This site is the most comprehensive on the web devoted to trans history and biography. Well over 1400 persons worthy of note, both famous and obscure, are discussed in detail, and many more are mentioned in passing.

There is a detailed Index arranged by vocation, doctor, activist group etc. There is also a Place Index arranged by City etc. This is still evolving.

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19 December 2015

Some Events of 2015: Part 8: Internet, Art, Radio, Television, Adverts, Pornography, Theatre, Cinema

Part 1: Organizations & Activists, Equal marriage, Other Legislation.
Part 2: Persons, Changebacks
Part 3: Marriage, Lovers and Family, Trans Kids
Part 4: Politics & Government, Celebrities, Sports
Part 5: Schools, Universities & Colleges, Military, Cops & Firefighters, Conviction & Imprisonment, Homeless Shelters, US TSA, Nemeses
Part 6: Doctors & Sexologists, Medicine, Genetics, Legal, Deaths
Part 7: Autogynephilia, Drag, Butch, Dress Reform, Homeogender Surgeries, Fashion, Beauty Pageants, Music & Performance
Part 8: Internet, Art, Radio, Television, Adverts, Pornography, Theatre, Cinema
Part 9: Jargon, News Media, Journal Articles & Studies
Part 10: Archives & History, Books.

Internet

ICANN again rejected giving control of .GAY domain to a LGBT community group because "the applied-for string does not identify or match the name of the community as defined in the application, nor is it a well known short-form or abbreviation of the community. It therefore does not meet the requirements". It will probably be put up for auction to the highest commercial bidder.

The glbtq Encyclopedia has closed.

The HBS site http://shb-info.org maintained by Charlotte Goiar has been taken down.

Facebook added fill-in-blank to 58 gender options.

Facebook real name policy, which impacted on drag performers and on trans persons, has been relaxed after protests.

A troll paid Twitter to promote a tweet urging transgender people to kill themselves: “Trannies, your families will never love you. You are living a lie & you know it. End your miserable existence. Commit suicide now”.
 

Video Games

Assassin’s Creed adds first transgender character
 

Art, Photography & Exhibits


  • The Museum of Trangender Hirstory & Art at ONE Archives, March 21 – July 11, 2015, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, 909 West Adams Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90007. Organized by the Museum of Transgender Hirstory & Art, or MOTHA, Transgender Hirstory in 99 Objects examines objects that hold significance in narrating the history of transgender communities. The project blurs the line between the real and the imaginary, the known and the unknowable, giving visibility to actual people and events that remain foundational for transgender history while embracing partial facts, rumors, and maybes. SFMOTHA
  • I Am: a trans* art exhibit. April 3 – May 25 2015 Waterloo Arts Gallery, Cleveland. 15 trans individuals from across the US share their experience as trans.
  • Looking Out, Looking In. MOCA, London Gallery, Peckham. 4-9 September, 2015. Persons neither male nor female. Newsarticle
  • To Survive on this Shore. Photographs and interviews with transgender and gender-variant older adults. Featured in Alive Magazine, November 2015. PDF.
  • Frank Benson's plastic statue of Juliana Huxtable, at New York's New Museum Triennial for emerging artists.
  • Danielle Villasana's photographs of Peruvian trans women. 
  •  Portrait of Sylvia Rivera, Christina Hayworth and Julia Murray, now hangs in National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution.
  • Corinna Kern, German-born photojournalist photographed trans persons in Eastern Cape, working with SHE.
  • All TrueTomboys, paintings by Christina Scheslinger, . A pop-up exhibition at the Leslie Lohman Museum, Soho, New York Late January, 2015. Some of these will be shown at the Schwules Museum, Berlin in 2016.


    Marvel has first trans superhero in Sera.  
    History of trans characters in US comic books  
“Sex Change Spitfire Ace: Secret History” Secret History, Channel 4, 5 Oct 2015. Channel 4 about Roberta Cowell, with Liz Hodgkinson.

Sex Diaries: Trans Lovers. Channel 4. 12 Oct 2015. Newsarticle Two heterosexual men who left their wives to marry a trans woman.

Girls to men. With young men, Alfie, Billy, Ethan, CJ, Sabah and Jamie Raines who took a selfie every day for 3 years. Channel 4. 13 Oct 2015 Daily Mail article   Trailer When participants agreed to be in it, the program was called The Testosterone Diaries. Criticism    More criticism   CJ's reaction. Sabah and CJ who were critical of the final form were not mentioned in the Daily Mail article

Four Corners. With Daniella, Francine, Nora and Divina, all Australian sex workers. ABC, 3 August 2015. Newsarticle   ABC

“Hijabs and High Heels” with Mama Yuli. Dateline, SBS March 29, 2015. Newsarticle Newsarticle

Secret Lives of Twins including Aiden and Brenda Bowers. ITV 15 July 2015. Newsarticle   ITV Brenda still thinks of them as identical, even after Aiden's transition in 1998.

“Growing Up Trans”. Frontline. 12 reports. PBS June 29-July 1 2015. Overview. Video Criticism

Lady Valor: The Kristin Beck Story. Mark Herzog & Sandrine Orabono (dirs), with Kristin Beck US 90 mins Sept 8 2015 Wolfe on Demand and elsewhere. CNN   IMDB   Trailer   Newsarticle

“Transforming Gender”. Doc Zone. Dir: Marc de Guerre, with Carys Massarella and 10 others, CBC 27 February 2015. CBC    DocZone   Newsarticle

“En Cuerpo Ajeno”. With Vinna, Natalia, Christian and Shane. Aquí y Ahora. Univision, April 19 2015. Newsarticle

Young, Trans and Looking for Love. With Claire Green, Arin Andres and Katie Rain Hill. Barcroft/BBC 23 November 2015. Newsarticle    BBC
     

    Trans writers and directors


    Transparent, second season, Lady J, the show’s first transgender writer, and Silas Howard, its first trans director.

     

    Trans playing trans


    Bananas, 1,4. Creator: Russell T. Davies, dir: Lewis Arnold, scr: Charlie Covell, with Bethany Black as Helen Brears. Channel 4 2015. IMDB Newarticle Restaurant manageress Helen is plagued by ex-boyfriend. 
     
    Boy Meets Girl. Created: Elliot Kerrigan, dir/scr: Eric Schaeffer, with Rebecca Root (18 on IOS Rainbow List) as Judy. All 6 episodes, BBC 2015. Newsarticle. IMDB. Newsarticle BBC A 2013 BBC talent search offered comedy writers up to £5000 for the best script that promoted a positive portrayal of transgender characters. Judy is 40, her boyfriend is 26.
     
    Elementary. Creator Robert Doherty, with Candis Cayne as Mrs Hudson. blog Newsarticle
     
    Myrna. Dir: Ted Campbell, scr: Marlo Bernier & Ted Campbell, with Marlo Bernier as Myrna Michaels, Candis Cayne as Holland Hollis. US 30 mins 2015. IMDB Newsarticle Semi-autobiographical drama based on Marlo's own transition.

    Sense8. Dir/scr: The Wachowskis and others, with Jamie Clayton as Nomi Marks, a trans political blogger and hacker. US Netflix 2015. IMDB. Nomi is one of the 8 main characters. Interview
     
    EastEnders, BBC soap that has been running since 1985 cast Riley Millington to play Kyle, a trans man. BBC
     
    “The Prince of Nucleotides” Royal Pains. Dir: Michael B Silver, scr: Carol Flint, with Nicole Maines as Anna, a trans choreographer. Newsarticle IMDB
     

    Cis playing trans


    Black Sails. Creators: Robert Levine, Jonathan E Steinberg, with Clara Paget as pirate Anne Bonny.   IMDB   Historical Anne Bonny
     
    The Bold and The Beautiful. With Karla Mosley as Maya Avant, revealed by her sister to have started life as Myron. But also Scott Turner as Nick (see above). 

    Penny Dreadful. Season 2. Creator: John Logan, with Jonny Beauchamp as Angelique, a 19th century trans sex worker. IMDB Angelique lasts 5 episodes before being poisoned. 

    “Live Free, Live True”, Ripper Street, 3.7 with Haydn Gwynn as George Tait. Amazon/BBC 60 mins 19 Dec 2014. IMDB Trans man does justified murder, goes to gallows in a dress. Review
     

    Announced:

    Three Generations. Dir Gaby Dellal, scr: Nikole Beckwith, with Elle Fanning as a trans boy just starting transition and Naomi Watts as his mother. Newsarticle. IMDB


     

    Trans playing cis

    Babilônia. Rede Global, Brazil 2015. Rogéria plays Gabi's grandmother, Úrsula Andressa. Newsarticle
     
    I am Cait. With Cait Jenner, Candis Cayne, Kate Bornstein, Chaz Bono, Boy George, Janet Mock, Jennifer Boylan, Zackary Drucker, Jan Richards. US E! Online 2015. IMDB   Eonline   Wikipedia    Newsarticle   Newsarticle
     
    Becoming Us. Producer: Gordon Cassidy, with Carly Lahwald (in transition) and her son Ben. ABC Family 15 June 2015 Newsarticle   IMDB
 
Transgender in America. Dr Drew's 2 one-hour specials on transgender, with Ian Harvie of Transparent, Dr Marci Bowers, Jessica Taylor, pilot, Yasmin Lee, actress, 13-year-old Zoey and a married couple. US HLN 26-7 August 2015. NewsArticle.
 

Reality Shows


Amiyah Scott in Real Housewives of Atlanta.

Audrey Middleton, US Georgia, in US Big Brother

Carmen Carrera's wedding to her then boyfriend featured on Couples Therapy with Dr Jenn on VH1

Georgia Ziadie/Lady Colin Campbell in I'm a Celebrity, Get me out of Here. “[I have been] roped in to be sport for the oiks,”   Newsarticle

Sharon and Macy in New Girls on the Block on Discovery Life, April 11

U Beauty, which pays for plastic surgery for its participants, featured Li Xiongjin, , attempted self-castration three years ago. More
 

Drag


Muslim Drag Queens. Dir by Marcus Plowright, Narrated by Ian McKellen, with Quaraishi/Asifa Lahore, Imran/Zareena Khan and Ibrahim. UK Channel 4 24 August 2015 IMDB Discussion
 

Transphobic


Singer Autumn Allen moved to Cambodia with her dad when she was six. She hasn't seen her mom for years and believes she lives in Arizona. TV show Penh Chet Ort promised her they would be reunited on air. However, she met cross-dressing comedian Chuop Rolin instead 

Pretty Little Liars Wyatt Hodge, Dylan Garza, Vanessa Ray as CeCe Drake/Charlotte DiLaurentis. NewsArticle NewsArticle In the 6th year, bad guy Charlotte, “He. She. It” is revealed to be trans.


 

Adverts

BrewDog

 
    Local radio station in Prince Edward Island ran ad for local car parts retailer, which talked about “blowing a tranny” and then, “are you sure you mean your car?”. Ad was pulled after complaints from Pride PEI. 

    WOM, Chile, known for their edgy adverts, made one with a travesti. Newsarticle

     

    Pornography


    James Darling, owner and director of the porn studio FTM Fucker 

    Just Like a Woman. Abrons, New York, Oct 23-5, 2015. A UK-US performance festival “tackling contemporary notions of race and gender, and working at the frontiers of what we might think of as 'performance art'”. 

    Vagina Monologues at Holyoke Colleg, Massachusettes, cancelled after complaints from some trans that it discriminates against women with penises.

    Trans Playwrights & Actors


    Ballad of the Burning Star. Scr: Nir Paldi & George Mann. Premiered at 2013 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, In Toronto, 19-24 May 2015 The Theatre Centre. Article. Putting a drag face on the Israel-Palestine conflict. 

    Jo Clifford's Jesus Queen of Heaven was performed at the Outburst Queer Arts Festival in Northern Ireland. The festival had received £3,500 from the Northern Ireland government which led to questions in the house. Interview
     


    Viviany Beleboni, São Paulo, criticized for her crucifixion performance against homophobia.

    Te Awarangi “Awa” Puna, NZ/Aotearoa acting student, made YouTube videos about growing up trans, and was awarded the most inspiring young person of the year award at the Wellington Pride Awards. 

    Micheli Matuzzi, 38, actress in city of Paranagua, Paraná, brutally beaten near the bus station.
     

    Cis Playwrights & Actors Exploring Gender Options


    All-female Othello at Queens Theatre, New York, April 2015.. Lenny Banovez (dir) with Leah Dutchin as Othello. 

    Fanny and Stella: The Shocking True Story. Scr: Glen Chandler, 15 May to 14 June at Above The Stag in Vauxhall, London. Announcement
     
    First ever English language production of Michel's Tremblay's Hosanna in Montreal. Comment

    Yukio Hatoyama, Japanese prime minisrr 2009-10, inTokyo musical ‘Waist Size Story’. He played the role of Rosario, a fictional US President who served as the country’s first female Head of State. 

    David Sucher, best known for 25 years as Poiret, played Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest at the Vaudeville Theatre, London, from 24 June. 

    Taye Diggs played Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Belasco Theatre, New York, July 2015. 

    Darren Criss played Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch. April 19- July 19.

    Kathleen Turner directed and starred in Would You Still Love Me, as the mother of 28-year-old Danya (Sofia Jean Gomez) who is transitioning to male. New Worlkd Stages, 50th St , New York, October 10-26, 2015. Scr: John S Anastasi. 

    Rocky Horror Show 17 September 2015. One-off gala charity performance with Richard O'Brien, Stephen Frye, Mel Giedroy, Ade Edmondson and Emma Bunton.


    Cinema


    Director Michael Cimino denied rumours that he is trans. 
With Clint Eastwood, February 2015
     
    The Mrs Doubtfire house – see under Doctors. 

    Chris Sarandon speaks about his trans role in Dog Day Afternoon, 1975. 

    Alexander Skarsgård attended San Francisco premiere of his film The Diary of a Teenage Girl in drag. 
     
    From This Day Forward. Dir: Sharan Shattuck, with her father Trisha Shattuck US 2014. IMDB Trailer Newsarticle

    Treasure. Dir: Dream Hampton, with Shelly Hilliard. US 2015. Newsarticle IMDB Webpage Newsarticle Shelly 'Treasure' Hilliard, Detroit was murdered age 19. The film is about a young Detroit trans community activated by her death, and her family who are suing for justice.


     

    Trans Playing Trans

    Boy Meets Girl. Dir & scr: Eric Schaeffer, with Michelle Hendley as Ricky US 95 mins 2014. IMDB
     
    I. Dir:Shankar, with Vikram as Lingesan amd Ojas Rajini as the trans woman. India 2014. Newsarticle Newsarticle
     
    Naomi Campbel, No es fácil convertirse en otra persona (Naomi Campbel, It’s Not Easy To Become a Different Person.). Dir: Nicolás Videla & Camila Donoso, with Paula Yermén” Dinamarca. Chile 2014. Newsarticle
     
    Ricki and the Flash.  Dir: Jonathan Demme, scr: Diable Cody, with Carmen Carrera as ‘hair stylist’.  US 101 mins 2015.  IMDB   Comment  

    Seoul Mates. Dir Nash Ang, with Mimi Juareza as Alice. S Korea 115 mins 2015. IMDB Filipino Lady boy and Korean discreet gay meet and date each other, with the first one pretending to be a cis woman and the latter pretending to be a straight guy. 

    Tangerine. Dir: Sean Baker, scr: Sean Baker & Chris Bergoch, with Kitana Kiki as Sin-Dee, Mya Taylor as Alexandra. US 88 mins 2015. IMDB Trailer Newsarticle Newsarticle Trans sex workers in Los Angeles.


     

    Cis Playing Trans/Intersex


    Trivia: In About Ray, Ramona becomes Ray; in Stonewall, Ray becomes Ramona. 

        Danish Girl. Dir: Tom Hooper, scr: Lucinda Coxon, based on novel by David Ebershoff, with Eddie Redmayne as Lili Elbe (Nicole Kidman, Rachel Weisz, Gwyneth Paltrow etc had previously been proposed for the part). US 2015. IMDB   Trailer   Review   Review (By the film's turgid end, Redmayne has lost all sense of the character, dissolving into a puddle of tears and pained, beatific expressions. It's a capital-P Performance, one that's likely to get the Academy's attention, but it often borders on shallow.) Based not on the historical facts but on a novel that distorts the story. Charlotte Charlaque, Toni Ebel and Dörchen Ritcher, the real pioneer transsexuals are not even in the film. Comment
         
        About Ray. Dir: Gaby Dellal, scr: Nikole Beckwith, with Elle Fanning as Ramona/Ray. US 87 mins 2015. IMDB   Trailer   Review   Review After Ray decides to transition from female to male, Ray's mother, Maggie, must come to terms with the decision while tracking down Ray's biological father to get his legal consent. Release in September cancelled; rescheduled for New Year. Dellel stated: "The part is a girl and she is a girl who is presenting in a very ineffectual way as a boy." 

          Stonewall. Dir: Roland Emmerich, scr: Jon Robin Baitz, with Jonny Beauchamp as Ray/Ramona, Otoja Abit as Marsha P Johnson, Richard Jutras as Queen Rooey US 129 mins 2015. Filmed in Montreal. IMDB   Trailer  Review A composite trans woman of color to stand in where Marsha is not. After protests, the film played only selected cinemas. A plot very similar to the 1995 film. Even the gay roles were played by straight actors.

           

          Trans Playing Cis


          Danish Girl (see above section) also features Rebecca Root in a small part as 'nurse'. Rebecca auditioned for the role of Lili Elbe but a cis actor was chosen instead. 

          Dirty. Dir: Daniel Ringey, scr: Benjamin J Alexander, with Chaz Bono as Jerry the Hoader. US 90 mins 2015. IMDB Newsarticle
           

          Films about Hoaxes


          A Gay Girl in Damascus: The Amina Profile. Dir & scr: Siphie Deraspe. US 84 mins 2015. IMDB Newsarticle Blogger Amina turns out to be not gay, not a girl, not in Damascus. Syrian gay activists feel that real people were put in danger by this prank.

          The Cult of JT Leroy. Dir: Marjorie Sturm, with Laura Albert. US 92 mins 2015. IMDB WebPage Trailer The best-selling teen in transition, actually was not.



           

          Announced:

          Happy Birthday, Marsha. Dir & scr: Reina Gossett & Sasha Wortzel, with Mya Taylor as Marsha P Johnson and Eve Lindley as Sylvia Rivera. US 2016. IMDB  Trailer 

          The Neon Demon. Dir: Nicolas Refn, with Jamie Clayton in a cis part as 'casting director'. US 2016. IMDB 

          Tomboy, a Revenger's Tale. Walter Hill (dir & scr), with Michelle Rodriguez and Sigourney Weaver as the surgeon. US 2017. Transgender assassin bent on revenge on an evil surgeon who changed her from a man to a woman. IMDB   Comment
           
          Zoolander 2. Dir: Ben Stiller, Scr: Ben Stiller & Justin Theroux, with Benedict Cumberbatch as All. US 100 mins 2016. Trailer   Comment    Apology. Another comedy about modelling. All as seen in the trailer is androgynous, and is asked: ’Do you have a hot dog or a bun?' 

          Director Mike Stabile is making a non-fiction film about Holly Woodlawn.


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