According to GLAAD, a non-profit organization focused on LGBTQ advocacy and cultural change especially through storytelling and media narratives, over 70% of people believe that they’ve never met a trans person. GLAAD uses this statistic to illustrate the importance of what we see in culture, and the impact it can have.
In the latest episode of the RePRO Film podcast, an interview series hosted by our founder Asha Dahya, they are featuring a short film called ‘How Not To Date While Trans’, by NYC-based filmmaker Nyala Moon. In conversation with Asha Dahya, Nyala talks about the importance of trans filmmakers, especially Black trans women like herself, having space and opportunity to create narratives on film and TV that portray trans people as human, going beyond the stereotypical tropes, misinformation and 2D characterizations.
This was a wide-ranging conversation, focusing on how Nyala’s award-winning short film attempts to also make the viewer her bestie by employing a creative tool called “breaking the fourth wall” (think Phoebe Waller-Bridge turning to the camera to talk directly to the audience in between scenes on her hit show ‘Fleabag’).
“Many people do have negative opinions about trans people, but I think it comes from not knowing trans people,” the filmmaker says. “When a character breaks the fourth fall, you’re in on the joke with them. You’re navigating the journey with them.”
As the United States is seeing a terrifying onslaught of anti-trans bills across the country, Nyala tells Asha that films have the power to illuminate on topics that too often get mischaracterized or portrayed in narrow, click-bait-y ways in media and news headlines.
The fact that over 70% of people in the U.S. surveyed believe they have never met a trans person, yet non-trans folks are making legislative decisions about trans people send a huge warning signal about the power imbalance we currently have in our political system. As a trans filmmaker, Nyala is hoping to break down some of those walls, show a humanized portrayal, and even use humor as a way to draw audiences in.
“I want to explore how fun being trans is—how ordinary yet extraordinary,” she told Asha in the interview.
If you haven’t already subscribed to the free RePRO Periodical, a bi-monthly newsletter where you can receive every episode of the podcast as well as links to the featured short films straight to your inbox, you can do so HERE.
You can hear a preview from the podcast interview below, and listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
