Anyone who’s been paying attention to transgender issues this year shouldn’t be surprised that a lot of people are upset about the trailer for “Zoolander 2.” The movie doesn’t open until next year, but already an online petition asking people to boycott the film is gaining steam, mainly because the short clip features Benedict Cumberbatch‘s mocking portrayal of a “non-binary” model and Owen Wilson‘s tasteless question about whether Cumberbatch has “a hot dog or a bun.” I get it, it’s a comedy, and comedies shouldn’t have to be politically correct. But that doesn’t mean they should get away with being crude or stupid, either. The question is whether these over-the-top portrayals and obvious jokes are actually funny, or if they’re just more proof that we have a long way to go when it comes to our understanding and acceptance of transgender and non-binary individuals. Surely this was a banner year in terms of transgender visibility. Not only was Caitlyn Jenner such a huge story, but with “Transparent” and “Orange is the New Black,” among other shows, we have, according to several pundits, reached a Transgender “tipping point.” Yet, increased visibility doesn’t always go hand in hand with increased tolerance or understanding. The legal landscape for transgender individuals in the U.S. is still pretty dismal. Just a few weeks ago the citizens of Houston repealed an ordinance protecting eleven classes of citizens because of a spurious attack on transgender individuals as bathroom predators. Never mind that the same ordinance exists in hundreds of other cities, and not a single case of a transgender bathroom predator exists. The Trans community seems to be entering a phase of “visibility” that mirrors the phase that gays experienced in the 1980′s and ’90′s, when gay men were either relegated to swishy best friend roles — think Nathan Lane in “The Prince of Tides” — or portrayed as suffering martyrs by straight actors seeking Oscars. Tom Hanks in “Philadelphia,” anyone? Consider the evidence: Jared Leto may have won an Oscar for “Dallas Buyers Club,” but his jokes about cross-dressing and his neglect to mention Trans people in his acceptance speech, left many in the community fuming. And now, with Eddie Redmayne appearing in “The Danish Girl,” which opens later this year, many activists are wondering why all high profile transgender roles in Hollywood have to be given to straight white males. The issue goes well beyond that. Fox television likely expected to get a pat on the back for casting Laverne Cox as Frank-N-Furter in its upcoming remake of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” but quite a few people have expressed their uneasiness about this decision. Don’t get me wrong, Cox is a terrific actress, and I’m sure she’ll have a fresh take on the part. But is this progress? If transgender actors and actresses are only allowed to play “freaky” or outrageous roles, or even only transgender roles, I’m not sure we’re making real advances. Had Fox cast Laverne Cox as Janet instead, that would have been remarkable. When transgender actors and actresses get to play roles in the gender they identify with, and no one questions it, then we will know that true progress has been made. It’s only fair to expect that a community which has been ostracized for so long, and has silently endured so much discrimination and mockery, to demand more than just mere visibility. Perhaps instead of seeing transgender men and women as the easy butt of jokes or a means towards Oscar glory, the Hollywood community might want to consider allowing fuller, more realistic portrayals of transgender lives onscreen, played by trans actors themselves. It is when we see trans people being themselves—on film, in television, in real life—that we are far more likely to relate to them, and accept them for who they are. Eric Sasson writes “Ctrl-Alt,” Speakeasy’s column on alternative culture. He is the author of Margins of Tolerance and the forthcoming novel “Admissions.” You can follow him on Twitter @idazlei or visit his website here.
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