Will two new transgender-themed Hollywood projects focus on transition again?

Word of two new projects focusing on the stories of transgender individuals hit the Hollywood trades last week. Both have me concerned we will once again see most of the focus on the process of transition, and that once again trans lives might be reduced to transition status.
First comes word of a new HBO series called “T”:

HBO is in development on a half-hour drama series that explores the gender transformation of a woman into a man.

Most mainstream representations of trans folks are focused on trans women, so a story about a trans man might be a welcome change. But the description of the show’s premise is focused entirely on the act of transition.
Following that story came news that the lead roles have been cast in “The Danish Girl.” The film is based on the novel of the same name by David Ebershoff, a fictionalized account of the life of Lili Elbe. Elbe is sometimes called the first transsexual and there are many who believe she was intersex. Her story is certainly one of the earliest accounts of someone going through surgical procedures as part of a gender transition.
I have not read Ebershoff’s book, which apparently focuses on the relationship between Elbe and her wife Gerda. but the fact that people are interested in Elbe’s story because of the historical nature of her transition process has me worried about a film that will focus on transitioning.
The process of transitioning can certainly be an important part of a transgender person’s life experience. But physical and social transitions, those moments in our lives where our bodies and presentations go through the biggest changes, are not our whole experiences. You might not know this from mainstream representations of transgender folks, though, which too often focus on the act of transition and often the status of our genitals to the exclusion of the rest of our life stories. This obsession turns trans folks into objects of fascination whose crotches are more interesting than any other aspect of our lives. It makes the process of transitioning more relevant than the gender we actually identify with. And by always bringing up the gender we were assigned at birth these narratives often delegitimize our gender identities and presentations by showing our “real” or “natural” gender in opposition to a chosen, artificial, and created gender.
Of course I’m curious about both these projects, and I want to give them some benefit of the doubt. But the fact that both “T” and “The Danish Girl” are already being framed as focusing on transitioning instead of other, under-represented aspects of trans life experiences has me worried.

Boston, MA

Jos Truitt is Executive Director of Development at Feministing. She joined the team in July 2009, became an Editor in August 2011, and Executive Director in September 2013. She writes about a range of topics including transgender issues, abortion access, and media representation. Jos first got involved with organizing when she led a walk out against the Iraq war at her high school, the Boston Arts Academy. She was introduced to the reproductive justice movement while at Hampshire College, where she organized the Civil Liberties and Public Policy Program’s annual reproductive justice conference. She has worked on the National Abortion Federation’s hotline, was a Field Organizer at Choice USA, and has volunteered as a Pro-Choice Clinic Escort. Jos has written for publications including The Guardian, Bilerico, RH Reality Check, Metro Weekly, and the Columbia Journalism Review. She has spoken and trained at numerous national conferences and college campuses about trans issues, reproductive justice, blogging, feminism, and grassroots organizing. Jos completed her MFA in Printmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute in Spring 2013. In her "spare time" she likes to bake and work on projects about mermaids.

Jos Truitt is an Executive Director of Feministing in charge of Development.

Read more about Jos

Join the Conversation