featured a GLAAD Media Award-nominated episode which starred Kiersey Clemons and Jacqueline Toboni as a new couple. Both actresses are credited to return for the second season, meaning viewers can catch up with their story. In other In other Netflix news, out actress Ellen Page has been cast as one of the leads in the streaming service’s upcoming The Umbrella Academy, the live-action superhero series based on the graphic novels.

7) Sundance Now has given their first original straight-to-series order to This Close, a dramedy about the relationship between two best friends who happen to be deaf, written by and starring Shoshanna Stern and out gay writer Josh Feldman. Based on the series of shorts written by Stern and Feldman, the series will follow their friendship as Stern’s character gets engaged and Feldman’s character tries to get over his ex. The series also stars Marlee Matlin and Cheryl Hines, and will premiere in early 2018.

8) Several premiere dates were announced this week for LGBTQ-inclusive shows with mid-season premieres. Nashville will begin its sixth and final season on Thursday, January 4^th on CMT, which will feature gay country singer Will Lexington and his new love interest. The CW announced that new superhero show Black Lightning, which includes two queer women, will premiere on January 16^th. GLAAD Media Award-nominee Grace and Frankie announced its fourth season will drop on Netflix on January 17^th. Season four of Schitt’s Creek, which stars out gay comedian Daniel Levy as a pansexual character, will premiere on Wednesday, January 24^th on Pop. Emmy Award-winning drama, The Handmaid’s Tale, which recently announced the casting of Clea DuVall as the wife of lesbian character Emily (Alexis Bledel), will air its second season in April of 2018.

9) Former frontman of Christian rock band Everyday Sunday, Trey Pearson, released his first solo album since coming out as gay. The album, Love is Love, speaks to Pearson’s coming out story, and his journey of acceptance. “Love Is Love is an anthem celebrating the freedom to love each other, without fear, because all you need is love,” Pearson told Billboard of the song and the album. The seven track-album follows Pearson on his emotional journey, and is available for purchase and streaming now! In other music news, pop duo SUPERFRUIT have released a new music video for their song “Keep Me Coming,” the final video off their debut album FUTURE FRIENDS.

10) Out pop star Sia dropped her first holiday album, Everyday is Christmas, this week. Just in time for the holiday season to start ramping up, the singer’s album is filled with upbeat festive tunes as well as a handful of ballads. Whether she is singing about falling in love with a melting snowman or just a puppy, the album stays true to Sia’s unique voice. Everyday is Christmas is available on streaming and for purchase now! Out Australian singer Sam Sparro has also released a four-track holiday album, Christmas in Blue, a jazzy collection showing off the singer’s impressive voice as he covers festive classics.

11) Twenty, a comedy webseries created by and starring queer women, is currently raising funds for a second season. The series follows the story of Maya, a gay 21-year-old musician, who struggles to break her patterns of whirlwind romances while serving as the shoulder to lean on for a group of eclectic friends, who offer little in return. Created by Lily Richards and Caitlin Combe, the first season of Twenty had over a million views and ten thousand subscribers. Click here to find out how you can help contribute, and watch the trailer for season one below!