The world is still in awe of the bravery and beauty of Caitlyn Jenner, who yesterday celebrated her 66th birthday – or, her very first birthday under her true identity. She sets a fine example for trangender people everywhere, the intimate details of her story being shared on her documentary series ‘I Am Cait’.
And thus, in tribute to her, here’s a list of the best TV shows and films out there that embrace trans culture; a community that has yet to find itself represented in the same league as non LGBT people, but nonetheless, progress has been made.
More: I Am Cait is renewed for a second series
I Am Cait: Caitlyn Jenner’s own story will remain an important one for years to come. Earlier this year, Olympic gold medallist Bruce Jenner came out publicly as Caitlyn, looking breathtakingly glamorous on the cover of Vanity Fair and immediately becoming one of the most famous tran people in history.
Orange Is The New Black: Depicting the life of female prisoners, this Netflix show stars real transgender woman Laverne Cox in the role of Sophia Burset; a glamorous prison hair stylist. She’s made a lot of bad choices in her life, but ultimately, her only goal is to be able to provide for her wife and son. Her role in ‘OITNB’ has led Cox to be the first trans person nominated for an Emmy, receive a Madame Tussauds waxwork tribute and appear on the cover of Time.
The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert: This Oscar winning epic saw Terence Stamp in the role of transgender woman Bernadette Bassenger, who sets out to Alice Springs from Sydney with her drag queen friends for a gig following the death of her partner. Not only has Bernadette the most class and the most courage, she also has the best lines in the movie. Most of which are NSFW, but some are truly inspirational.
Dallas Buyers Club: It’s always a pleasant curveball when a film includes a transgender character whose significance in the story isn’t their identity struggles. Jared Leto is astonishingly convincing in the triple Oscar winning drama as the AIDS afflicted trans woman Rayon, and her relationship with Matthew McConaughey’s Ron Woodroof has some fascinating twists and turns throughout their journey of survival.
Boys Don’t Cry: Another Oscar winning classic, this time portraying a transgender man played by Hilary Swank. When Brandon Teena travels to Nebraska, nobody thinks anything of the new guy, except that he’s a hit with both the boys and the ladies – especially one lady in particular. When he’s discovered to have been born a woman, however, everything changes.
Transparent: Jeffrey Tambor plays a trans grandmother, who decides to finally accept his true identity as Maura Pfefferman. Rather than looking at the complexities of love and romance, this Amazon show explores just how transitioning can affect families; especially in the later stages. And it’s not too dissimilar from Caitlyn’s story either.
The Crying Game: A psychological thriller set in Ireland and London, ‘The Crying Game’ sees an IRA foot soldier go out to search for the girlfriend of Jody – a British soldier who is held hostage and later killed at the hands of the group. Fergus feels guilty about the situation, and even more so when he meets the woman, Dil (Jaye Davidson). Things get heated very quickly, however, when he discovers the truth of her identity.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch: John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask’s musical is an incredible emotional journey. With each brilliantly catchy tune we learn of East German superstar Hedwig’s past; when she underwent a botched sex change in order to marry U.S. soldier and cross the Berlin wall, and later begins a turbulent relationship with an aspiring musician named Tommy. A rather intimate look at trans life, but ultimately, the meaning of love.
52 Tuesdays: This Australian drama received much acclaim upon its premiere at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. With Tilda Cobham-Hervey in the role of Billie, we see a trans boy struggling to maintain a relationsip with her mother, whose recently divorced from her father and only lets her visit on Tuesdays.
Pretty Little Liars: Charles is A. Charles is Charlotte DiLaurentis. Charlotte DiLaurentis is CeCe Drake. It was the most shocking ending imaginable to the ‘Who Is A?’ saga of PLL. Interestingly, CeCe wasn’t played by a real transgender woman, or even a man, but actress Vanessa Ray. Certainly, producers didn’t want to give the game away. As much as it was a slightly random turn of events, it does at least explore the inner turmoil of many trans people
The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Okay so it’s not a film about a transgender person exactly; more of a tongue-in-cheek horror musical about sexual freedom. After all, Tim Curry’s character Dr. Frank-N-Furter admits he is but a ‘sweet transvestite from Transsexual, Transylvania’. Nonetheless, his genderqueerness is hardly the main focus of this cult hit, and it’s the crazy sci-fi/serial killer thing that takes centre stage.
Still to come…
The Danish Girl: Starring Eddie Redmayne, this is a biopic depicting the life of one of the first ever trans women, Lili Elbe. The movie comes out on November 27th 2015.
About Ray: Another family drama, seeing a trans boy named Ray (played by Elle Fanning) struggling to help her mother, estranged father and lesbian grandmother come to terms with her desire to be male.
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