Throughout the semester, prompts based on class readings, screenings, lectures, and discussions will be posted on this blog. Responses will be graded on their level of critical thinking, pertinence, engagement with class texts, and grammar/spelling/proofing/
length. Be sure to read the prompt carefully and fully engage with the content of the class materials. At the bottom of your response, type your FIRST NAME and the FIRST INITIAL OF YOUR LAST NAME (e.g. Claudia Z.).
Thursday, April 27, 2017
Week Fifteen: Response 15.3
The TV show Transparent
features trans actor Ian Harvie, who is interviewed by AfterEllen. How does Harvie frame the
representation of trans men and women in popular culture?
In his interview with AfterEllen, Ian Harvie begins by talking about the acceptance of non-existence of transsexuals in the world and he even admits that he himself didn’t know they existed until he met another person like him. Also, because of the male privilege garnered to men due to their physical appearance, trans men are not taken to be any different than straight men when it comes to their masculinity. As far as the representation of trans men and women in popular culture, Harvie is happy with the simple fact that there is any kind of representation. For him, as long as that representation doesn’t fall into stereotypes, it is a start and with more creative trans people coming to the industry, many wide arrays of trans life will be represented in media. He believes that the more visibility trans people get in the media, the more people would be comfortable to see them out and about in supermarkets, public restrooms, and parks and see them as they would see any normal heterosexual male or female. As far as the media’s representation of trans people, Harvie doesn’t quite like the fact that they were being represented as sad and bitter people. Although he concurs that that is a part of their lives, he would also like to see the other side of them when they are happy, outgoing, excited, and full of life. As far as the future of trans people in popular culture, he says that he is the first medically transformed trans man to appear on a show as a trans man, theoretically opening the flood gates for all the other trans people to join him and elevate the visibility of trans people past where he could take it. more than anything, he explicates, the impact of trans masculine guys seeing themselves positively portrayed in media, as smart, hot, funny, kind, loving, productive, happy people; doesn’t only make them feel like they exist- it allows them to see themselves having a long and full life, understanding that they are not alone, making life worth living. Shewakena K.
In Ian Harvie’s interview regarding trans men in media, he touches base on how trans men are viewed in society as well as the representations trans men and women face in the television industry. Ian talks about the rareness of trans masculine folks in popular media. He argues that there is some a visibility for them because they often pass as cis men, instead of trans men. Which plays into the notion that because they are so passing they are often forgotten in the media industry. Thus, plays into Ian having privilege beings as he is passed as a cis man to the public as well as the media industry. Ian touches on how it is hard for the media industry to branch out into non-mainstream topics such as the gender binary, sexuality, and intersectionality. Ian talks about the future of trans visibility with shows like Transparent, Dirty Sexy Money, and Orange is the New Black are positively showing trans visibility and showing that the gender binary is flawed, as well it is opening a dialogue for people that fit in the gender binary to understand those that don’t fall into the same category live their life. Ian talks about the different trans representations in the entertainment industry such as Max from The L Word. Ian said that he was glad that there was representation, yet wished that Max was happier and less depressed on the show and wished that Max would be a little bit prouder of who he was instead of constantly being sad throughout the show, Max’s weak representation of a trans actor in a show perpetrated stereotypes that those are transitioning produce more sadness rather than bravery and acceptant. Ian hopes that there will be more positive representations of trans visibility in the entertainment industry that encompass all the emotions that trans individuals have such as happiness, bravery, strength and courage.
Ian Harvie, who is a trans actor on the critically acclaimed television show Transparent did an interview with After Ellen where he talks about how trans men and trans women are represented in popular culture. First, he is critical of the lack of trans actors in the media, he lists only four including himself that are featured in popular television shows on air. He believes that for others to know trans people exist there needs to be more trans stories shared in the media. He also says that his character on Transparent seems like a much happier and self-loving trans man than Max from The L Word who was miserable and negative. He believes it’s important to show trans men being proud, loving and grateful to be who they are along with the sadness. He applauds the representation of trans women in popular culture with actresses like Candis Cayne from Dirty Sexy Money and Laverne Cox from Orange is the New Black. He also believes cis man actor Jeffery Tambor does a great job playing a trans woman on Transparent and considers it positive representation even though the role is not played by a trans actress. Although his character Dale in Transparent cannot represent every trans man perfectly Harvie believes that the representation does not need to be spot on, it just needs to be a truthful and real performance that does not represent stereotypes. He believes that with more trans woman being represented in the media it will increase the visibility for trans men and gender nonconforming individuals, which will then help create a more inclusive and safer world. For trans men representation he hopes that his character Dale on Transparent will inspire trans actors to pursue careers in the entertainment industry. Also, the representation will make other trans men feel like they themselves can have a long happy life and feel less alone and worthy of living. Lauren W.
Ian Harvey talks about the overwhelming under-representation of trans people in the media and the differences in representation between trans women and trans men. He mentioned that he believed trans men may not be represented as much as trans women because during their transition, they obtained male privilege, which includes invisibility privilege. They are not policed and monitored in the same way that trans women are. He also made note that the representation of trans women in the media can serve as a window of opportunity for more representation of trans men in the future. Harvey had listed very few trans men representations in the media that he was area of, one of them being the role he played himself. He also stated that there are drastically different takes and representations of trans people. On one hand, there are roles that portray the obstacles and hardship that many trans people face around the world. On the other hand, there's roles like Harvie's as Dale, where trans people are represented as happy and proud. I think both representations are extremely valid and important and it is important to develop a balance of these types of roles. These representations are important messages for the trans community as well as opportunities for awareness in the cis community. For the trans community, it is important to show that there is hope for a happy and normal future as a trans person. My best friend is a trans male and I know that it is very important that he sees positive representations such as these that let him know that there's hope of having a healthy and happy future. In the cis community, it is important to become aware and educated and understand that transgender people are valid and while they experience hardship and obstacles that cis people do not endure, they are also capable of normal happy lives. Shira T.
In his interview by AfterEllen, Ian Harvie talks about his views on how trans men and women are represented in the media and popular culture. He begins by explaining the invisibility he feels as a trans masculine man. Trans men are given so little representation in popular culture that he felt as if they did not exist - until he started working on Transparent and met another trans masculine man like him. He further explained that he is automatically given cis male privileges because of his exterior gender presentation, even though he does not fit into that assumption.
Harvie goes on to talking about the entertainment industry’s reluctance to explore and present new topics to audiences. The industry continues to push out the same storylines and topics as always instead of taking a risk to change things and represent more than straight, cis gender people. He feels that this is slowly moving into a different and more inclusive direction, thanks to more industry decision makers greenlighting shows like Transparent and to the creator of Transparent herself, Jill Soloway.
Specifically talking about trans men, Harvie feels there are very few examples of them onscreen. He talks about Max from The L Word, who always seems sad and like there is something weighing him down. He feels that while it is important to call attention to the hardships that trans people face, it is also important to represent the happy sides of their lives and properly present them as whole human beings.
Harvie gives a lot of credit to trans women for making way for more trans people in the industry. He feels that their increasing popularity and representation is creating a safe place for him and others like him in the industry and in the world. The increase in representation allows for more people to have open minds and hearts because they have seen these characters onscreen and have more of an understanding about their lives.
In short, Harvie feels that trans men and women are still severely underrepresented in popular culture, but that the industry is slowly moving in a positive direction to include them.
Ian in the interview After Ellen talks about the representation of trans men and women in popular culture. When he is asked the question of why he thought masculine folks are rarely represented on pop media. He responded by saying that trans guy are made invisible. He didn’t know trans guys existed until he met someone who was like him. If people don’t know that rans guy exist how would they be able to represent them, they don’t know their lives and what they’ve been through. He states that maybe that’s why “people outside our community often don’t think to include us.” He also argues that the entertainment industry has a “difficult time allowing new topics on television.” He then goes on to talks about his character on the show and how he feels when his character couldn’t represent them as a trans masculine person. He says that he’d agree because it’s not their story that’s being told but Dales. “He’s not you: he someone sort of like you.” The representation doesn’t have to be specific, but it must stay away from stereotypes. He states that his character can be many things to people but its cannot be everything to one person. He then talks about the increase of visibility of trans men and gender representation will increase visibility and good representation. Mary C.
Ian Harvie, trans male actor who stars in the TV show Transparent, does a fantastic job at sharing some information on the trans male community in his interview with AfterEllen. He first comments on how trans masculine individuals are represented in the media. The community is still growing, but he finds that the main reason they are not portrayed very well is that people are not aware of their existence. The reason for this is that trans men do have male privilege so when other cis individuals see their appearance, they do not think about the history or character of the trans male community.
In terms of representation of trans men in the media, although some may not agree with his portrayal in Transparent, he is fine with that. As long as people are able to relate to at least one aspect of his character, Dale, then he feels that can make all the difference. He is aware that he does not embody all the trans male community in his character, but as long as some sort of progress is being made, that is all that matters to him. Individuals are at least able to see a trans male being represented on a TV show and in turn, will be able to relate in one way or another.
Ian Harvie sees the trans women community growing and becoming more accepted, and he is glad that it is happening in a positive way. He sees this growth as an introduction of the trans community to the media; first, the trans women build a path for the trans men to then progressively come into the spotlight.
For the most part, Ian Harvie is seeing a strong potential for the trans community to become accepted. Although how long it may take for a complete acceptance is not clear, Ian is more concerned with the trans community being represented well. He wants to be sure that both trans men and women are seen as regular human beings, so not only do the struggles need to be highlighted, but the positive times as well when it comes to living as a transexual.
Ian Harvie plays Dale on the Amazon show Transparent, and was asked by AfterEllen about his thoughts regarding the current representation of the trans community on the small screen. Harvie recognizes the invisibility that some may say masculine trans men are blessed with. Invisibility in this case, however, refers to people on the outside not recognizing trans men as part of the community at all when there is an opposing hyperawareness of trans women within the culture. This differential translates into the levels of portrayal of trans images in television. Because they have less recognition in the real living, breathing world, they are often snubbed a chance at being truthfully represented in stories that play out on screen. You must begin somewhere. Harvie sheds light on the fact that Hollywood prefers to recreate the same types of stories that they know have already been successful and it is not a small feat to stray away from the rut the entertainment industry has dug out for itself. Having the bravery to individualize and step away from the norm is what tests the boundaries of our thinking. Much of what we find comfortable and easy to grasp—especially in realizing the efforts of the trans community in making itself more widely understood—comes from what we consume from a screen. Transparent has given trans people an outlet in pre-, post-, and everything-else-production of the show and Harvie feels honored to be a part of that. The roles he and others are playing in facilitating a medium of greater visibility are creating a community of greater love and understanding. In terms of feeling the weight of needing to represent everyone within the trans community, Ian recognizes that the story he is telling will not fit, without flaw, with everyone else's. What he has done is given his character his own story to show varying obstacles within someone's life. Not everyone is going to have the same experiences in being trans but his job is to shed light and unite others in showing different ways to carry on from the same starting point. Alyssa W.
In the interview with AfterEllen, Harvie explains that he plays the character of Dale, who is also trans man with a decent job and can be a bit invisible, as he blends in well. Harvie associates this theme of invisibility to his life, as he is granted male privilege or passing privilege. The ability to blend in with his new gender is on the account of his exterior presentation. This is also attributed to why there asre such few trans men on television today. As for the representation of trans men and women in popular culture, Harvie applauds the work of Candis Cayne on Dirty Sexy Money, and that of Laverne Cox on Orange Is The New Black. He claims the great work and portrayal of “My trans feminine sisters out there, in all forms of media, have been parting the seas for people like me to come forward”. Trans women have succeeded in their television roles and have helped other trans come forward with their strong leading roles. Trans male roles have been sparse to say the least; Harvie himself could only recall three in the recent years. But when he compares his character Dale to that of Max from The L Word he can see two different portrayals. Max is negative and miserable; Harvie chalks it up to Max not being comfortable with himself or possibly a victim of hate. While Harvie’s character Dale is a happy and successful trans man. There are a variety of stories to be shared of all aspects of trans life, so I think Max’s character was just a different experience. Harvie agrees that the various aspects should be interpreted, but he wants to make it clear that not all trans stories should be sad stories; there should be joy and acceptance. “I believe with increased visibility and deeply good representation, people will see other people who are gender nonconforming—at the market, work, or in a public restroom—and have more understanding, love in their hearts, have a conversation, be more inclusive, and create a safer world”(Harvie 2014).
Ian Harvie plays a transgender man named Dale on the critically acclaimed Amazon show Transparent. In his interview with AfterEllen he is asked about the representation of trans men and women in popular culture. The first question he is asked is why trans masculine folks are represented so minimally. Ian attributes this to male privilege or passing privilege. He as a masculine trans male looks like a cis male so he is given the freedom to be less scrutinized or invisible. Ian continues explaining that trans representation in the media is often invisible because people outside of that representation do not know trans people exist in real life, so that is why they are often left out of the story. In the interview the topic of trans women are mentioned. Ian explains that the increasing, positive representation of trans women results in a more positive outlook for tans men and other gender nonconforming people. Women like Candis Cayne and Laverne Cox has painted trans people in a heartfelt and positive way in the media. Ian believes that will lead to people being more understanding, inclusive, and a more loving and safer world. Ian mentions the efforts of Rhys Ernst and Zackary Drucker to include more trans people in all areas of production. Rhys and Zackary are the producers and trans consultants for Transparent. They created a trans affirmative action to increase the invisibility of transgender people, and hopefully inspire more transgender people to pursue a career in an industry they once thought to be impenetrable for their people. Ian notes that the most important aspect of his character is that he is represented as funny and loving. This is important for the trans community because it makes them feel as if they really do exist. Transgender people are given a frame of reference for who they are with characters like Dale and they feel as if they can have a long life filled with similar laughter and love.
Ian Harvie did an interview with AfterEllen and they asked him why trans masculine folks are rarely represented in popular media to which he responded that the reason for it is that masculinity to a large extent is not scrutinized or questioned. Masculinity is a privilege and many people do not realize that cis guys like him "exist". Cis men obtain male privilege and for the most are shielded with an invisibility cloak alongside other masculine men. Ian Harvie himself admitted that he did not even know that there were other trans guys out there until he met another trans guy. So because of this he believes that since generally people do not know about cis men and the challenges that they face, people do not write stories about them or include them in their storytelling. Trans men are not represented as much as trans women because of that very same male privilege. However, he can’t help but feel more comforted knowing that there is at least some type or representation for the transgendered community in media. Still, there are ways where representation of the trans community could be affected if the transgendered community are portrayed in the media alongside negative stereotypes. Ian Harvie hopes for more positive representations of Trans people in the media that sheds more of a positive light on them and also to show the world that trans people are just as capable of living happy and healthy lives just like the rest of us. Although, the media industry is slowly progressing towards a more positive light there is still much work to be done in order to successfully represent more trans men and women in media as regular human beings who both have struggles and live lives filled with moments of happiness and sadness just like everybody else.
In his interview with AfterEllen, Ian Harvie, a trans actor on the critically acclaimed television show Transparent, starts off by saying that there is invisibility for trans masculine guys. He describes it as that he has male privilege because at first glance you see his masculine exterior gender representation. His masculinity is less questioned than other trans guys because he doesn’t seem different that other cis guys on the outside. He talks about how his masculinity is a privilege when it comes to fitting in with cis guys, but yet that it also is a hindrance because if you can’t tell if someone is trans then how are people supposed to know that they exist. If people do not know that they exist, then their stories will not be told. Because of this predicament, Ian Harvie expressed gratitude for the show Transparent because it portrays trans men as being masculine while at the same time, it tells their stories. Ian Harvie also shows gratitude to his trans feminine sisters who have paved the way for trans men to come forward, for example Candis Cayne on Dirty Sexy Money and Laverne Cox on Orange Is The New Black. He believes that with more positive representation, other people will be more open to trans people and they will be able to live together in harmony. Ian also talks about how it is important that all aspects of being a trans human are portrayed, but he wishes that it is shown more when trans people are loving and happy to be who they are. He is thankful to play Dale in Transparent because while there are many other trans characters in the pop culture, Dale is one of the few who gets portrayed as proud, loving, and grateful. For the future, Ian talks about how he is positive that trans people will get more recognition because of all the amazing and talented trans actors, filmmakers, musicians, etc. that are out there.
In the interview by AfterEllen, Harvie frames the representation of Trans men and women in popular culture by saying that many people do not even realize that they exist. In this interview, he clearly states that we did not know we existed until I met another Tran’s person like me. He also states that the entertainment industry always has a difficult time to allow new topics on television. It is tough to represent them on television because the television continuously plays the same old formula that they think works. In his interview, he clearly states that he doesn’t represent some of the trans men because each person is different and everyone has their different stories. He believes the representation does not have to be spot on and as long as the characters truth has a possibility of being based in reality and stays away from stereotypes. He also touches on that many stories in the future that can represent others. He also believes that it is going in the positive direction of representing Tran’s women. In his interview he also states, “Maura on transparent is played by a cis-man but it was positive representation that has helped created a safe place for me and my Trans sisters in the world and entertainment industry.” He believes by some sort of visibility and good representation, it is a positive sign that people who see other people who are gender nonconforming- at the market or different places, have a regular conversation, and create a safer world. Lastly, there are not many people representations of Tran’s masculine folks in the media. I believe they are only four key figures who represent them in the media. Dale on transparent seems like an open-out and self-loving Trans with a decent job. However, Max for the L world seems like he was always fighting, miserable and thought no one understood him. It is at least a positive sign that Tran’s men and women do have some representation in popular culture and hopefully they can be a key figure in the future. -Mohemmad M.
In his interview with AfterEllen, Ian Harvie begins by talking about the acceptance of non-existence of transsexuals in the world and he even admits that he himself didn’t know they existed until he met another person like him. Also, because of the male privilege garnered to men due to their physical appearance, trans men are not taken to be any different than straight men when it comes to their masculinity. As far as the representation of trans men and women in popular culture, Harvie is happy with the simple fact that there is any kind of representation. For him, as long as that representation doesn’t fall into stereotypes, it is a start and with more creative trans people coming to the industry, many wide arrays of trans life will be represented in media. He believes that the more visibility trans people get in the media, the more people would be comfortable to see them out and about in supermarkets, public restrooms, and parks and see them as they would see any normal heterosexual male or female. As far as the media’s representation of trans people, Harvie doesn’t quite like the fact that they were being represented as sad and bitter people. Although he concurs that that is a part of their lives, he would also like to see the other side of them when they are happy, outgoing, excited, and full of life. As far as the future of trans people in popular culture, he says that he is the first medically transformed trans man to appear on a show as a trans man, theoretically opening the flood gates for all the other trans people to join him and elevate the visibility of trans people past where he could take it. more than anything, he explicates, the impact of trans masculine guys seeing themselves positively portrayed in media, as smart, hot, funny, kind, loving, productive, happy people; doesn’t only make them feel like they exist- it allows them to see themselves having a long and full life, understanding that they are not alone, making life worth living.
ReplyDeleteShewakena K.
In Ian Harvie’s interview regarding trans men in media, he touches base on how trans men are viewed in society as well as the representations trans men and women face in the television industry. Ian talks about the rareness of trans masculine folks in popular media. He argues that there is some a visibility for them because they often pass as cis men, instead of trans men. Which plays into the notion that because they are so passing they are often forgotten in the media industry. Thus, plays into Ian having privilege beings as he is passed as a cis man to the public as well as the media industry. Ian touches on how it is hard for the media industry to branch out into non-mainstream topics such as the gender binary, sexuality, and intersectionality. Ian talks about the future of trans visibility with shows like Transparent, Dirty Sexy Money, and Orange is the New Black are positively showing trans visibility and showing that the gender binary is flawed, as well it is opening a dialogue for people that fit in the gender binary to understand those that don’t fall into the same category live their life. Ian talks about the different trans representations in the entertainment industry such as Max from The L Word. Ian said that he was glad that there was representation, yet wished that Max was happier and less depressed on the show and wished that Max would be a little bit prouder of who he was instead of constantly being sad throughout the show, Max’s weak representation of a trans actor in a show perpetrated stereotypes that those are transitioning produce more sadness rather than bravery and acceptant. Ian hopes that there will be more positive representations of trans visibility in the entertainment industry that encompass all the emotions that trans individuals have such as happiness, bravery, strength and courage.
ReplyDeleteAshley L.
Ian Harvie, who is a trans actor on the critically acclaimed television show Transparent did an interview with After Ellen where he talks about how trans men and trans women are represented in popular culture. First, he is critical of the lack of trans actors in the media, he lists only four including himself that are featured in popular television shows on air. He believes that for others to know trans people exist there needs to be more trans stories shared in the media. He also says that his character on Transparent seems like a much happier and self-loving trans man than Max from The L Word who was miserable and negative. He believes it’s important to show trans men being proud, loving and grateful to be who they are along with the sadness. He applauds the representation of trans women in popular culture with actresses like Candis Cayne from Dirty Sexy Money and Laverne Cox from Orange is the New Black. He also believes cis man actor Jeffery Tambor does a great job playing a trans woman on Transparent and considers it positive representation even though the role is not played by a trans actress. Although his character Dale in Transparent cannot represent every trans man perfectly Harvie believes that the representation does not need to be spot on, it just needs to be a truthful and real performance that does not represent stereotypes. He believes that with more trans woman being represented in the media it will increase the visibility for trans men and gender nonconforming individuals, which will then help create a more inclusive and safer world. For trans men representation he hopes that his character Dale on Transparent will inspire trans actors to pursue careers in the entertainment industry. Also, the representation will make other trans men feel like they themselves can have a long happy life and feel less alone and worthy of living.
ReplyDeleteLauren W.
Ian Harvey talks about the overwhelming under-representation of trans people in the media and the differences in representation between trans women and trans men. He mentioned that he believed trans men may not be represented as much as trans women because during their transition, they obtained male privilege, which includes invisibility privilege. They are not policed and monitored in the same way that trans women are. He also made note that the representation of trans women in the media can serve as a window of opportunity for more representation of trans men in the future. Harvey had listed very few trans men representations in the media that he was area of, one of them being the role he played himself. He also stated that there are drastically different takes and representations of trans people. On one hand, there are roles that portray the obstacles and hardship that many trans people face around the world. On the other hand, there's roles like Harvie's as Dale, where trans people are represented as happy and proud. I think both representations are extremely valid and important and it is important to develop a balance of these types of roles. These representations are important messages for the trans community as well as opportunities for awareness in the cis community. For the trans community, it is important to show that there is hope for a happy and normal future as a trans person. My best friend is a trans male and I know that it is very important that he sees positive representations such as these that let him know that there's hope of having a healthy and happy future. In the cis community, it is important to become aware and educated and understand that transgender people are valid and while they experience hardship and obstacles that cis people do not endure, they are also capable of normal happy lives.
ReplyDeleteShira T.
In his interview by AfterEllen, Ian Harvie talks about his views on how trans men and women are represented in the media and popular culture. He begins by explaining the invisibility he feels as a trans masculine man. Trans men are given so little representation in popular culture that he felt as if they did not exist - until he started working on Transparent and met another trans masculine man like him. He further explained that he is automatically given cis male privileges because of his exterior gender presentation, even though he does not fit into that assumption.
ReplyDeleteHarvie goes on to talking about the entertainment industry’s reluctance to explore and present new topics to audiences. The industry continues to push out the same storylines and topics as always instead of taking a risk to change things and represent more than straight, cis gender people. He feels that this is slowly moving into a different and more inclusive direction, thanks to more industry decision makers greenlighting shows like Transparent and to the creator of Transparent herself, Jill Soloway.
Specifically talking about trans men, Harvie feels there are very few examples of them onscreen. He talks about Max from The L Word, who always seems sad and like there is something weighing him down. He feels that while it is important to call attention to the hardships that trans people face, it is also important to represent the happy sides of their lives and properly present them as whole human beings.
Harvie gives a lot of credit to trans women for making way for more trans people in the industry. He feels that their increasing popularity and representation is creating a safe place for him and others like him in the industry and in the world. The increase in representation allows for more people to have open minds and hearts because they have seen these characters onscreen and have more of an understanding about their lives.
In short, Harvie feels that trans men and women are still severely underrepresented in popular culture, but that the industry is slowly moving in a positive direction to include them.
Helen P.
Ian in the interview After Ellen talks about the representation of trans men and women in popular culture. When he is asked the question of why he thought masculine folks are rarely represented on pop media. He responded by saying that trans guy are made invisible. He didn’t know trans guys existed until he met someone who was like him. If people don’t know that rans guy exist how would they be able to represent them, they don’t know their lives and what they’ve been through. He states that maybe that’s why “people outside our community often don’t think to include us.” He also argues that the entertainment industry has a “difficult time allowing new topics on television.” He then goes on to talks about his character on the show and how he feels when his character couldn’t represent them as a trans masculine person. He says that he’d agree because it’s not their story that’s being told but Dales. “He’s not you: he someone sort of like you.” The representation doesn’t have to be specific, but it must stay away from stereotypes. He states that his character can be many things to people but its cannot be everything to one person. He then talks about the increase of visibility of trans men and gender representation will increase visibility and good representation.
ReplyDeleteMary C.
Ian Harvie, trans male actor who stars in the TV show Transparent, does a fantastic job at sharing some information on the trans male community in his interview with AfterEllen. He first comments on how trans masculine individuals are represented in the media. The community is still growing, but he finds that the main reason they are not portrayed very well is that people are not aware of their existence. The reason for this is that trans men do have male privilege so when other cis individuals see their appearance, they do not think about the history or character of the trans male community.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of representation of trans men in the media, although some may not agree with his portrayal in Transparent, he is fine with that. As long as people are able to relate to at least one aspect of his character, Dale, then he feels that can make all the difference. He is aware that he does not embody all the trans male community in his character, but as long as some sort of progress is being made, that is all that matters to him. Individuals are at least able to see a trans male being represented on a TV show and in turn, will be able to relate in one way or another.
Ian Harvie sees the trans women community growing and becoming more accepted, and he is glad that it is happening in a positive way. He sees this growth as an introduction of the trans community to the media; first, the trans women build a path for the trans men to then progressively come into the spotlight.
For the most part, Ian Harvie is seeing a strong potential for the trans community to become accepted. Although how long it may take for a complete acceptance is not clear, Ian is more concerned with the trans community being represented well. He wants to be sure that both trans men and women are seen as regular human beings, so not only do the struggles need to be highlighted, but the positive times as well when it comes to living as a transexual.
Dean V.
Ian Harvie plays Dale on the Amazon show Transparent, and was asked by AfterEllen about his thoughts regarding the current representation of the trans community on the small screen. Harvie recognizes the invisibility that some may say masculine trans men are blessed with. Invisibility in this case, however, refers to people on the outside not recognizing trans men as part of the community at all when there is an opposing hyperawareness of trans women within the culture. This differential translates into the levels of portrayal of trans images in television. Because they have less recognition in the real living, breathing world, they are often snubbed a chance at being truthfully represented in stories that play out on screen. You must begin somewhere. Harvie sheds light on the fact that Hollywood prefers to recreate the same types of stories that they know have already been successful and it is not a small feat to stray away from the rut the entertainment industry has dug out for itself. Having the bravery to individualize and step away from the norm is what tests the boundaries of our thinking. Much of what we find comfortable and easy to grasp—especially in realizing the efforts of the trans community in making itself more widely understood—comes from what we consume from a screen. Transparent has given trans people an outlet in pre-, post-, and everything-else-production of the show and Harvie feels honored to be a part of that. The roles he and others are playing in facilitating a medium of greater visibility are creating a community of greater love and understanding. In terms of feeling the weight of needing to represent everyone within the trans community, Ian recognizes that the story he is telling will not fit, without flaw, with everyone else's. What he has done is given his character his own story to show varying obstacles within someone's life. Not everyone is going to have the same experiences in being trans but his job is to shed light and unite others in showing different ways to carry on from the same starting point.
ReplyDeleteAlyssa W.
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ReplyDeleteIn the interview with AfterEllen, Harvie explains that he plays the character of Dale, who is also trans man with a decent job and can be a bit invisible, as he blends in well. Harvie associates this theme of invisibility to his life, as he is granted male privilege or passing privilege. The ability to blend in with his new gender is on the account of his exterior presentation. This is also attributed to why there asre such few trans men on television today. As for the representation of trans men and women in popular culture, Harvie applauds the work of Candis Cayne on Dirty Sexy Money, and that of Laverne Cox on Orange Is The New Black. He claims the great work and portrayal of “My trans feminine sisters out there, in all forms of media, have been parting the seas for people like me to come forward”. Trans women have succeeded in their television roles and have helped other trans come forward with their strong leading roles.
ReplyDeleteTrans male roles have been sparse to say the least; Harvie himself could only recall three in the recent years. But when he compares his character Dale to that of Max from The L Word he can see two different portrayals. Max is negative and miserable; Harvie chalks it up to Max not being comfortable with himself or possibly a victim of hate. While Harvie’s character Dale is a happy and successful trans man. There are a variety of stories to be shared of all aspects of trans life, so I think Max’s character was just a different experience. Harvie agrees that the various aspects should be interpreted, but he wants to make it clear that not all trans stories should be sad stories; there should be joy and acceptance. “I believe with increased visibility and deeply good representation, people will see other people who are gender nonconforming—at the market, work, or in a public restroom—and have more understanding, love in their hearts, have a conversation, be more inclusive, and create a safer world”(Harvie 2014).
Susana H.
Ian Harvie plays a transgender man named Dale on the critically acclaimed Amazon show Transparent. In his interview with AfterEllen he is asked about the representation of trans men and women in popular culture. The first question he is asked is why trans masculine folks are represented so minimally. Ian attributes this to male privilege or passing privilege. He as a masculine trans male looks like a cis male so he is given the freedom to be less scrutinized or invisible. Ian continues explaining that trans representation in the media is often invisible because people outside of that representation do not know trans people exist in real life, so that is why they are often left out of the story. In the interview the topic of trans women are mentioned. Ian explains that the increasing, positive representation of trans women results in a more positive outlook for tans men and other gender nonconforming people. Women like Candis Cayne and Laverne Cox has painted trans people in a heartfelt and positive way in the media. Ian believes that will lead to people being more understanding, inclusive, and a more loving and safer world. Ian mentions the efforts of Rhys Ernst and Zackary Drucker to include more trans people in all areas of production. Rhys and Zackary are the producers and trans consultants for Transparent. They created a trans affirmative action to increase the invisibility of transgender people, and hopefully inspire more transgender people to pursue a career in an industry they once thought to be impenetrable for their people. Ian notes that the most important aspect of his character is that he is represented as funny and loving. This is important for the trans community because it makes them feel as if they really do exist. Transgender people are given a frame of reference for who they are with characters like Dale and they feel as if they can have a long life filled with similar laughter and love.
ReplyDeleteIshoa G
Ian Harvie did an interview with AfterEllen and they asked him why trans masculine folks are rarely represented in popular media to which he responded that the reason for it is that masculinity to a large extent is not scrutinized or questioned. Masculinity is a privilege and many people do not realize that cis guys like him "exist". Cis men obtain male privilege and for the most are shielded with an invisibility cloak alongside other masculine men. Ian Harvie himself admitted that he did not even know that there were other trans guys out there until he met another trans guy. So because of this he believes that since generally people do not know about cis men and the challenges that they face, people do not write stories about them or include them in their storytelling. Trans men are not represented as much as trans women because of that very same male privilege. However, he can’t help but feel more comforted knowing that there is at least some type or representation for the transgendered community in media. Still, there are ways where representation of the trans community could be affected if the transgendered community are portrayed in the media alongside negative stereotypes. Ian Harvie hopes for more positive representations of Trans people in the media that sheds more of a positive light on them and also to show the world that trans people are just as capable of living happy and healthy lives just like the rest of us. Although, the media industry is slowly progressing towards a more positive light there is still much work to be done in order to successfully represent more trans men and women in media as regular human beings who both have struggles and live lives filled with moments of happiness and sadness just like everybody else.
ReplyDeleteGisell O.
In his interview with AfterEllen, Ian Harvie, a trans actor on the critically acclaimed television show Transparent, starts off by saying that there is invisibility for trans masculine guys. He describes it as that he has male privilege because at first glance you see his masculine exterior gender representation. His masculinity is less questioned than other trans guys because he doesn’t seem different that other cis guys on the outside. He talks about how his masculinity is a privilege when it comes to fitting in with cis guys, but yet that it also is a hindrance because if you can’t tell if someone is trans then how are people supposed to know that they exist. If people do not know that they exist, then their stories will not be told. Because of this predicament, Ian Harvie expressed gratitude for the show Transparent because it portrays trans men as being masculine while at the same time, it tells their stories.
ReplyDeleteIan Harvie also shows gratitude to his trans feminine sisters who have paved the way for trans men to come forward, for example Candis Cayne on Dirty Sexy Money and Laverne Cox on Orange Is The New Black. He believes that with more positive representation, other people will be more open to trans people and they will be able to live together in harmony. Ian also talks about how it is important that all aspects of being a trans human are portrayed, but he wishes that it is shown more when trans people are loving and happy to be who they are. He is thankful to play Dale in Transparent because while there are many other trans characters in the pop culture, Dale is one of the few who gets portrayed as proud, loving, and grateful. For the future, Ian talks about how he is positive that trans people will get more recognition because of all the amazing and talented trans actors, filmmakers, musicians, etc. that are out there.
Katherine C.
In the interview by AfterEllen, Harvie frames the representation of Trans men and women in popular culture by saying that many people do not even realize that they exist. In this interview, he clearly states that we did not know we existed until I met another Tran’s person like me. He also states that the entertainment industry always has a difficult time to allow new topics on television. It is tough to represent them on television because the television continuously plays the same old formula that they think works. In his interview, he clearly states that he doesn’t represent some of the trans men because each person is different and everyone has their different stories. He believes the representation does not have to be spot on and as long as the characters truth has a possibility of being based in reality and stays away from stereotypes. He also touches on that many stories in the future that can represent others. He also believes that it is going in the positive direction of representing Tran’s women. In his interview he also states, “Maura on transparent is played by a cis-man but it was positive representation that has helped created a safe place for me and my Trans sisters in the world and entertainment industry.” He believes by some sort of visibility and good representation, it is a positive sign that people who see other people who are gender nonconforming- at the market or different places, have a regular conversation, and create a safer world. Lastly, there are not many people representations of Tran’s masculine folks in the media. I believe they are only four key figures who represent them in the media. Dale on transparent seems like an open-out and self-loving Trans with a decent job. However, Max for the L world seems like he was always fighting, miserable and thought no one understood him. It is at least a positive sign that Tran’s men and women do have some representation in popular culture and hopefully they can be a key figure in the future.
ReplyDelete-Mohemmad M.