This video is part of a series for Everyday Feminism, a website dedicated to helping you stand up to and break down everyday oppression.
Transgender representation in the media has had a sticky history for quite some time. But in recent years, transgender actresses like Jamie Clayton and Laverne Cox have been taking the world by storm by being trans actors who play trans characters.
While this is, of course progress, when Caitlyn Jenner came out and revealed that she was trans, it was evident to me and to many trans people that we still have a really long way to go.
A YouTube channel named 8-bit Universe recently decided to promote a song by the Gender Blenders called “Caitlyn Jenner.” The Chorus of this song goes: “Freaky love? / Count me in! / Hotter than any Kardashian / I liked Bruce, but I love her / I wanna bang Caitlyn Jenner.”
It’s sung from the perspective of a cisgender man who’s lusting for some of Caitlyn Jenner’s “freaky love.” The song has great lyrics like, “He, she, you, and me – I really don’t care,” “I wanna lick your shaved Adam’s apple,” and “But forgive me, girl, if I slip and call you Bruce.”
And my personal favorite: “But if all your previous parts ain’t gone, could you please leave your panties on?”
This song is just one of the many examples of how trans women are utilized as comedic devices for cis consumption. The writers of this song truly believe that misgendering, objectifying, and ultimately sexualizing Caitlyn Jenner’s transition is somehow flattering to her.
When I criticized the video in the comment section, I was told by 8-Bit Universe that I needed to broaden my philosophical lens and accept that the song is just for laughs. It’s interesting to me how cis comedians never need to broaden their philosophical lens and get some new material.
But even more interesting is how the Gender Blenders frame the attraction between cis men and trans women as “freaky” love. A common transphobic trope is this idea of the trans woman who is attractive, but anatomically flawed.
It’s centered around how repulsive it is that any man could be “fooled” enough to have an experience with a trans woman.
On an episode of Family Guy, Quagmire’s father comes out as transgender when she’s about to undergo gender affirmation surgery. Once she’s completed her transition, she is pursued by Brian Griffin, who ends up having sex with her.
When it’s revealed that the woman Brian slept with was transgender, he vomits on screen for about a full minute. And of course, this is all hilarious because Brian was “tricked” into sleeping with a trans woman.
In The Hangover 2, there’s a scene where the character Stu has a drunken affair with a woman who he finds out is transgender once he’s sober. When it’s revealed that she’s transgender, Stu recoils in disgust while the other characters look on in concern. And the audience at home, of course, laughs.
The thing I’ve always found fascinating about this specific transphobic trope is that it cashes in on the idea that trans women are repulsive creatures that no man would ever have an interest in.
Ironically, the trans woman in the scene I just mentioned is Yasmin Lee, who is one of the most popular transgender adult entertainers – with three AVN awards.
As I mention in my video about Tyga’s affair with Mia Isabella, the interest in trans women, specifically the interest in trans porn, has spiked over the past five years. In fact, Thailand, where The Hangover 2 was shot, is actually known for its transgender sex tourism. In the real world, the sad reality is that many trans women see violence because men cannot process their attraction to them.
While a lot of violence against trans women stems from the fear that trans women mislead men into sexual situations, a lot of it also comes from men who simply couldn’t cope with the fact that they have an attraction to them.
The use of these tropes perpetuates the notion that trans women exist to deceive men – and by proxy, these tropes perpetuate the violence often committed against them.
Another popular transphobic trope is of course the trope of “men in dresses.”
In my video about Mike Huckabee’s bathroom comments, I alluded to the queer coding of Disney Villains. Well, some of your favorite Disney sidekicks participate in another aspect of this trope.
Genie is Aladdin’s likeable sidekick in the Disney film Aladdin. He’s also the main source of comedic relief. And one of the most common ways he makes the audience laugh is through cross dressing.
Timon and Pumba are Simba’s pals in the Disney film The Lion King. In a scene where they’re trying to distract the hyenas, Timon decides to, as he puts it “dress in drag” to distract the hyenas with a flamboyant song.
Socially accepted misogyny states that women are weak, so a man who wears woman’s clothing is weakening himself and therefore cannot be taken seriously. The audience is generally aware that the characters are men in woman’s clothing – and this is what makes it funny.
While this trope doesn’t usually directly relate to trans women, it does, however, reinforce a transphobic notion that impacts trans people because we still very much live in a society that doesn’t see men in dresses and trans women as totally different things.
The central issue that I find with a lot of trans representation is that trans roles are very rarely written by trans people.
Keep in mind that we live in a society where trans representation, until very recently, was limited to Jerry Springer type spectacles and adult entertainment.
All too often, we’re only represented as villains, objects for sexual desire, or punchlines. These representations are dehumanizing, but trans people are very much human – and humor is part of the human experience.
I think the thing we need to do is start empowering trans comedians.
Bethany Black, Avery Edison, Rye Silverman, Natasha Muse, and Red Durkin are all trans girl comedians that are fighting to change how trans women factor into comedy. Lexi Adsit and Luna Merbruja hosted Brouhaha: Trans Woman of Color Comedy Storytelling that got a lot of buzz in the media. Robin Tran, Ian Harvie, and Jeffery Jay are trans guys taking the comedy scene by storm. And The Switch is a transgender sitcom with an all trans cast.
Transgender comedy exists – and it’s okay to laugh with us, not at us.
Kat Blaque for Everyday Feminism, signing out.
