Friday, January 28, 2011

Know Your LGBT History - Two looks at transgender characters in films

For my first Know Your LGBT history segment, I featured an episode of the long-running sitcom The Jeffersons in which one of the main characters deals with his friend's sexual reassignment surgery.

It was a groundbreaking episode in both subject and sensitivity. The motion picture industry during that time also dealt with members of the transgender community, but not with as much humor and definitely with little dignity.

And Justice For All (1979) is a popular movie in which Al Pacino plays a lawyer up against an insane legal system. It garnered several awards and is chiefly remembered for Pacino's out-of-control outburst at the end.

And why did Pacino's character freak out? Mostly because of how the judicial system treated his clients, like the transgender woman Ralph Agee (portrayed by Robert Christian). Homophobia leads Agee to be manipulated into committing a small crime and she is deathly afraid of going to jail. The following scene (which was hard for me to watch and even more difficult for me to post) demonstrates why. Agee comes on screen at 3:20. All I can say that it's not a pretty scene:



I might as well reveal what happens to Agee. Pacino's character promises her that she will not serve any jail time, but because of an emergency, calls on another lawyer to defend her. The lawyer screws everything up and Agee is sentenced to jail. Agee then commits suicide.

Fast forward to 2003 where, while things may not be how we want them, they are certainly better for lgbts. And an excellent HBO film demonstrates why.

Normal stars two-time Academy Award nominee and Emmy-award winning actor Tom Wilkinson who, on the night of his 25th anniversary, tells his wife (played by Jessica Lange - no slouch herself in the award department with two Oscars and an Emmy) that he is planning to transition into a woman.

This movie doesn't insult the audience as it tells the story of a man struggling to make changes in his life and his wife trying to support him while both are dealing with how their family and community handles it all. Again, folks are going to get mad at me for giving away the ending but I am happy to report that the family survives:



Normal received several awards including an Emmy for Best Make up as well as nominations for Wilkinson and Lange.

Past Know Your LGBT History Posts:

Know Your LGBT History - Flawless


Know Your LGBT History - Mahogany

Know Your LGBT History - Beverly Hills Cop

Know Your LGBT History - Some Like It Hot

Know Your LGBT History - Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia 

Know Your LGBT History - Dirty Laundry

Know Your LGBT History - The Willie Witch Project

Know Your LGBT History - Spartacus

Know Your LGBT History - Caged

Know Your LGBT History - The Birdcage

Know Your LGBT History - Maude

Know Your LGBT History - That Certain Summer

Know Your LGBT History - Boat Trip

Know Your LGBT History - Staircase

Know Your LGBT History - Beautiful Thing

Know Your LGBT History - Armed and Dangerous

Know Your LGBT History - The Proud Family

Know Your LGBT History - Suddenly Last Summer

Know Your LGBT History - Gay TV Now

Know Your LGBT History - Stewardess School

Know Your LGBT History - Up the Academy

Know Your LGBT History - Don't be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood

Know Your LGBT History - A Different Story

Know Your LGBT History - Victim

Know Your LGBT History - The Color Purple

Know Your LGBT History - Making Love

Know Your LGBT History - A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge

Know Your LGBT History - Noah's Arc

Know Your LGBT History - Ode to Billy Joe

Know Your LGBT History - Adorable Adrian Adonis

Know Your LGBT History - The Night Strangler

Know Your LGBT History - All in the Family

Know Your LGBT History - Tongues Untied

Know Your LGBT History - The Celluloid Closet

Know Your LGBT History - Querelle

Know Your LGBT History - Theatre of Blood

Know Your LGBT History - Strange Fruit

Know Your LGBT History - Designing Women

Know Your LGBT History - The Children's Hour

Know Your LGBT History - Sylvester

Know Your LGBT History - Once Bitten

Know Your LGBT History - The Boys in the Band

Know Your LGBT History - Christopher Morley, the crossdressing assassin

Know Your LGBT History - Midnight Cowboy

Know Your LGBT History - Dracula's Daughter

Know Your LGBT History - Blacula

Know Your LGBT History - 3 Strikes

Know Your LGBT History - Paris Is Burning

Know Your LGBT History - The Women

Know your LGBT History - Soul Plane

Know Your LGBT History - The Player's Club

Special Know Your LGBT History - Fame

Know Your LGBT History - Welcome Home, Bobby

Know Your LGBT History - Barney Miller

Know your lgbt history - The Jerry Springer Show

Know your lgbt history - Martin Lawrence and that 'gay guy' on his show

Know your lgbt history - The Ricki Lake Show

Know your lgbt history - Which Way Is Up

Know your lgbt history - Gays in Primetime Soaps

Know your lgbt history - Boys Beware

Know your lgbt history - The Boondocks

Know your lgbt history - Mannequin

Know your lgbt history - The Warriors

Know Your LGBT History - New York Undercover

Know Your LGBT History - Low Down Dirty Shame

Know Your LGBT History - Fortune and Men's Eyes

Know your lgbt history - California Suite

Know your lgbt history - Taxi (Elaine's Strange Triangle)

Know your lgbt history - Come Back Charleston Blue

Know your lgbt history - James Bond goes gay

Know your lgbt history - Windows

Know your lgbt history - To Wong Foo and Priscilla

Know your lgbt history - Blazing Saddles

Know your lgbt history - Sanford and Son

Know your lgbt history - In Living Color

Know your lgbt history - Cleopatra Jones and her lesbian drug lords

Know your lgbt history - Norman, Is That You?

Know your lgbt history - The 'Exotic' Adrian Street

Know your lgbt history - The Choirboys

Know your lgbt history - Eddie Murphy

Know your lgbt history - The Killing of Sister George

Know your lgbt history - Hanna-Barbera cartoons pushes the 'gay agenda

'Know your lgbt history - Cruising

Know your lgbt history - Foxy Brown and Cleopatra Jones

Know your lgbt history - I Got Da Hook Up

Know your lgbt history - Fright Night

Know your lgbt history - Flowers of Evil

The Jeffersons and the transgender community



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10 comments:

Penny Marie Sautereau said...

I'm going to be having flashbacks all fucking night now. Why in the hell was I stupid enough to press play on that?

Anonymous said...

Seriously are the claims of pro family organizations that far fetched? Homosexuals do nasty thing all the time at parades and other public events. This is so nasty.

http://www.sfweekly.com/2000-02-23/news/public-enema-no-2/

http://www.zombietime.com/folsom_sf_2007_part_1/


Frank

BlackTsunami said...

Ugh. Didn't mean to cause negative flashbacks for you, Shaman.

BlackTsunami said...

Hey Frank,

To answer your question, the claims of these so-called pro-family groups are very farfetched and your links prove it.

The first link was talking about a single incident involving a vicious piece of performance art - but the only reason why you seemed to have included it was because of the sexual orientation of one of the participants. It's the equivalent of someone posting a crime involving an African-Americans to stigmatize the entire race.

2. Now your SECOND link clearly demonstrates your deliberate ignorance as well as the deliberate ignorance of those who use fetish events to demonize the lgbt community.

The pictures were funny and would have been more funny HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THE HETEROSEXUALS INVOLVED in some of the pictures. So why are you using these pictures to demonize the lgbt community as a whole while ignoring the fact that there are clearly heterosexuals seen "getting busy" in said pictures?

Because you are quick to stigmatize lgbts that you pay no attention to the fact that the links you post refutes your entire argument. Nice try, little man. But you get an F.

BlackTsunami said...

And I almost forgot to say this - the fact that you push such nonsense on this post - which has nothing with your subject of your comment - speaks for itself. But - and a friend told me to tell you this - thanks for the fetish fair pics. LOL

Don't worry, by the way, the friend is a heterosexual.

Unknown said...

Being trans now is like being gay 40 years ago, "unless you are in the small group of 100% passing people"

The police are hostile, they generally find your victimization funny. With the general public you either get treated like a cripple or a monster.

The gay organizations are worse. If you don't want to walk around with a big T on your forehead, don't show up."And could you use the alternate facilities darling? you make the real women nervous. Yes this has happened to me in queer spaces, and yes I'm post op. sadly I'm 6'2.

Ad if you are post srs and you declare yourself "gay or lesbian" you are the worst criminal ever. The "infiltrator" Its homophobia for gays and lesbians. It seems everyone has to have someone to spit down on.

You don't know shame till you get out of the stirrups at your lesbian feminist gynecologist and as shes putting away the speculum she refers to you as him to the nurse.

Noticed? Even here the trans topic got hijacked? because nobody cares. All we are is a disposable commodity. A bargaining chip to be discarded by the HRC when they want a vote to flip.

BlackTsunami said...

Dana,

I can't say that I know how you feel but I can tell you that as an African-American gay man, I have felt on MORE than one occasion like I don't count and that the issues pertaining to me and mine are high-jacked even by those who supposedly mean well.

All I can tell you is to stay strong and keep fighting. You may not see it now but being vocal about the problem does a long way in solving it. But don't just be vocal. Be solution-oriented ;p

Penny Marie Sautereau said...

Real classy Frank, mouth off with your hateful bullshit RIGHT after a rape survivor is discussing flashback trauma. And you wonder why your side loses steam EVERY SINGLE GODDAMN YEAR. Classless hateful repugnant bullshit. And Dana, I'm intersex, so you never need to tell me about the bullshit Trans women put up with. Story of my life.

Penny Marie Sautereau said...

Oh and not YOUR fault Alvin, I'm the one who pressed play knowing it wouldn't be pretty.

BlackTsunami said...

It's all good, my friend ;p