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Hey there! Entertainment journalist @TrevellAnderson here to discuss @Disclosure_Doc — a chronicling of trans representation on screen. Perhaps you’ve heard that this documentary is “necessary" and a “must-see.” But you may not know WHY... Well, let me put you up on game! Thread:
Inspired by THE CELLULOID CLOSET (1995), director @SamFederFilm wanted a film that charted the history of trans imagery on screen. Because while it's great to revel in the existence of shows & films like POSE, TRANSPARENT & TANGERINE, there is a lineage to which they belong.
And that lineage isn’t cute—it’s chock full of sensationalism & dehumanization, racism & anti-Blackness, homo/trans/femmephobia, sexism & misogyny. The result is a world that treats trans people the very way media has represented us, as comedic relief and disposable playthings.
DISCLOSURE unearths this complex history, using the personal stories of trans folks you know, like executive producer @Lavernecox, and others you need to know. This serves at least three purposes:
1. To illustrate the power film/television has, on trans & cis communities.
GLAAD estimates 80% of people don’t personally know a trans person. That means most folks’ only interaction with trans & gender expansive people is through the shows and movies they consume.
GLAAD estimates 80% of people don’t personally know a trans person. That means most folks’ only interaction with trans & gender expansive people is through the shows and movies they consume.
If every trans person on screen is mocked, abused or killed, that’s what people will think we deserve when they come into contact with us; that’s what some of us will think we deserve going out into the world. It’s not “just a show” or “just a joke.” It's literally life & death.
2. To prove that trans identities aren't a newfound fad or trend
Anti-trans people and the willfully ignorant love to say that trans people are new, as if we haven’t existed alongside the broader world since the beginning of humanity.
Anti-trans people and the willfully ignorant love to say that trans people are new, as if we haven’t existed alongside the broader world since the beginning of humanity.
The doc however notes that trans characters have existed in films since the advent of moving images — there is a literal trans character in D. W. Griffith's 1914 silent drama JUDITH OF BETHULIA — proof that we’ve been present all along.
Moreover, the inclusion of older trans people in the documentary, like actresses Bianca Leigh and Alexandra Billings and historian Susan Stryker, reveal the sacrifices many trans folks made as a means of survival.
Sandra Caldwell's Black trans brilliance is literally all up & through THE CHEETAH GIRLS and we didn't know.
She played drama teacher Drinka and went most of her career not disclosing her trans identity for fear of losing work. She finally did in 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/28/theater/to-play-transgender-sandra-caldwell-had-to-open-up-about-who-she-is.html
She played drama teacher Drinka and went most of her career not disclosing her trans identity for fear of losing work. She finally did in 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/28/theater/to-play-transgender-sandra-caldwell-had-to-open-up-about-who-she-is.html
3. To require Hollywood take accountability as it charts its path forward.
Everyone's calling for diversity & inclusion. But my granny always said, “If you don’t know where you've come from, you can't know where you’re going.” DISCLOSURE makes that history plain.
Everyone's calling for diversity & inclusion. But my granny always said, “If you don’t know where you've come from, you can't know where you’re going.” DISCLOSURE makes that history plain.
But if none of this rises to the level of “necessary," “important” or “must-see,” let me add that over 150 trans people were involved in DISCLOSURE. Not only is every single person on screen trans (including me!), so too are the majority of the people behind the camera.
That makes this film different than most others that have come before it in that the trans gaze dictates the storytelling at every turn. And by that I mean a trans person is controlling how trans people are seen instead of a cis person projecting their gaze onto the community.
This is important because trans people have to be able to tell our own stories from our perspectives in order to course correct centuries of misrepresentation and sensationalism of our lived experiences.
More about the importance of different gazes here: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-ca-mn-lgbtq-filmmakers-love-simon-20180316-story.html
More about the importance of different gazes here: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-ca-mn-lgbtq-filmmakers-love-simon-20180316-story.html
And trans people were present at every step of the production. Every voice you hear is from a trans person. The director is trans. The director of photography, Ava Benjamin Shorr, is trans. Literally over 150 trans people were involved in this film.
(
@TexasIsaiah, @TheLexRyan)
(
@TexasIsaiah, @TheLexRyan)
Why you should watch DISCLOSURE (trans edition):
Education systems have failed us, making us believe we’re all alone. In reality, you belong to a rich legacy and history of excellence. Some of it is triggering and tough to watch, but it’s ours nonetheless. Embrace it and thrive!
Education systems have failed us, making us believe we’re all alone. In reality, you belong to a rich legacy and history of excellence. Some of it is triggering and tough to watch, but it’s ours nonetheless. Embrace it and thrive!
Why you should watch DISCLOSURE (cis edition):
The mantra of the moment is “Do The Work.” This film allows you to get the education you need, without further burdening more trans people. It's only a starting point, but it'll help you learn the error of some of your ways.
The mantra of the moment is “Do The Work.” This film allows you to get the education you need, without further burdening more trans people. It's only a starting point, but it'll help you learn the error of some of your ways.
Come for the history lesson. Stay for the trans brilliance you didn’t know you needed!
@Disclosure_Doc is now on Netflix globally.
@Disclosure_Doc is now on Netflix globally.
