New Year, Same Old: The Mummer’s parody of Caitlyn Jenner’s transition

Caitlyn Jenner’s tear filled and touching coming out conversation with Diane Sawyer last April was one of the most notable moments in pop culture in 2015. Then followed her Vanity Fair cover in June and the receipt of her ESPY award in July, both of which sparked animated major media coverage. Her problematic “docu-series” “I am Cait” ran throughout the summer, giving viewers a glimpse beyond her physical transformation as she stumbled, at times delighted and at times perplexed, through a new world at times in conflict with her existing social and political beliefs.

Jenner’s sequential public exposure served as a catalyst for ongoing commentary on social media and the internet about her transition, ranging from supportive, to critical, to utterly offensive, as well as her representation of and engagement with the trans community (a community which is gaining increasing visibility as it’s thrust into the limelight by and through celebrities like Jenner, Janet Mock, and Laverne Cox, to name a few). Coupled with the Supreme Court’s ground breaking and high profile decision last July (people can marry whomever they wish – what a notion!) overall, it seemed that at the very least awareness and acknowledgement, and perhaps even equality, for those existing outside of traditional cis-gender heterosexuality was on the up and up heading in to 2016. And, then came the Finnegan New Year’s Brigade (NYB).

On the first of January, to help usher in the new year, Philadelphia’s Mummer’s proudly paraded down Broad Street as they’ve done for over 100 years, decked out head to toe in bedazzled, brightly colored costumes. Cruelly mocking Jenner’s transition, dozens of men, women and children in the Finnegan NYB dressed in elaborate red, white and blue, face paint and USA headbands, to wave signs showing Jenner’s 1976 Wheaties cereal box juxtaposed with her more recent picture on a Fruit Loops cereal box. Amidst this patriotic sea of people, a faux Jenner mimicked the shot put, and then transitioned before the crowd’s eyes to the tune of Diana Ross’s “I’m Coming Out”. The new Jenner strutted back and forth, showing off their bare arms and legs, glittery bra, and long locks. All this to amuse the thousands of people lining the parade route and to remind Philadelphia, and whoever was watching throughout the rest of the nation, that in fact there is quite a way to go. Despite the momentum of 2015, it seemed that 2016 was already established as a new year laden with the same old.

The Mummers have a lengthy history in the city, and are beloved by many for their commitment to entertaining and celebrating, and fostering local community. Their history is also riddled with a lengthy list of offenses; each year there is a club or brigade that couples their choreography with black face, or culturally appropriates indigenous headwear while enacting some sort of fictional exoticized dance. Each year, certain clubs receive a slap on the wrist for varied insensitivities, and respond in apology. This year, comic brigades adopted themes that crudely imitated Black Lives Matter, painted their faces brown and affected Mexican stereotypes, and of course, had a “laugh” at the expense of a trans person. Only, this laughter isn’t just good old fashioned fun: it’s coupled with hatred. One young man was caught on camera, red, white and blue paint streaming down his face, screaming “fuck the gays” into the crowd, and pumping his sign with Jenner’s image on it into the air.

Understandably, there has been considerable outrage on Twitter, Facebook and blog posts, and in the local news. But this outrage is not just about the parade, nor is it seeking a simple apology. What is so alarming about the Finnegan NYB comic brigade’s “humorous” take on Jenner’s past year, and what moves it beyond a mere misstep, is its tone-deaf ignorance to the violence that the trans community experiences daily. (Of course, the same can be said about the aforementioned racialized jests, but for the purposes of this post, the focus is on LGTBQ communities.) This violence riddled 2015, happened no more than minutes from the Mummer’s charades, and as long as things like mocking an individual’s gender, sexuality, or sex are still considered “funny” by some, this violence will continue indefinitely. This is the same thinly shrouded ignorance that fuels, fosters, and forgives emotional and physical abuses that LGBTQ communities throughout the U.S. endure on end, regardless of favorable laws, equality bills, or celebrity allies. Here in Philadelphia, it’s no different.

Just a few blocks East of the parade route, lies Philadelphia’s “Gayborhood”, the affectionate moniker for a cluster of gay bars and clubs, and explicitly queer friendly coffee shops, gyms and ice cream parlors. In fall of 2014, a gay couple strolling through the neighborhood were severely beaten by a group of three people. This past October, two of the assailants plead guilty, received a fine, a few years of probation, and some community service at LGBT organizations. The third went to trial, but was convicted only of misdemeanors. In the same month, October 2015, a trans woman of color was murdered in North Philadelphia. She was the 20^th trans person reported murdered in the U.S. in just that year. Keisha Jenkins was was found shot to death in Hunting Park, a quick subway ride north on the Broad Street Line, whose stop sits just below the parade’s stage at Dilworth Park. Even on the day of the parade, a man – who is in fact, also gay – reported being physically assaulted by Mummers only a few steps from the jubilant crowds, Mummers dressed in costumes resembling the FinneganNYB.

And yet, 2015 was unquestionably a year filled with structural progress and also promise in Philadelphia. In November, Philadelphians voted for the city’s Office of LGBT Affairs to remain as a permanent space in the local government. The office was first established seven years ago, yet this confirmation makes it the first of its kind in the nation, setting it ahead of other major metropolitan areas that are known for their queer friendly communities such as San Francisco, Seattle, New York and D.C. The office is specifically dedicated to bolstering the local LGBT community, and furthering equality in and through the local municipality. Philadelphia’s police officers then proceeded to form the Greater Philadelphia Gay Officer Action League (GOAL), an LGBT Law Enforcement Organization, strengthening support for gay, lesbian, trans and bisexual cops in the city.

Without a doubt, 2015 was a year filled with monumental movements towards respect and recognition of LGBTQ communities. But, there’s also much, much more work still to be done in 2016. It’s not enough to simply change legislation, and by no means can anyone sit back and exclaim full and total equality. Before barely 24 hours passed in the new year, that much was made clear thanks to the antics at the Mummers parade. Equality, compassion, and community extend well beyond politics. Let’s make 2016 the year where we start to critically interrogate what we find funny (public pantomiming, mocking, and cultural appropriation). Let’s resolve to refuse sweeping egregious and systemic acts of violence under the rug, and commit to continue discussing why and how these offenses perpetuate. Let that be our New Year’s resolution.