Violence and Visibility: Transgender Women On TV in 2015

autostraddle:

2015 was the best of times and the worst of times for transgender women in the United States. While it was a revolutionary year for for transgender visibility on television and in movies, it was a devastating year of record-high violence against trans women in real life. As we were tallying 18 fictional trans women on TV, two celebrated fictional trans women (played by trans women) in film, five reality shows featuring real life trans women, and the continued popularity rise of Janet Mock and Laverne Cox, we were also counting the murders of 23 trans women, most of them Black women.
While we celebrated never-before-seen trans TV characters, we mourned the nearly biweekly loss of a transgender woman to murder. While Caitlyn Jenner was featured on the cover of Vanity Fair, untold numbers of trans women were raped in prison and immigration centers. While Tangerine made history with its four Independent Spirit Award nominations, Houston overwhelmingly voted to take away civil rights protections because they didn’t want trans women to have access to women’s bathrooms.
We wrote more obituaries for murdered trans women in 2015 than TV recaps for any single show we cover.
Violence and Visibility: Transgender Women On TV in 2015