Television in the digital age has transformed; “new media” has brought a change of content and representation, but queer people are not always being represented correctly. 

Michael Goddard and Christopher Hogg call this “Trans TV”, the promotion of diverse, non-heteronormative characters and stories, focusing on transgender visibility. Queer people claim representation’s importance, since media reflects society. However, in these times of “woke capitalism”, being (or appearing to be) open-minded can become a trend. What should be asked is; are they profiting from queer lives or really helping the community? If their goal was to accurately represent queer people, they would not set a cisgender man acting as a trans woman, as it happens in The Danish Girl. 

Nevertheless, representation in front of the camera is not enough, behind them is also necessary. Just as feminists have talked about the “male gaze”, queer people also tell when something is created by non-queer people. For instance, The Danish Girl, directed by a non-queer identified director. Similarly, Stonewall, the documentary, focuses on a white cisgender gay character rather than trans women of colour like Marsha P. Johnson or Sylvia Rivera, who played the most important roles in the movements for LGBTQ+ rights. The director of this is a white cisgender man, proving once again the importance of representation behind cameras. 

There are also good examples of queer representation, such as The L Word about lesbian and bisexual women, which involved queer women like Ilene Chaiken in its creation, or Pose, a show about trans women of colour, directed by queer Afro and Latinx writers, like Janet Mock. 

In conclusion, representation is very important and necessary, not only on the screen, but also in the production teams. Representation should be real and accurate; queer people should be the ones telling their own story. 

By Elisabeth Zubiaguirre 33871955

Bibliography:

‘Crossing the Borders of Queer TV: Depictions of migration and (im)mobility in contemporary LGBTQ television’ (2020) Critical Studies in Television [Preprint]. Crossing the Borders of Queer TV: Depictions of migration and (im)mobility in contemporary LGBTQ television – Anamarija Horvat, 2020

Goddard, M.N. and Hogg, C. (2018) ‘Introduction: Trans TV as concept and intervention into contemporary television,’ Critical Studies in Television the International Journal of Television Studies, 13(4), pp. 470–474. https://doi.org/10.1177/1749602018798217. 

‘Jewish, Queerish, Trans and Completely Revolutionary: Jill [sic] Soloway’s Transparent and the New Television’ (no date) Film Quarterly [Preprint]. Crossing the Borders of Queer TV: Depictions of migration and (im)mobility in contemporary LGBTQ television – Anamarija Horvat, 2020

‘Pose’ (2018). FX Productions. 

‘Representing Trans: Visibility and its discontents’ (no date) European Journal of English Studies [Preprint]. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13825577.2020.1730040

‘Stonewall’ (2015). Roadside Attractions, Lions Gate Films. 

The Danish Girl (2016). Working Title Films, in collaboration with Focus Features and Universal Pictures. 

‘The L word’ (2004). Showtime Networks.