Trans characters are vanishing from the big screen—Here’s what we know about Hollywood’s diversity erasure GLAAD’s 2024 report exposes Hollywood’s trans representation crisis, forcing filmmakers to choose between red carpet dreams and basic survival. (Denny Agassi/Quei Tann, Yên Sen, Nyala Moon)
Yên Sen is done waiting for Hollywood to save her.
Living in Brooklyn, N.Y., the Vietnamese-American trans woman took matters into her own hands by not just creating her first short film “Clementine,” but also screenwriting, producing, and starring in it.
Sen is steering the ship of her own creative endeavors against the backdrop of Hollywood’s plummeting showcase of trans talent on screen reported in the GLAAD 2024 Studio Responsibility Index (SRI).
The SRI maps the quality, quantity and diversity of LGBTQ characters in films released in 2023 by 10 major motion picture studios: A24, Amazon Studios, Apple TV+, Lionsgate, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Paramount Global, Sony, the Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros. Discovery and their subsidiaries.
This year, the SRI surveyed 256 films, 70 of which included LGBTQ characters. At a total of 170 LGBTQ characters counted, 95 of them are men, 67 are women, eight are nonbinary characters who are not explicitly identified as transgender on screen and only two of the women are transgender. While less than half of them were queer, trans and nonbinary characters of color, it was a 6% increase from last year’s report on productions from 2022.
But one stark finding is leaving trans filmmakers feeling like outcasts in the industry, especially in comparison to their cis counterparts: transgender representation in films decreased from 12 trans-inclusive films to two trans-inclusive films last year. Subsequently, the number of trans characters in films plunged from 13 to only two.
Sen describes the drop in numbers as “disgusting,” criticizing Hollywood for being performative in advocating for diverse stories.
She describes her short film “Clementine” as “a tale of a late-blooming trans woman who reluctantly confronts this assigned-male-at-birth trans-specific dilemma with the help of her besties.” Sen ventured outside of acting as a result of not getting auditions beyond trans roles that she felt were sensationalizing trans narratives, not contemporary enough or lacked Asian stories.
“If anything, Asian trans roles get changed to accommodate a different race or cis women,” Sen added. “Even within our own Asian community we’ve had to advocate for ourselves.”
At large, Sen’s experience mirrors what other trans filmmakers in the industry are criticizing.
A glass ceiling on trans representation and the lack of retention
Scott Turner Schofield, a trans actor, writer, producer, and founder of consulting company Speaking of Transgender, tells Reckon that transphobia is the key barrier preventing more greenlit productions. Schofield has worked on “Euphoria,” “The Idol,” “We’re Here,” and numerous other productions.
He explains that not believing trans stories are valid, not wanting to work with trans people, and not trusting that the community can do a good enough job that audiences would want to see it all contribute to the barrier preventing greater opportunities for trans people in all aspects of the film industry.
On an average production he works on, Schofield typically gets involved after a script is written, when he advocates for necessary changes. He explains that he often has to choose his battles, fighting mostly against what is harmful in a script and less often for what could excel in it, which for him means that the representation never reaches its full potential.
“Since we’ve been marginalized so intensely, there aren’t many of us who’ve had the benefit of the kind of development process needed to earn the trust that we can do this. But our work excels time and time again, so it’s time to take the risk and support us in the leap.”
In 2017, a report published by Springer titled, “More than a Media Moment,” dove into the relationship of trans narrative portrayals on screen and their impact on societal views and attitudes.
One of its corresponding authors and assistant professor of communication at Washington State University, Traci K. Gillig, told Reckon that the drop in trans characters in the SRI is potentially a sign that the industry could be reverting back to before the “transgender tipping point,” which celebrated Laverne Cox’s groundbreaking role in “Orange Is the New Black” as a new chapter for trans people on screen.
The phrase “transgender tipping point” was coined by Time magazine in 2014, marking a moment when transgender visibility in the media significantly increased. This period saw a surge in trans representation across various forms of media, including television shows, films, and news coverage, leading to greater public awareness and discussion of transgender issues.
“Trans characters and storylines have the power to influence people’s attitudes,” Gillig said. “Unfortunately, hostile messaging from other sources, like political figures, can have a greater impact, particularly when people’s media choices don’t expose them to nuanced depictions of trans people.”
Schofield speculates that the drop in trans representation in film could be a byproduct of the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes and overall productions being down. However, the slew of anti-trans hate threatening the community—particularly the 658 bills on the legislative floor this year—only makes the situation more dire.
According to him, studios have the ability to validate and humanize trans people in an impactful way, and their silence on the matter “affirms and empowers the growing transphobia we experience everyday,” he said. “They’ve forgotten what films can do, or they know exactly what they’re doing by not making films that include us. Either way, the silence in this moment is chilling.”
Within the silence, many trans filmmakers are carving out their own paths in the industry successfully, though not without bumps in the road.
Community members are left to take matters into their own hands
Contrary to Hollywood, in the world of independent films, Nyala Moon believes she is seeing a renaissance of transgender perspectives and involvement.
Writer, director and star of her multi-award-winning short film “How Not to Date While Trans,” Moon was selected as one of the 71 artists for the 2024 Whitney Biennial earlier this year. She was also spotlighted by Filmmaker Magazine among 25 New Faces of Independent Film in 2023.
“I can’t help but be in awe at this new norm. It wasn’t long ago when the only trans stories [based on] our experiences were used as tools to excavate the artistic depth of cishet filmmakers,” she said. “But now, I am in a community with many notable filmmakers who inspire and push me to continue making films.”
Despite mainstream Hollywood’s persistent exclusion and marginalization, trans creators are fiercely carving out their own space, making significant strides in independent cinema and streaming platforms. Notable success stories include the groundbreaking FX series “Pose,” co-created by trans writer and director Janet Mock, which garnered critical acclaim and multiple Emmy nominations and wins. Filmmaker Yance Ford became the first openly transgender director nominated for an Academy Award for his documentary “Strong Island” in 2018. Additionally, the documentary “Disclosure,” directed by Sam Feder and executive produced by Laverne Cox, has been praised for its in-depth exploration of trans representation in media.
For actresses like Quei Tann, who has been trying to get her foot into Hollywood since 2012, booking a job is a high-stake matter. Even having starred in the Blumhouse queer slasher “They/Them” last year and appearing in “American Horror Story,” “How To Get Away With Murder,” and “Dear White People,” the Hollywood-based actress tells Reckon that her livelihood depends on finding work.
“When we see transgender roles reduced, it means my ability to take care of myself is diminished,” she said. “It means I might have to leave a career that I love and go back to college, finish my degree, or even return to sex work.”
The writers’ and actors’ union strikes last summer helped streaming platforms discover that old TV shows can resurge with great success, and Tann claims that Hollywood would rather make money off less work, rather than trying to branch out into new territories like trans narratives.
She says it’s no surprise that the first TV show she booked in years was produced by Queen Latifah—a fellow Black and queer member of the industry. “Ten-thousand dollars every two years is not a career—it’s not even a part-time job,” she said. “So even when we’re winning, we’re losing.”
The true role Hollywood needs to portray in trans excellence
Schofield demands the industry make being trans in Hollywood “unremarkable” because he believes such a cultural shift expedites casual and authentic inclusion needed on screen.
“Don’t be afraid, put all the resources of marketing behind it so it really gets seen and heard the way a Marvel movie does,” he said. “Double down when the tiny minority of haters get loud, put it in more theaters, feature it on the front screen of the streamer. Set the next cultural high bar firmly in place, and then start looking for who will top it next.”
NewFest, New York’s largest LGBTQ film festival, will hold its 34th iteration next month. Among the films being screened at the festival is Sen’s “Clementine,” making its world premiere on Oct. 12.
Sen feels gratitude for intracommunal work. She shared that when trans filmmakers are not spearheading their own projects, their gigs have mainly come directly from fellow community members who establish opportunities for one another. For her, this is a reckoning in itself.
“We are creating a new Hollywood.”
