Back in May 2008 I wrote a TransGriot post entitled ‘Destruction of the Black Transwoman Image.‘
In that post I pointed out that transwomen have some of the same problems as our cisgender sisters when it comes to Black womanhood. I also lamented in that post the lack of positive trans role models of African descent.
Just three months after I wrote that, things started to change.
During the month of August 2008 we had Isis King become the first open transgender contestant on America’s Next Top Model’s Cycle 11. At the same time Laverne Cox was making her GLAAD media award winning appearance on I Want To Work For Diddy.
During the historic Democratic National Convention later that month we had 2002 IFGE Trinity Award winner Dr. Marisa Richmond make a little history of her own. She become the first African descended transperson to be elected as a delegate to a major party political convention.
The documentary movie Still Black A Portrait of Black Transmen gave my African descended transbrothers some long needed and deserved attention and love. Nick Mwaluko’s story published in the Huffington Post added to the visibility of African descended transpeople.
Nick’s story, along with Nigeria’s Mia Nikasimo and the stories of brave continental African trans activists such as Uganda’s Victor Juliet Mukasa drove home the point that there are transpeople on the second largest continent on planet Earth.
And oh yeah, there was some African-American trans blogger from Texas who was a finalist in last year’s Weblog Awards for Best LGBT Blog.
The image problems that Black transpeople have had go back to 1953. Ever since Christine Jorgenson stepped off the plane from Denmark, whatever media attention that transpeople have garnered in the last 50 plus years was disproportionately focused on my white transsisters.
Coverage of Black transpeople was relegated to intermittent articles or small blurbs in our iconic EBONY and JET magazines. It took this Justina Williams article in the November 1, 1979 issue of JET before I read an article about a transperson that shared my ethnic heritage.
It drove home the point that being trans wasn’t a ‘white thang’ and that was sorely needed. During the time I was growing up, transpeople went stealth after surgery. That resulted in me not having ‘out and proud’ Black role models to pattern myself after.
Our transitions are different from our white transsisters, and because of those stealth conditions imposed by back in the day helping professionals, I and my sisters were denied the opportunity to learn our history or ask our trans elders for transition advice specific to Black transpeople..
Paris Is Burning was released in theaters just as I was beginning my transition. I’ve always wanted to meet Octavia St. Laurent and tell her how much of an inspiration she was to me.
Unfortunately, since she recently passed away, I won’t get the opportunity to do so.
What a difference a year makes. Now it seems that we have more Black transwomen and other transpeople of color stepping out there, positively living their lives and proudly talking about it.
I’m looking forward to the day when we have Black transwomen running for public office as Kim Coco Iwamoto successfully did in Hawaii.
And yes, I’m rooting for Vogue Evolution and my sis Leyomi Maldonado to win the grand prize on America’s Best Dance Crew.
I would like to see a Black transwoman character in the movies or on television similar to Ugly Betty’s Alexis Meade.
I want nothing less than for African descended transwomen to not be tragically thought of in context with the Remembering Our Dead List that far too many of us are on.
Like ‘errbody’ else, I’d rather Black transpeople be judged by the quality people we produce, not lies, pseudo-science, centuries old myths and transphobic ignorance.
Similar Posts:
- Why Black Transgender Role Models Are Important by Monica Roberts September 9, 2009
- When It Pertains To Transpeople, Do You Media Peeps Even Read The AP Stylebook? by Monica Roberts September 1, 2009
- Stealth Was A Mistake by Monica Roberts September 8, 2009
- We Want The Same Things You Do by Monica Roberts September 12, 2009
- Being Trans Is A Worldwide Thang by Monica Roberts September 10, 2009
There also is an African American trans woman participating in America’s next top dance crew. The Crew’s name is Vogue Evolution
Leyomi Maldonado, the transwoman in question is Latina.
But I just scratched the surface in terms of positive trans role models .
Monica, even though we don’t necessarily see eye to eye I have to give credit where it is due.
I’m glad some one is out there and loud representing the African American trans communities.
I’m going to give this post a shout out on my Blog.
[...] What A Difference A Year Makes [...]
OMG, Suzan, this comment will really dig a whole deeper with those that think you’ve went to the evil (transgender) side. :) The word on the street is that you’re one of us now.
Monica, great post! It’s too bad we can’t add an African American Transwoman visiting the White House.
Suzan,
Thanks. Both of us, despite of differences on a lot of issues, in the end want the same basic things.
The violence against trans people to end, federal laws protecting their civil rights and the ability to freely use our talents to help ourselves and our society
I am not sure that the participation of a trans woman of color on ANTM was really that progressive. It seems to me like they did it in order to provoke hatred/cause her to be a spectacle or object of drama in the house. god knows that ANTM has a hard time being fresh after so many seasons. Trans people as human beings rather than gimmicks is extremely rare.
Reality shows are exploitive as hell in general, thats for damn sure.
the rest i agree with.
Nails,
I disagree. For too long now the images of African descended transpeople have been tied to the sex industry because we’ve been practically invisible to John and Jane Q. Public.
The old saying is that a picture is worth a thousand words. I could write columns for decades on how AA transpeople are treated, but those ANTM shows exposing the transphobia of Clark, Sharaun and others in that house got a wider audience than all the transgender blogs on the Net put together.
That invisibility has made it easy for the Forces of Intolerance and scientifically illiterate iwithin our communities to demonize us.
Visibility is a major key in American society in order to overcome ignorance and eventually vault marginalized groups to their rightful place at the American family table and their constitutionally guaranteed civil rights
Nails, as a TWOC, I can say that seeing her on ANTM was, indeed, for me, an aspect of progressive experience — so much so that I went onto the ANTM boards and did battle with some of the most amazing bigoted people there.
She did indeed do some good — a lot, in fact. And although she didn’t do well (which, granted, wasn’t expected), her presence triggered some other changes that have had some impact.
Yes, reality shows are exploitative. Its a given. Indeed, so much so, that it actually demonstrates just how much good she was able to accomplish — in spite of being trans.
I suspect the producers of ANTM did bring Isis on as a gimmick and expected her cause drama, but she held her head up and didn’t respond to the hostility of Clark and others by dropping down to their level. She definitely brought some positive attention to trans women among the people who watch that show, particularly among the younger viewers who saw some of the hostility trans people have deal with.
You also have to give Isis props for putting up with Tyra as much as she did. She’s a braver soul than me.
Dana Peanut,
Tyra did pay for Isis’ SRS, so I give her some points on that..
But Tyra still has some work to do to fully understand our community as well.