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THE TRANSFORMATION OF TRANS REPRESENTATION


By Colleen Kelly

Over the course of this week, a variety of both normative and non-normative sexual identities have been explored. While my focus on transgender identity in contemporary television is the last post in this series, this discussion is no way complete. It is vital that conversations about representation of gender and sexual identity continue beyond these five posts.

Historically, transgender representation on television has been virtually non-existent. The few transgender characters we did see were typically episodic or peripheral characters (Capuzza & Spencer, 2017, p. 214). Having a transgender lead character was unthinkable until the premiere of All That Glitters in 1977 (Capuzza & Spencer, 2017, p. 215). I find it worth noting that All That Glitters only lasted a single season, likely because people were ambivalent about seeing a transgender person on television.
Within the past decade, there has been a rather radical shift in the representation of transgender people on the small screen. The year 2007 marks a so-called turning point from transgender identity being nearly invisible to being visible across genres (Capuzza & Spencer, 2017, p. 218). This shift goes beyond just an increased number of transgender characters; we also see more multidimensional representations. I make the conjecture that increased visibility and more in-depth representations are likely the results of a larger societal shift toward a more trans-inclusive world.

To inform my analysis I turn to the award-winning Amazon Prime show Transparent. Before I praise the show for its progressiveness, it is necessary to acknowledge its shortcomings in the representation of transgender people. In Transparent, the lead character, Maura, is a transwoman in the midst of the transition process. The vast majority of transgender lead characters are trans women like Maura (Capuzza & Spencer, 2017, p. 221). The heightened visibility of trans women means that trans men and genderqueer individuals fail to be seen. This “invisibility of transmasculine characters” (Capuzza & Spencer, 2017, p. 221) reduces trans identity to just one particular experience. Additionally, the lack of diversity in representation privileges one transgender identity above others. I am not saying the creators of Transparent made a mistake in making Maura a transwoman. However, this decision does perpetuate a limited understanding of the full scope of transgender identity.


On a more hopeful note, television is also working to break down some of the walls that have historically enclosed trans life. Transparent offers a uniquely nuanced view of the reality of life as a transgender person. The show addresses issues faced by transgender people in subtle manner rather than outright discussion. Trans rights activist, Jen Richards, praises Transparent for showing seemingly minute experiences, such in season one when Maura is scared to use the women’s restroom out of fear of negative reactions (O’Donnell, 2014). Viewing this scene forces the audience to think critically about how challenging it is simply to exist and move through life as a transgender person. The scene also gets the audience to consider how our entire world is designed in a way that privileges cisgendered individuals.

Television can also function as a tool to educate a large audience about transgender identity and how to converse about the subject appropriately. In the first episode of season two, the Pfefferman family is gathered taking photographs at Sarah and Tammy’s wedding. The opportunity for education comes when the photographer mistakenly called Maura “sir” (Villarejo, 2016, p. 16). This is not an isolated mistake, as shown in study that found that cisgender characters mistakenly used pronouns of trans characters in 26% of the episodes coded (Capuzza & Spencer, 2017, p. 219). The misuse of pronouns is not exclusive to television, and I admit I have made this error more than once. What is exciting about Transparent is the opportunity it offers audiences to further educate themselves and become more socially engaged citizens.

References

Capuzza, J. C. & Spencer, L. G. (2017). Regressing, progressing, or transgressing on the small screen? Transgender characters on U.S. scripted television series. Communication Quarterly, 65(2), 214-230. https://doi.org/10.1080/01463373.2016.1221438

O’ Donnell, N. (2014, October 1). How authentic is ‘Transparent?’ A transgender activist on Jeffrey Tambor and other portrayals. Indie Wire. Retrieved from https://www.indiewire.com/2014/10/how-authentic-is-transparent-a-transgender-activist-on-jeffrey-tambor-and-other-portrayals-69529/

Villarejo, A. (2016). Jewish, queer-ish, trans, and completely revolutionary: Jill Soloway’s Transparent and the new television. Film Quarterly, 69(4), 10-22. https://doi.org/10.1525/FQ.2016.69.4.10

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Comments

  1. KHNovember 2, 2018 at 11:47 AM

    Another fine post, Colleen.

    But, I wish you would move beyond restating what scholars have already said about this subject; and, more specifically, this TV series, and instead draw on relevant scholarship to inform a more original analysis.

    Some of your collaborators took much the same approach. But I want to push you all a bit further. That is, I'd like you all to do work on applying and deploying scholarship in more original analyses of the relationship between identity and popular culture.

    It is clear to me that you are up to the task.

    PS Please tidy up the break between the second and third paragraphs.

    28 pts.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousNovember 4, 2018 at 11:57 AM

    Colleen,
    I am very impressed with this post and think that you do an awesome job talking about a topic that not everybody is comfortable speaking about. You provide some phenomenal information within your post and I think it is very educational with how you use references for each point you talk about. This makes me feel like you found some very informational articles and really know what your talking about in this blog. There is honestly not much else to say about this post because the formatting, mechanical, and gramatical issues all seem to be nice and neat. With that, your citations also look very well done. Overall, I think this is a very educational blog that was done in a very neat manner. This was a great blog and I am happy to see that you can talk about this topic the way you do. Great job and keep working hard!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousNovember 9, 2018 at 12:58 PM

    Colleen,

    Your blog post is very thorough. I particulary enjoy your analysis of the show "Transparent". You do a good job of using this show and its use of trans-represenation as support for your argument, while also highlighting its flaws. I have always found this type of writing to be extremely effective. I believe you also do a good job of exploring a topic that may not have an abundance of sources at your use. You integrate your sources into your paper in a neat manner.

    Awesome job!

    ReplyDelete

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