Southlands Regina King WOC in the Media

A guest post from Renee of Womanist Musings, who is all that and four bags of ketchup flavor potato chips. 

One of the reasons I tune into Southland each week is for Regina King.  Though there are a lot of women in prime time television there are not a lot of women of colour staring in roles that reduce them to cheap stereotypes. Regina King plays, Det. Lydia Adams.

Lydia grew up in the hood and she is not policing it.  I do at times have a problem with the things she asserts in character like drugs and criminality being a choice, because Lydia was able to pull herself up by her bootstraps but I fully recognize that the message of meritocracy is something the media is very committed to despite the fact that it is in many cases impossible to achieve a positive shift in class location.  Considering that minority actresses and actors are often forced to say lines that are abhorrent to keep their jobs,  the character of Lydia is far from the worst of examples that appear on television.

Lydia lives with her mother and she has an active sex life for which she does not feel any shame.  She is committed to her job and she is good at it.  My only question in terms of casting has to do with the fact that in the last two seasons she has very specifically been cast with a partner of colour and it feels a little like racial segregation.

If we didn't live in a White supremacist, patriarchal society the fact that Regina King plays Det Lydia Adams, there wouldn't really be worthy of an comment.  The truth of the matter is that King is a rarity in mainstream entertainment despite the so-called post racial world and African-American president.

“I’m just really thankful to have the chance to portray a character you don’t see every day,’’ said King in between filming. “I have women come up to me all the time and say that exact thing to me. They say they love my character and how she is a real woman with a real career that they believe. People love to see themselves on screen in a way that makes sense and seems on point.”

“I’ve tried to be flexible in my career by doing a little bit of everything and that’s worked for me,” says King. “It’s incredibly hard out there for women of color. That’s why I do love being a woman of substance on Southland. Someone who isn’t a caricature and isn’t a stereotype. But remember she wasn’t written as a black character and that makes a big difference in how she can be portrayed.”

King credits the writers and producers of TNT and Southland for encouraging the development of characters based on true human portraits and not on preconceived notions and ideas.

“We’ve all worked together to make Lydia an interesting person that isn’t based on being a girlfriend or sidekick on the show, which is something totally different in terms of writing and acting,” said King. “It’s great to work and have those kind roles, but it’s also great to have the key scenes and be the key character. It’s good for it to be about you sometimes.’’ (source)

What we should be asking is why King is the exception to the rule rather than the rule?  It's not just Black women that are subject to this sort of erasure?  Where are the women of colour in primetime, who are playing characters of substance?  If you turn to reality television, we exist to either be the token Black girl (I'm looking at you Bachelor), or we exist to be shamed for being ghetto, angry, loud or just generally unwomen?  There is a much greater chance in seeing a Black woman show up in an episode to be a prostitute, drug user, or an abusive mother.


Time after time we have heard Black women complain about the lack of good roles available to them, and yet nothing has changed.  It certainly does not help matters that the only ones consistently talking about this issue is us.  Every time I come across a feminist blog talking about roles for women in the media and declaring the degree to which they are feminist, I always wonder to myself when if ever are they going to note that at least they are seen, while we remain largely invisible?  Part of a feminist analysis of media should include the inclusion of marginalized women and yet it continues to be sadly lacking from our so-called allies.

It is my belief that it is even more important for women of color to see positive images of ourselves in the media than it is for White women, because we don't have the shelter that Whiteness to help mitigate the harm that sexism causes.  We don't need anymore Black sidekicks, girlfriends, or BFF's.  I am sick to death of seeing Black women reduced to the role of support staff for White people.  Turning us into new age Mammies is not progress, it isn't even changing the discourse. 

When we complain about this clear bias, we are once again labelled bitter, angry and even untalented.  Any excuse is drummed up rather than dealing with the ongoing active oppression of women of color. Socially, when think of womanhood, Whiteness is the automatic default and this is why as much as sexism is an issue for White women, they are not heavily invested in ensuring that woman means all women, rather than a very small select group.  Whiteness is dedicated to ensuring that whatever opportunities exist for advancement remain specifically in White hands.  This is why when they come to women of colour, with the typical but we're all women routine, I tend to role my eyes with frustration.  We may all be women, but we experience womanhood very differently. The truth of the matter is that we are only partners when you can exploit us.

This is why in everything I do, I commit myself to supporting the work of marginalized women. We cannot count on anyone to come to our aid, or speak about the various ways in which we are oppressed because it is a direct conflict with their unearned and quite frankly undeserved privilege. I am absolutely desperate to see more women in prime time like Regina King.  It is now the year 2012 and I still have not forgotten the fact that as a child, Clair Huxtable was the only face I could turn to who looked like me.  I know first hand the pain of erasure and as such, I cannot help but think about how tough the little Black girls born today will have it. I was shaped in ways I didn't even recognize as a child and I had parents who were very socially aware in terms of race.  Erasure tells us which bodies matter and it seems as far as the media is concerned, Black women still don't rate much mention.

Why WE Can't Wait Either

TransGriot Note: Guest post from Cheryl Courtney-Evans, the editor of the Abitchforjustice Blog.

Yesterday was the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday; it was a national holiday, resulting in celebrations, remembrances, and excerpts from his speeches repeated virtually everywhere in these United States (and some places abroad).

As I listened to the recitation of one of his literary offerings from his "Letters from a Birmingham Jail", that concerned "Why we can't wait", I thought about the lesser known equality promotion Rev. King did for the Gender Non-Conforming (GNC; aka LGBT) community (as we know, he and Coretta both spoke up for us on many occasions), and I couldn't help but consider how this piece could relate to the transgender community and how still today, too often we still find ourselves at the very bottom of the "totem pole" of society.

So just as Rev. King enumerated the reasons "Why we can't wait", I'd like to share with you all the reasons WE as a transgender community can't wait either...after all, patience is suppose to be a "virtue", right? Additionally, we've also been told by other GNC advocates (most notably [usually] the LGB segment), "Let us get 'ours' first, then we'll address  'yours'...", with regards to equality/rights...(yeah, riiiight). The obstacles to "quality of life" are numerous for the transgender community, and for lower income/African American transgenders, standing as we are at the intersection of race and gender discrimination, almost insurmountable...

WE can't wait, when young transgenders (who come to their realization of their gender identity at ever younger ages, it seems) find schooling a battlefield of bullying, sometimes to the extent of death, and not finding nearly enough protection/assistance from school authorities (and too many times censure from these people).

WE can't wait, when we stop to realize that of all demographics, transgender individuals have the shortest life expectancy; few are expected to reach the age of retirement [65] (that is, IF they find a job to retire from).

When we're stopped for minor traffic violations, and find that it results in offensive altercations with law enforcement and too many times going to jail, because of the 'gender marker' on our driver licenses, WE can't wait.

WE can't wait when, as in Atlanta, GA., we find ourselves homeless, yet cannot find shelter because available facilities are trans exclusive or hostile.

WE can't wait when no matter what our education or capability, we are disallowed employment (making livable wages); that our wages too often must be "supplemented" by commercial sex work (or that is the sole income; no alternative).

WE can't wait, when too many of our number find that the only way to "stabilize" their existence is to become chronically ill and receive government benefits to survive (also decreasing life expectancy; some through the infecting disease, but also due to 'cultural incompetency' on the part of health care providers with regards to the transgender community).

We know that when we dress to leave home on any given day, we MUST be "on point" in our appearance, or we stand the very real chance of verbal or physical abuse, by others, and profiling/arrest by police (those who are suppose to be charged with "protecting & serving"), so WE can't wait.

So...although patience may be a virtue in many cases, many places, WE, the transgender community, CAN'T wait for tolerance, acceptance and last (but definitely not least) EQUALITY...our very lives depend on it.

Not Even George Lucas Has An Easy Time Getting Money For A Film When It Has An All Black Cast

Guest post from Renee of Womanist Musings, who is all that and four bags of ketchup flavored potato chips.

For people of colour, a trip to the cinema usually means paying our hard earned money to see a film with few Black actors that reflects a White perspective.  As much as I despise Tyler Perry, his films are some of the few in which can be certain to see an all Black cast.  Movies that star marginalized people, and tell our history are notoriously difficult to fund, because there is the belief that Black films aren't marketable. Even for the amazingly brilliant Malcolm X, directed by Spike Lee, Lee had to depend on support from Black celebrities to bring the film to market. If said movie attempts to tell the history of a marginalized community, one can be certain that a White protagonist will be found to frame the story around eg., Dances with Wolves, Amistad, Ghosts of Mississippi etc,.  

George Lucas appeared on The Daily Show to discuss the difficulty he had getting funding for Red Tails which stars Cubing Gooding Jr., and Terrence Howard Baby Wipes, and is directed by Anthony Hemingway.  It is a large budget movie, with an all Black cast, directed by a Black director, about the Tuskegee Airmen.  Though a film has already been produced about the Tuskegee Airmen, one movie cannot possibly encapsulate what the bravery they displayed in the face open hatred and a brutal war.

Like all things Black, the journey to the big screen has not been an easy path. "It's because it's an all-black movie. There's no major white roles in it at all...I showed it to all of them and they said no. We don't know how to market a movie like this," Lucas said.

While I appreciate Lucas' efforts to bring this movie to the big screen, the sense of White saviour that he displayed in an article published by USA Today is troubling.

"I realize that by accident I've now put the black film community at risk (with Red Tails, whose $58 million budget far exceeds typical all-black productions). I'm saying, if this doesn't work, there's a good chance you'll stay where you are for quite a while. It'll be harder for you guys to break out of that (lower-budget) mold. But if I can break through with this movie, then hopefully there will be someone else out there saying let's make a prequel and sequel, and soon you have more Tyler Perrys out there." (source)

Is that his plea for all Black folk to take their butts to the theater and buy a ticket?  If we support this film, created through the generosity of a White man, then it will left us on up out of the ghetto.  Black cinema is completely dependent upon the success of this movie and we all need to be aware, that hoping for the day when we use our own agency and resources to correct an imbalance is unrealistic.

The idea that what we need is more Tyler Perry's, tells me that Lucas has no real understanding of the Black community.  Perry's movies make money because they are all about coonery and buffoonery and they regularly present a genderized minstrel show, which actively oppresses Black women, therefore; I fail to see how a proliferation of these types of movies would be a good thing for Black people.  We don't simply need more Black films made, we need quality Black movies made that accurately depict our lives, hopes and dreams.

Lucas may believe that he has the inside track on what Black people want, because he has a Black wife, but he is still a White man.  Taking on the White man's burden is racist and paternalistic.  We don't need to be saved by a White man.  Lucas' comments take away much of the joy that I have in this production, because they diminish the hard work that Black actors, directors and producers are currently engaged in to tell our stories.

Black people have always fought hard for our own freedom and agency.  We have never stood idly by while Whiteness assassinates our character and diminishes our opportunities.  Nothing has ever been handed to us, and the very idea that this movie represents a magnanimous gift from a White man to not only lift us out of oppression, but save us as well is nonsense. In the history of the world, no powerful group has ever willingly handed over power to a group that it oppresses, and therefore the suggestion that benevolent Whiteness will save us is beyond ridiculous; it's a lie that White people tell themselves to assuage whatever faux guilt they may be feeling for their ongoing privilege.

Thanks for the movie George, but we have always made our own way in this world and we will continue to do so, but here's a cookie for your troubles.

RicKKK Santorum Strikes Again!

I can always count on Kat Rose at ENDAblog to have something to say about the issues inside and outside this community, and Rick Santorum's recent jacked up racist comments in the runup to the just concluded Iowa Caucus are just another example of it.

And, again, lets also not forget how much of the wealth that underwrites so much of the truly anti-American political subversion was inherited over the generations from a process that was enabled by a system of ‘giving’ that was far more disgusting than any ‘redistribution of wealth’ that ever has or ever could take place via formal taxation.

Happy New Year Kat, and  click the link to get to Kat's commentary..

Tampon Company Uses Transphobia To Market Their Product

A guest post from Renee of Womanist Musings, my fave mommy blogger.

I know that I am late to this, and that many of you may have already seen this commercial, or read commentary about it, but in good conscience, I felt that I had to throw in my two cents as it were.

Description

Two women are standing at the mirror of a public bathroom. The trans woman on the left is heavily made up, while the cis woman on the right's make is very understated. They both begin to apply mascara with each taking turns looking at each other. They then proceed to both apply lip gloss with negative looks being exchanged.  The cis woman on the right pushes up her breasts and then the trans woman on the right does the same, with her clearly larger bosom. The cis woman is clearly frustrated by what appear to be her inability to compete and so she smiles and pulls a tampon out of her purse and waves it at the trans woman.  The trans woman gives her a dirty look, throws her purse over her shoulder and leaves.  The tag line there appears: Libra gets girls, love libra.

***

This ad is so blatantly transphobic and sexist that it's disgusting. Let's start with the most obvious suggestion, the idea that menstruating defines you as a woman.  I am so sick and tired of this ridiculous suggestion.  First, not all cis women menstruate.  There are plenty of women who have to take medication in order to have a period to get pregnant, and of course those of us who do menstruate regularly will eventually reach menopause. The idea of menstruating defining womanhood means that plenty of cis women would be excluded.  Menstruation as the determinant of womanhood is a fallacious argument at best.

This argument is further sexist because it reduces woman to the ability to bleed once a month.  Seriously?  Is that all there is to say about women?  It is extremely reductive and offensive. I also think it is worth mentioning that the idea that women are always looking for opportunities to compete with each other is sexist.  Who stands in a bathroom and compares themselves to another woman so blatantly? From my experiences, most people simply want to do their business, clean up and leave as fast as possible. 

In an effort to make a profit, what Libra did was engage in the age old strategy of divide and conquer.  Libra knew damn well that there are plenty of cis women who are actively engaged in maintaining cis supremacy. Feminism itself has a long history of excluding trans women and labeling them everything from men in dresses to frankenstinian.  What Libra did was depend on transphobia to sell their product to women and in the process encourage cis women to continue to defend their privilege.

No one wins in the battle of more woman than thou.  These artificial divisions only serve to benefit patriarchy because they keep us distracted from the real issues facing women today.  Trans women and Cis women share many of the same issues, but in the case of trans women they have the extra added bonus of being forced to negotiate transphobia and cissexism.  Anyone not seeing this commercial for exactly what it is, really needs to give consideration to the idea that the master's tools will never dismantle the master's house.

Most of us exist with some sort of privilege and one thing can be certain, if we embrace the idea that oppressing someone to maintain our privilege is natural or a sort of social good, then we don't have a single leg to stand on, when someone else comes to this same determination to justify their oppression of us.  We don't need an institutional other, what we need to do is come to the understanding that oppression is big freaking circle jerk.  The only way to truly win our own personal freedom, is to fight not only against our own oppression, but the oppression of others.  As marginalized people, we have far more in common that we do in difference.

Obviously, I am not an Australian and so I cannot boycott this product, but I did some research and found some contact information for those who are interested in letting Libra know that what they did was offensive.


Libra website: http://www.lovelibra.co.nz/about-libra/contact-us/
Libra FB: http://www.facebook.com/Libra?sk=wall

Please be forewarned that the facebook site is a cess pool of transphobia.  

Editors Note: I have been made aware that the commercial has been yanked however Libra is still allowing transphobic commentary about this commercial on their facebook page.