[intro music]
This video is part of a series for everyday
feminism. A website dedicated to helping you
stand up to and break down, every day oppression.
Transgender Representation in the media has
had a sticky history for quite some time.
But in recent years actresses like Jamie Clayton
and Laverne Cox are taking the world by storm
by being trans actors who play trans characters.
While this is of course progress, when Caitlyn
Jenner revealed that she was trans, it became
apparent to me and to many trans people that
we still have a really long way to go.
A YouTube channel by the name of 8-bit Universe
recently decided to promote a song by the
group called The Gender Blenders called...Caitlyn
Jenner.
The Chorus of this song goes:
Freaky Love?
Count me in!
Hotter than any Kardashian.
I liked Bruce, but I love her.
I wanna BANG Caitlyn Jenner.
It's sung from the perspective of a cisgender
man who's lusting after some of Caitlyn Jenner's
“freaky love”
The song has great lyrics like
"He, she, you and me I really don't care".
"i wanna lick your shaved Adams apple"
"But forgive me girl if I slip and call you
Bruce".
And, my personal favorite: "but if all your
previous parts ain't gone, could you please
leave your panties on".
This song is just one of the many examples
of how trans women are utilized as a comedic
devices for cis consumption.
The writers of this song some how believe
that misgendering, objectifying and ultimately
sexualizing her transition is somehow flattering
to her.
When I criticized this song in the comment
section of the video, I was told that I needed
to broaden my philosophical lens and just
accept the fact that the song is just for
laughs.
It's interesting to me how cis comedians never
need to broaden their philosophical lens and
...get some new material.
But even more interesting is how the Gender
Blenders frame the attraction between a cis
man and trans women as “freaky” love.
[static]
Ray William Johonson: “I totally hooked
up with this hot chick... and then I found
out she had a dick”.
[static]
A common transphobic trope is this idea of
the trans woman who is attractive, but anatomically
flawed.
It's centered around how absolutely repulsive
it is that any man could be “fooled” enough
to have an experience with a trans woman.
On an episode of Family Guy, Quagmire's father
comes out as transgender when she's about
to undergo gender affirmation surgery.
Once she's completed her transition, she is
pursued by Brian Griffin who ends up having
sex with her.
When it's revealed that the woman that he
slept with was transgender, he vomits on screen
for about a full minute.
And of course this is all hilarious because
Brian was “tricked” into sleeping with
a trans woman.
In the Hangover 2, Stu has a drunken affair
with a woman who he finds out is transgender
once he's sober.
When it's revealed... quite literally that
she's transgender, Stu recoils in disgust
while the other characters look on in concern.
And of course, the audience at home laughs.
Now, what I've always found really fascinating
about this  trope is that
it cashes in on this idea that trans women
are just these repulsive creatures that no
man would ever have an interest in.
Ironically, woman in the scene I just mentioned
is Yasmin Lee, who is one of the most popular
transgender adult entertainers with 3 AVN
awards.
As I mention in my video about Tyga's affair
with Mia Isabella, the interest in trans women,
specifically the interest in transgender porn
has spiked over the past 5 years.
In fact, Thailand, where The Hangover 2 was
shot, is known for it's transgender sex tourism.
In the real world, the sad reality is that
many trans women see violence because men
can't process their attraction to them.
While a lot of violence against trans women
comes from the fear that they're trying to
mislead men into sexual situations, a lot
of it also comes from men who simply couldn't
cope with the fact that they had an attraction
to them.
The use of these tropes perpetuates the idea
that trans women exist to deceive men and
by proxy , it also promotes the violence committed
against trans women.
[static]
Shane Dawson: “Hey Goddess sluts and bubble
butts, today i”m with my friend Lisa.
Lisa: Hey everyone!
Shane Dawson: “I haven't seen her since
she got pregant.
I haven't been this excited about a mistake
since that newscaster had a seizure on camera.”
[static]
Another popular transphobic trope is of course
the trope of “men in dresses”
In my video about Mike Huckabee's transgender
bathroom comments, I alluded to the queer
coding of Disney Villains.
Well, some of your favorite Disney sidekicks
participate in another aspect of this trope.
Genie is Aladdin’s likeable sidekick in
the Disney Film, Aladdin.
He's also the main source of comedic relief
and one of the ways he makes us laugh is through
cross dressing.
Timon and Pumba are Simba's pals in the Disney
Film, The Lion King.
In a scene where Simba's trying to get past
the hyenas, Timon decides to, as he puts it
“dress in drag” to distract the hyenas
with a flamboyant song.
Socially accepted misogyny states that women
are weak so a man wearing woman’s clothing
is weakening himself, and therefore should
not be taken seriously.
The audience is generally aware that these
characters are men in woman’s clothing and
this is what makes it funny.
While this trope doesn't usually relate to
trans women, it does, however reinforce a
very transphobic notion that impacts trans
people in a negative way, because we don't
live in a society that views men in dresses
as different things.
A central issue that I find with a lot of
trans representation is that trans roles are
very rarely written by trans people.
Keep in mind, that until very recently, trans
representation was to Jerry Springer type
spectacles and adult entertainment.
All too often we are only represented as villains,
objects for sexual desire or punchlines,
These representations are dehumanizing, but
trans people are very much human and humor
is part of the human experience.
I think the thing we need to do is start empowering
trans comedians.
Bethany Black, Avery Edison, Rye Silverman,
Natasha Muse and Red Durkin are all trans
girl comedians that are fighting to change
how trans women factor into comedy.
Lexi Adsit and Luna Merbruja hosted Brouhaha:
Trans Woman of Color Comedy Storytelling that
got a lot of buzz in the media.
Robin Tran, Ian Harvie and Jeffery Jay are taking the comedy scene by storm.
And the Switch is a Transgender Sitcom with
an all trans cast.
Transgender Comedy exists and it's OK 
to laugh with us, not at us.
Kat Blaque for Everyday feminism. Signing
out.
