www.hollywoodreporter.com: As the Canadian film industry focuses on boosting representation for trans and non-binary people and characters on local film and TV screens, the industry has got a wake-up call about anti-trans sentiment and actions experienced by gender-diverse people working behind the camera.
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It’s no secret that large production companies preach inclusivity and having a diverse cast to the public in many situations, but their actual values and actions do not back up their public statements. This article is yet another example of this being prominent in many entertainment companies. By trying to hire more queer actors and then immediately refusing to treat them with the same dignity as the rest of the cast, companies are creating a hostile working environment. This leads to actors trying to hide their identities on set to feel safe and accepted into the working environment, something that should be standard for everyone despite gender identity. While the article does list major advancements in gender equality and rights for queer actors, such as the gender-neutral acting awards categories at the end of the article, the queer community still only makes up a miniscule percentage of productions. This article explicitly focuses on statistics from western Canada, but the issues that they cite could be applied to almost everywhere in the globe. The entertainment industry must make greater strides in advancing the safety of queer workers in every discipline for their inclusive mission statements and the values they preach to be actually reflective of their work.
When my partner and I were discussing a girl’s significant other yesterday, I noticed that the person was a boy, biological, so I naturally referred to him as "her boyfriend." Later, when my friend opened their Instagram profile, she started calling him "her partner." At that moment, I didn’t realize the issue. But when I got back to my dorm and saw the pronouns “they/their” on the profile, I realized how disrespectful my initial language had been (even though I didn’t know at the time, next time I’ll definitely think before I speak). In the article, it mentioned “which made it clear that most people didn’t understand how to use they/them pronouns, or what the meaning or value of it was.” I came to understand the importance of educating the public on pronoun usage and how crucial it is to address others correctly and politely. While some people may intentionally be rude, I also believe many, like myself, don’t fully understand the history of the struggles faced by the non-binary community and therefore don’t know how to address them properly. Even without any inner discrimination or disrespect, it can still make others feel uncomfortable. Moreover, I think the representation of the non-binary community in film production is disproportionately low, and society should encourage these individuals to participate in creating films, fostering a positive and diverse filmmaking environment.
You might think that the theatre and film industry would be better with this sort of thing, however unfortunately it's sad to see that that isn’t the case a lot. The discussion of what people’s experiences were changing based on if there was an advocate in a position of power makes a lot of sense though. People that might usually make smaller transphobic comments or minor pokes at someone’s identity will probably keep themselves in check a lot better when there could be repercussions for it if a supervisor heard them or if they were reported. Even if the person in charge has no specific opinion of approval or disapproval it gives people more room to test the waters unfortunately. People feel more comfortable expressing their hateful opinions when they aren’t worried about getting in trouble with their boss. I hope for the sake of my friends and family in the transgender community that this starts getting better across the board, not just in entertainment.
I have experienced very similar problems as a theater maker. Other people around me not respecting the pronouns and identities of their trans and non-binary classmates, internalized sexism and misogyny towards AFAB colleagues, etc. One instance that comes to mind is one of our trans-masculine TD’s not being taken seriously, and having his knowledge challenged by his cisgender male counterparts.
I agree that we need more trans representation in media. One of the things I think we lack is trans characters who are trans but it is not their main plotline. I want to see more trans characters who are trans because it is a normal human thing to be trans, and for them to be shaped by their experiences, but overall, the point of their character is much bigger than their identity.
This isn't new information. As progressive as people think the entertainment industry should be, given its position in society, entertainment production, especially behind the camera, is no different from the rest of the professional world. The experience of waiting to reveal your actual gender identity, having to defend why you use the pronouns that you do, those are all experiences trans people, including me, have on a regular basis, and the fact that they extend to the workplace in the entertainment industry is disappointing, but no surprise. The recent decline in queer representation in media is, however, a little surprising to me, but it shows that, when people feel like the spotlight is no longer on an issue, they stop caring about it. I think as an industry we need to stop acting like we've 'achieved' progressiveness in representation and treat it like the ongoing problem it is.
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