The History of Trans Representation in American Television and Film Genres

Due to the increase in transgender characters in scripted television and film in the 2010s, trans visibility has been presented as a relatively new phenomenon that has positively shifted the cis society’s acceptance of the trans community. This book counters this claim to assert that such representations actually present limited and harmful characterizations, as they have for decades. To do so, this book analyzes transgender narratives in scripted visual media from the 1960s to 2010s across a variety of genres, including independent and mainstream films and television dramatic series and sitcoms, judging not the veracity of such representations per se but dissecting their transphobia as a constant despite relevant shifts that have improved their veracity and variety. Already ingrained with their own ideological expectations, genres shift the framing of the trans character, particularly the relevance of their gender difference for cisgender characters and society. The popularity of trans characters within certain genres also provides a historical lineage that is examined against the progression of transgender rights activism and corresponding transphobic falsehoods, concluding that this popular medium continues to offer a limited and narrow conception of gender, the variability of the transgender experience, and the range of transgender identities. Acknowledgements Contents List of Figures Chapter 1: The Presumption of Progress Transphobia, Homophobia, and Trans Representations Trans Media Studies and Trans Representations The Presumption of Progress Works Cited Chapter 2: Bodies Under Scrutiny Trans Media Model as Surveillance Tool The “Purpose” of Drag The Drama of Being Trans Works Cited Chapter 3: The Comedic “Cis Surprise” (Friend Version) The “Cis” Surprise (Friend Version) Restabilizing Cisnormativity Trans Not-So-Regular Regular Characters Works Cited Chapter 4: The Comedic “Cis Surprise” (Romantic Partner Version) Perverse Desires The Romantic “Cis Surprise” From Victim to Chaser Works Cited Chapter 5: Dramatic Romance and the Value(s) of Tragedy Passion as Validation Doomed to Death (or Friendship) Show Me the (Queer) Love Works Cited Chapter 6: Trans Criminality: From Dangerous Sociopaths to Sassy Hookers Trans Murderers from Psycho to Sexy Sex Workers and the Cis/Hetero Hierarchy Destiny, Pearly Gates, and Nameless Sex Workers Works Cited Chapter 7: Trans Victims: Dead Or Alive The Ethos of Victimization Disposable Bodies Illegally Gendered Works Cited Chapter 8: Conclusion Works Cited Appendix A: Glossary for Gender Identities and Characters Appendix B: Timeline of Trans Characters in Scripted American Film and Television, 1965–2018 Index