“Given the swift political advances of the transgender movement, paired with its new pop-culture visibility, you’d be forgiven for believing that to be gender-nonconforming today is to be accepted, celebrated, even trendy.” As the Rolling Stone points out, the trans community is making large advances in the public sphere. Trans men and women are becoming more visible on television shows like Orange is the New Black, in the fashion industry, such as the well- known models Lea T. and Carmen Carrera, and even in social media with Facebook’s new gender options. Unfortunately, these portrayals do not necessarily mirror daily life for the majority of trans men and women. The transgender community remains vulnerable and underrepresented, with trans men and women being murdered, committing suicide, or becoming victims to violence within the prison system every day. While the transgender community has been making progressive strides in the media recently, these dominant narratives misrepresent what it truly means to be a transgendered person in the United States today. This, in turn, shields the mainstream from the harsh realities of every day life for these individuals and allows violence, discrimination, and transphobia to continue.
Transgender Identity and Media in Historical Perspective
By Melanie L. Bilbrey, 2015
