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Grex Glb Item 35: televison worth watching
Entered by void on Fri Oct 2 11:41:14 UTC 1998:

        "Transgender Revolution," an A&E Media Revolution
        Sarah Fox

        [Columbus, OH, Sept. 22, 1998] With the "help" of Geraldo, Jerry
        Springer, and their ilk, transgendered people are becoming a familiar
        sight on the American landscape.  Unfortunately their tabloid
        productions bear no more semblance to reality than the tacky
        souvenir shops that litter our highways.  Few, if any reputable
        transgendered people would dare participate in their media side
        shows, so actors have frequently been cast in their places.
        "Somebody from [a notorious daytime talk show] called here, wanting
        actors to come in and portray 'guests' on the show," said Dee
        Shepherd, Artistic Director of Columbus' Reality Theater.  "They're
        scraping the bottom of the barrel if they're trying to get actors to
        pass off as real people.  They even have a casting agent!"
        
        The public is perhaps not as gullible as Geraldo and Springer would
        want, and there is an emerging curiosity about these elusive people
        who are far more prevalent in our society than once believed.  Only
        recently have the more responsible journalists started exploring this
        hidden world, with higher profile pieces such as the BBC
        documentary, "Brain Sex," a 20-20 segment on transgender political
        activism, and recent articles in Time Magazine and the New York
        Times.
        
        Transgendered people will observe another milestone October 5, 9:00
        PM EDT (check local listings), when A&E Network's "Transgender
        Revolution" premieres.  From the Emmy Award-winning series,
        Investigative Reports, it will be the first television documentary
        devoted exclusively to transgender issues and will feature many of
        the most important leaders within the transgender political movement.
        
        This excellent documentary will give the public its first
        uncolored look at the real people behind the transgender
        phenomenon.  Many of them are my friends, finally represented as I know
        they are -- not as lavishly sequined drag queens throwing chairs at
        skinheads, but as real, often unremarkable people who must live
        extraordinary lives. "We wanted to look at the real issues of the
        transgender community," Said David Heilbroner, producer of the
        documentary.  "We wanted to take this beyond the tabloids' focus, to
        portray the heart and soul of a community that is demanding its
        rights."
        
        Of course no hour-long program can cover a topic comprehensively.
        While "Transgender Revolution" addresses transgender hate crimes
        and political activism, it falls somewhat short of its mark.
        Transgendered Americans may as well live in a lawless, third-world
        country.  We have few discernible civil rights, and the law is often
        used to persecute, rather than to protect us.  An hour is not long
        enough to capture the horror of being harassed, fired, falsely
        imprisoned, raped, or murdered with impunity.  It cannot capture the
        despair of knowing that vital medical care is usually unavailable and
        uninsured.  It cannot capture the indignity of having one's right
        to use a public toilet or even to appear in public questioned in
        some states or of hearing the Religious Right rail against us with
        invented "scripture" to justify that we are somehow evil, while we bury
        our friends who have fallen to "the system" one-by-one.
        
        No program could document this nightmare we live, and even if it
        could, few would believe it.  However, Investigative Reports is to be
        commended for what is clearly the best treatment of these issues in
        television history.  Said Riki Anne Wilchins, Executive Director of
        GenderPAC, "I think we are, at last, turning a corner."  Those wanting
        to learn about our invisible and maligned community, rather than to
        gawk at male actors in dresses throwing chairs, should not miss this
        ground-breaking production.
        
        Dr. Fox is Communications Director for the transgender advocacy 
        organization, It's Time, Ohio!.

7 responses total.

#1 of 7 by lumen on Thu Oct 8 02:39:43 1998:

Interesting.  It's about time folks saw the real side.

#2 of 7 by bookworm on Fri Oct 16 22:46:42 1998:

I second that.

#3 of 7 by void on Wed Oct 21 21:45:33 1998:

   unfortunately, i missed the darn show.  did anyone happen to tape it?

#4 of 7 by font on Fri Nov 27 02:23:12 1998:

If someone has, could we have a viewing?  (I'm guessing no one has, since it's
been dead this long...)

#5 of 7 by lumen on Sat Nov 28 09:53:49 1998:

again, I always think it's wise to write to the network and see if a video
copy of the program can be purchased.  It's becoming more common.  If not,
I think it might even be possible to get the script.  I wouldn't doubt,
though, the ..er, that the network would like to support educational
purposes..

#6 of 7 by micklpkl on Mon Dec 4 17:32:38 2000:

I wasn't sure how to start a new topic, so I'll put this here.
Did anybody see the U.S. version of "Queer As Folk" on Showtime last night
(Sunday, 03 Dec 2000)? I'd love to hear opinions of the characterizations and
writing, especially from you lucky folks that have seen the original, British
version.
All in all, I thought the show was very entertaining. Kudos to Showtime for
honouring their "no limits" promise re: censorship.

#7 of 7 by orinoco on Wed Dec 6 22:18:59 2000:

Alas, I missed it.  Care to give a review?

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