Recent unfavourable portrayals of TG characters on TV.

[Anonymous]

Hi all
Me again and I’ve been thinking about this thread a bit lately.

Firstly, the more I think about it, the more Wallander episode annoys me. This is the same treatment of minority groups we have seen in the media since it was invented. In different eras, Hollywood reflected and, in the same positive feedback loop we see in the modern media and advertising, in turn promoted popular attitudes towards minority groups and the disenfranchised. African Americans were depicted as stupid and fools, women tripped and sprained their ankles are the worst possible moment, the bad guys were foreign, gay men ended up dead and “trannies” were psychopathic killers. It’s 2012 – Enough I say!

However, to my mind it’s not so much how we (1) wish to be portrayed or even how accurate portrayals of trans* people are in the media, over which we have little control, as much as it is what messages we would communicate and to whom that should be focussed on. There are a range of audiences out there and I think messages should be tailored to suit them.

For example, audiences might be crudely put into four camps: trans* people, allies, the indifferent and the haters/bigots. Each of these could (and I think should) be split further, but I’ll stick to these for now.

For trans* people, I think messages about hope are important. Stories of trans* people who accept who they are, successfully transition (as/if required) and build a happy and successful life are worth communicating. I know in my case, I read so many sad and depressing stories about what awaits anyone who transitions I was put off doing what I should have done years ago (and in my case, not too many of these dire predictions has, so far, come true).

Messages for allies might include how much their efforts are appreciated, why marriage equality is so important to many trans* people so they can advocate on our behalf, etc. For the indifferent, we might describe our lives as just another variation of the human condition and, while we sometimes need specific medical assistance, we are just normal human beings by and large concerned with the same things they are.

What would we say to the bigots I wonder…?

(1) Of course, “we” are a diverse bunch and in this sense, there may not really be a “we”