Kai Shappley Gets Rave Reviews In Netflix 'The Baby Sitters Club' Episode

I've always said about my chosen Austin resident niece Kai Shappley that the camera loves her and the feeling is mutual.   I always marvel at the fact this child hardly ever takes a bad photo.

A few months ago she took a trip to Vancouver, BC for which the purpose was unknown to those of us who love her until now. 

 I had been seeing Netflix promotions of their reboot of The Baby Sitters Club' when I signed in to watch my other fave shows and movies,  but didn't have any interest in watching it since the show is aimed at younger viewers.

The Baby Sitters Club is based on the series of books by author Ann M. Martin that were published between 1986-2000.   The books were previously adapted for an HBO series in 1990 and a 1995 feature film. 

That was until I received a message from her mom Kimberly to check out episode 4 of it.  I did, and there was Kai lighting up the screen playing Bailey.   

I so enjoyed the episode that Kai was featured in, I binge watched the rest of Season One.

The Baby Sitters Club handled the trans themed storyline with sensitivity.  The writers also used a great analogy to describe what it is like to be trans.   And of course, bravo on casting a trans child to play a trans child.

Her mom is also pleased and proud of her as well.   So is Aunt Monica.

As for our budding preteen thespian?    She's still focused on becoming an astrophysicist, but is starting to get interest from Hollywood.

I was happy to get to spend some time with Kai and her mom last year during the Equality Texas 30th anniversary dinner where she, like I did,  picked up an award for the work her now nine year old self has been doing to advance trans rights in the Lone Star State .

Kai has also picked up an award that I don't have on my shelf.   An Emmy for the Trans in America :Texas Strong Daresha Kyl directed documentary she and Kimberly were featured in.

Who knows?  She may have another one in her future.   

Trans Men Audition For Scarlett Johansson Roles

For those of you who presume that trans masculine actors don't exist, prepare to have your mind expanded.

Here's a video in which trans masculine actors are auditioning for Scarlett Johansson roles/ 

Enjoy!

Scarlett Johansson, This Is A Trans Role You Appropriated, Not A Cis Feminine One

Scarlett Johansson obviously didn't get the message in 2016 when she took a whitewashed Major Motoko Kusanagi role that should have gone to an Asian actress in the movie Ghost In The Shell.  That pissed off fans of the manga looking forward to seeing it on the silver screen, and the movie subsequently tanked at the box office.

Now Johansson is slated to play trans man Dante 'Tex' Gill in the upcoming crime drama Rub & Tug directed by Rupert Sanders, the same person who cast her in the failed Ghost In The Shell movie. 

Tex Gill in the1970's and 1980's operated massage parlors in Pittsburgh that served as fronts for prostitution.   Gill also lived his life as a trans man, which is why we're tripping about Johansson getting this role.

Why this latest casting controversy has the trans community pissed off is because once again, we have a cisgender actor playing a transgender role.  In this case the actor has an unrepentant history of cultural appropriation

Two high profile transgender actresses in Trace Lysette and Jamie Clayton took to Twitter to put Johansson and Hollywood on blast for it.

"Oh word? So you can continue to play us but we can't play y'all?" Lysette wrote on her Twitter feed in reaction to Johansson's casting.  "Hollywood is so fucked.  I wouldn't be as upset if I was getting in the same roms as Jennifer Lawrence and Scarlett for cis roles, but we know that is not the case.  A mess." 

"And not only do you play us and steal our narrative and our opportunity but you pat yourselves on the back with trophies and accolades for mimicking what we have lived,"

Clayton echoed the same thoughts in her Twitter commentary about the jacked up casting .

"Actors who are trans never even get to audition for anything other than roles of trans characters.  That's the real issue.  We can't even get in the room.  Cast actors who are trans as non trans characters, I dare you."  

Trace and Jamie are both correct.  If the same reciprocity in being cast for cisgender roles was regularly extended to transgender Hollywood actors, we wouldn't be complaining about this casting of Johansson now. 

But the equitable Hollywood casting for trans actors isn't happening at this time, and Hollywood casting directors, directors and studios know it.  To add insult to injury, cisgender actors are getting awards for doing so while perpetuating a 'men in dresses' stereotype that leads to trans women getting violently assaulted while Hollywood pats itself on the back at awards time. 

And now Hollywood is handing trans masculine roles to cis women that should be played by trans masculine and nonbinary actors.  This is also reinforcing a stereotype trans men have to constantly fight in that they are really butch women.

Johansson poured more gasoline on the casting controversy by dismissively citing actors who have gotten awards for playing trans characters in a weak attempt to defend herself.

"Tell them that they can be directed to Jeffrey Tambor, Jared Leto and Felicity Huffman's reps for comment," Johansson said in a statement obtained by Bustle.

Naw boo boo kitty, not gonna work.   Even Tambor recognized the problem with casting cis people in trans roles when he accepted his second Emmy in 2016.

 "I'm not going to say this beautifully: To you people out there ... please give transgender talent a chance. Give them auditions. Give them their story," Tambor said in his Emmy acceptance speech. 

"I would be happy if I were the last cisgender male to play a transgender female," he added.

The bottom line is that trans actors are beyond sick and tired of not getting fair shots at auditioning for or getting roles written for cisgender people.  But you cis people get cast all day for the limited trans roles available with the weak excuse of 'we need a box office name to help this movie get made'.

Tangerine didn't have a box office name when they cast trans actress Mya Taylor as Alexandra.  The movie that cost $100,000 to make made $924,793 and received several awards, including a Spirit Award  for Taylor.

Don't even try to peddle the 'we couldn't find a trans masculine actor' lie.   Let's see, there's Scott Turner Schofield, Ian Harvie, Chaz Bono, Emmett Jack Lundberg and nonbinary actor Ellie Desautels for starters.

So naw Scarlett, this Tex Gill role is made for a trans masculine actor.   What's going to happen with you in it is the same thing that happened to Ghost In The Shell.  Your appropriating appearance in it will cause this film to get boycotted and tank at the box office.

If You Want Trans TV Shows, Gotta Watch Them

When I was growing up in the 60's and 70's, there were very few Black actors on television or TV shows that told stories from the African American perspective.

Anytime that we had a show that featured a Black person, like Star Trek and Nichelle Nichols,  Diahann Carroll's Julia, or the Flip Wilson Show, it was Must See Black TV.

My Black community understood that ratings mattered, and if we wanted to see more Black TV shows, it was imperative that we supported the shows that were on the air.

Julia and the Flip Wilson Show later led to The Jeffersons, Sanford and Son, Good Times, and What's Happening.   It  set the stage for the shows we would later see in the 80's and 90's like Cosby, A Different World and Living Single.

It would also give Black actors the opportunity to draw paychecks for being on a successful series, and parlay that into other TV and movie work as they continued to blaze historic TV trails while slaying Hollywood stereotypes about what Black actors could and couldn't do.

We have trans actors in Hollywood who need and deserve to be able to make a living plying and perfecting their craft. We are also in the trans community more than sick of cis actors playing trans people when we have trans masculine and trans feminine people who are more than capable of playing those roles.

We trans peeps are also capable of playing cis masculine and cis feminine characters if just given that opportunity. 

That is why the FX series POSE is a critical to the future of trans actors in Hollywood as Nichelle Nichols playing Nyota Uhura on Star Trek paved the way for the shows of the late 60's and 70's to feature Black actors. 

POSE has five trans actors with major roles in this show in MJ Rodriguez (Blanca Evangelista) Dominique Jackson (Elektra Abundance), Hailie Sahar (Lulu Abundance), Indya Moore (Angel Evangelista) and Angelica Ross (Candy Abundance) 

In addition, POSE has Our Lady J as a writer, Leiomy Maldonado as a choreographer for the ballroom scenes and Janet Mock as a writer and producer of this show set in the New York ballroom community of the late 1980's.

I've enjoyed watching POSE.  This show deserves your support not only because it is well written and well acted, but it's potential to like the programs of the 60's and 70's that gave us the Black TV shows we watch today, could potentially act as a springboard to do the same for transgender actors, writers and producers in Hollywood. 

Ratings still matter and are the lifeblood for television shows.   They determine whether TV shows have long multiseason runs or die in one and done fashion.   It is why people who claim that accurate trans representation in the media is important to them, take some time out of their Sunday evening (or whenever they can binge watch or stream it) to tune into FX and watch POSE.

POSE's success could also lead to more studios being willing to take a chance on producing more trans themed TV shows with trans actors in them, along with trans people writing the scripts. 

So let me repeat this once again.   If you want to see more trans themed shows and trans actors on your TV screen, it is imperative that you support shows like POSE.

Candis Cayne Gets A Multi Show Character On 'Grey's Anatomy'

It's been a while since the last time that Candis Cayne was on an ABC television show. 

Back in 2007-2008 Candis was on the show Dirty Sexy Money making history by playing Carmelita Rainer. 

At that time Cayne was the first out trans actress playing a recurring trans character on a major network show, and I was more than a little pissed when her character was killed off .

She has since moved on to play characters on multiple television shows like Necessary Roughness, Elementary, The Magicians, Nip/Tuck and Transparent along with appearing on the I Am Cait reality show.

Now she will return to the ABC network to once again play a trans feminine character on the show Grey's Anatomy with a multi arc storyline. 

Cayne's character will be checking into Grey Sloan Hospital for a groundbreaking gender confirmation surgery.   The storyline is modeled on a story that Grey's Anatomy writers read about Hayley Anthony who helped pioneer a new way for Dr Jess Ting to perform GRS surgeries.

The Grey's Anatomy writers thought this would make an interesting story to tell, and tapped Cayne to do it

It's all part of the announced effort of Grey's Anatomy in its t14th season to change the way television tells the stories of transpeople, and it is definitely appreciated at this tumultuous time in our history. 

Grey's Anatomy is also quickly establishing itself as a Must See Trans TV show. 

RIP Aleshia Brevard

Maybe the question of gender is just that simple; a need for everything to match..feeling you're complete as the person you've always known yourself to be.  Christine Jorgensen, indeed all the early sisters and brothers, paved the way.  The community has been blessed with an opportunity for making wonderful choices.
-Aleshia Brevard, November 14, 2008   

On Saturday July 1 we lost a trans pioneer and elder in actress, model, director and writer Aleshia Brevard at age 79 in Santa Cruz, CA.   She peacefully passed away in her sleep.

As of this writing, no word on when a memorial service is happening for this trans pioneer and icon.

She was one of the initial group of people to undergo SRS in the United States, having done so under the care of Harry Benjamin in 1962. .

Aleshia was born in the Appalachian mountains of eastern Tennessee on December 9, 1937 but grew up on a farm in rural middle Tennessee.  She headed west to California immediately after her high school graduation and found work at the renowned Finocchio's female impersonation club in San Francisco under the stage name Lee Shaw.

She quickly became a headliner at the club, where she worked for three years until she left to head to Los Angeles for her gender confirmation surgery.

After SRS and a year of recovery in Tennessee, she enrolled in and graduated from Middle Tennessee State with a BA in Arts in 1965, later earned a Masters of Arts degree from Marshall University in 1976, and taught theater as a university professor.

Her first acting role was in the 1969 movie The Love God, and Aleshia not only went on to act in seven additional films, but perform in Broadway shows and appear on televisions shows like The Partridge Family, Night Gallery, and the ABC soap One Life To Live.

Because of the transition protocols of the time, she basically lived her non disclosed trans life outside the trans community until her 2001 autobiography The Woman I Was NOT Born To Be -A Transsexual Journey was released and revealed to the community and the world that she was a girl like us.  She wrote a sequel to that memoir in 2010 entitled The Woman I Was Born To Be.  

She also wrote a novel entitled Bilbo's Bend in 2013 in addition to five stage plays, and directed numerous theater productions.

You can check out Monika Kowalska's five part interview with Aleshia here which discusses her amazing life in five parts

I also have to close out this post about her with a comment from her AlesiaBrevard.com Aleshia Speaks section of her site that she wrote on November 14, 2008.

'Why not choose to be proud?  By respecting ourselves we'll ensure that future generations will have no need for that 'T' before their name,they'll need no hyphen, there'll be no stigma. Please allow this crone with a green thumb one final analogy--we're all weeds growin' in a  patch.  Some are brambles, some dandelions, some may even be marijuana - but we're weeds each and every one --plain ol' garden variety men and women   

Rest in power and peace, Aleshia.  I wish I'd gotten the opportunity to meet you before you departed this Earth.   I do admire you tremendously for living your life well and being a trailblazing role model to the current generation of trans actresses who are trying to follow in your pioneering Hollywood and Broadway footsteps

You've earned your rest my sister, and all who were blessed to get to know you will miss you.

Wednesday Is Becoming Must See Trans TV Day

With the highly anticipated and historic for trans kind debut of the CBS legal drama Doubt, and FOX's Star both having major trans characters on both shows,  Wednesday night is quickly becoming Must See Trans TV Day.

While Doubt is getting much deserved attention because of my lovely Emmy Award nominated sis Laverne Cox and her groundbreaking Cameron Wirth character,  I have to point out that with the debut of tonight's show at 9 PM CST Laverne is only the second trans person to play a trans major character on a network drama series.  

That television history of a major trans character in a drama being played by an out trans woman was already made by Amiyah Scott because of the earlier December 14, 2016 debut of the Empire spinoff show Star on FOX..  

Amiyah is playing the trans character Cotton, a receptionist in me mother's beauty shop in the ATL who is in a sometimes contentious relationship with her devoutly religious mother Carlotta (played by Queen Latifah).  Carlotta is a former singer who now does so in her church on Sundays, and who is struggling to accept her only child's transition.



Cotton is a driven person who while acting as a big sister figure to Star, Simone and Alexandra and helping them realize their dream of becoming a successful music group, is pursuing her dream of being accepted as her mother's daughter.

But it's going to be a bumpy contentious ride along the way for both of them to get to that point, and it has been interesting to watch that particular trans themed storyline develop on the show that comes on at 8 PM CST on FOX. .

She also representative of the segment of the trans community that is struggling with accomplishing a  gender transition while on a low income.

Meanwhile Cameron Wirth is different from Cotton.  The obvious difference is that she's an Ivy League educated attorney working at this New York boutique law firm.

Cameron is also in my lifetime the second Black trans character who not only is a major character on a show, but has a professional background (Maya Avant Forrester on CBS soap opera the Bold and the Beautiful being the first).   It is in stark contrast in a landscape of Black trans characters that have either been played for comic relief, shock value, and have been sex workers, entertainers, a prisoner, or the murder victim.

We'll learn more about Cameron's backstory as the show evolves.  I'm looking forward to seeing the show every Wednesday at 9 PM CST on CBS.

And I'm so happy they are fortuitously scheduled on Must See Trans TV Wednesday so that I don't have to choose one show over the other

'Trans Scripts, Part 1 The Women' Now Playing Until February 5

While I was at Creating Change, the opening performance of the Paul Lucas written play Trans Scripts, Part 1:  The Women debuted on January 19.

It is an original play crafted by Lucas and directed by Jo Bonney from interviews conducted with 75 diverse people from six continents around the world who identify as trans.   Those 75 trans people varied in age, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, educational level  and age at transition and sheds light on our stories.

It's also wonderful to note that the American Repertory Theater is producing it.

The play also features several trans actors playing these roles that includes Eden Lane, Bianca Leigh, MJ Rodriguez, and Marlo Bernier just to name a few of the people in it.
For people who have seen the play at the Loeb Theater Center on the Harvard University Campus, , here are their reactions to it.



For of you in the Boston metro area, you still have time to see Trans Scripts and check it out before February 5

Actress Ivory Aquino Comes Out As Trans

I know I have some amazing trailblazing trans people in my life that I'm also blessed enough to call my friends.   One of those people is Cecilia Chung, who I happily discovered has actress Ivory Aquino playing her in the upcoming ABC miniseries When We Rise scheduled to be broadcast on February 27.

The cool thing about the actress playing Cecilia in this miniseries is that she is a girl like us.

Ivory Aquino, who will play my homegirl in this ABC miniseries that is based on longtime gay activist Cleve Jones' memoir When We Rise: My Life In The Movement chronicling the TBLGQ rights movement in San Francisco., recently came out as trans.

The 26 year old transpinay always knew she wanted to act, but initially gave up on that dream because she felt there was no place in Hollywood or the acting world for someone like her.

Interestingly enough, when she auditioned for the role of Cecilia,, producer Dustin Lance Black was pissed at casting because they hadn't found any trans actresses for the role, and he was determined to cast a trans person in it.  

Aquino came out publicly for the first time during the recent Television Critics Association conference.  She tearfully said in an interview that she can hardly believe that she's part of this project.

"You spend your whole life dreaming of these things,"she said. "And it's really humbling when your dreams come true."  

Looking forward to seeing you play Cecilia when this miniseries airs February 27-March2

'Doubt' Premieres February 15

Finally, something that's happening in 2017 that you'll actually look forward to.

The CBS legal drama Doubt that will feature our sis Laverne Cox in a historic role as attorney Cameron Wirth, finally has a broadcast date.

Set your VCR's and mark your calendars for February 15 at 9 PM CST.   That is when Doubt will finally grace our television screens after teasing us for months about the show that starts Katherine Heigl and also features Dule Hill, Dreama Walker, Elliot Gould and Kobi Lilii

So looking forward to seeing Doubt on that date and watching trans television hisotry being made at the same time.

Not Liking The Shady Comments Being Directed At Laverne Over 'Rocky Horror'

 I was parked in front of the television Thursday night watching Laverne Cox play the iconic role of Dr. Frank-n-Furter in the FOX reimagining of the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

I was shocked, but shouldn't have been surprised to hear some shady sniping coming once again from elements of trans community about the show.

I guess the only thing that would have made y'all happy is if a white trans actress had played that role instead of Laverne, huh?  

Well boo boo kitties, Black trans people are also actors in Hollywood, so burn that fact into your brains.   Laverne is the one they chose for the role, she has the talent to play it, has a BA in dance, and when the legal drama Doubt finally premieres on CBS I have the utmost confidence she will slay that Cameron Wirth role as well

Damn, here we have the historic moment of a trans person, and even more important to Black Trans World, a Black trans woman playing an iconic movie role in a prime time network television slot, and some of y'all wanna throw shade and be salty about that?  

#StopTheShade, have some seats at your local multiplex and miss me with that BS, okay?  

White trans women have been the center of trans attention ever since Christine Jorgensen stepped off the airplane at JFK in February 1953.

It's not only past time for trans women of color to get some of that spotlight, it's also past time for you vanillacentric privileged malcontents sniping at Laverne for Rocky Horror to realize and burn into your brains there is room for all of us to shine.

I'm appreciating the fact that Laverne once again is making history, and sadly the disappointing shady chatter is proving to me once again why Afrocentric trans events like BTAC are necessary

It's alo proving to me once again that some haters are gonna hate even when it's a trans person of color making that positive history.

Must See Trans TV- Rocky Horror Starring Laverne Cox On Tonight

Just your friendly TransGriot reminder that while we wait for her debut on the upcoming CBS legal drama Doubt as attorney Cameron Wirth, the reimagined version of the Rocky Horror Picture Show starring Laverne Cox



She talked about her personal connection to the original movie in this Hollywood Reporter article,

The reimagined Rocky Horror Picture Show will be on your FOX television screens starting  later tonight at 7 PM CDT

Laverne Cox Starring In The Rocky Horror Picture Show' On FOX October 20

I've attended a few showings of the cult film classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show, including a memorable Halloween one not long after I moved to Louisville in September 2001.

Usually when I hear about people talking about remaking classic films, I'm of dual minds about it leaning more toward the 'leave it alone' camp.   I have seen remakes in which they have done a great job in remixing the original story like the Samuel L Jackson Shaft, and  sometimes they do a /WTF were you thinking?' job and completely screw up a classic.

So while I'm waiting for Laverne Cox to show up on my TV screen in the CBS legal drama Doubt, just in time for Halloween I and America will get the chance to see Laverne in the role of Dr Frank-n-Furter in the Rocky Horror remake being broadcast on FOX October 20.



In addition to Laverne, Tim Curry will also be in this Kenny Ortega production as the narrator.  This Rocky Horror remake also stars Victoria Justice, Ryan McCartan, Adam Lambert, Christina Milian, and Ben Vereen.

The reviews of the trailer so far have been good, and I'm looking forward to checking it out, since I'm not only supporting my homegirl, I'll definitely need something to watch on TV besides the Trump-Pence ticket lying all the way to Election Day.

 The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Lets Do The Time Warp Again will be broadcast on FOX .

Must See Trans TV Alert- 'Modern Family' Trans Episode To Feature Trans Child Actor

You may wish to set your DVR's for this upcoming ABC Modern Family episode Wednesday at 8 PM CDT.   It's going to feature a historic first in an open trans child actor playing a trans role.

In this episode entitled 'A Stereotypical Day', same sex parents Cam and Mitchell allow their cis daughter Lily to invite her trans masculine classmate Tom over for a play date.  Their pride at raising a daughter in Lily who is open minded and accepting quickly turns when they overhear Lily unwittingly insult her trans friend.

How do Cam and Mitchell handle the situation?  You'll have to tune in and watch Modern Family tomorrow on your local ABC station.

Tom is played by 8 year old Jackson Millarker who is from Atlanta,  While we have had a few shows in the last few years that have featured adult trans actors playing trans roles, this is the first time we have had an out trans child actor playing a trans child.

This is a BFD for trans kind and all the trans kids out there who finally get to see someone like themselves on a television show, and I couldn't be happier to see it.

Now if Hollywood would just stop casting cis male actors in trans feminine roles.  

Alexandra Billings On 'How To Get Away With Murder' Tonight

Another TransGriot Must See Trans TV alert for you.

For those of you who are fans of the ABC-TV show How To Get Away With Murder, in tonight's episode of it, we'll have longtime girl like us actress Alexandra Billings making an appearance on it

She is excited about appearing on this top rated ABC drama, and I'm jut as excited to see her performance tonight to see if she does indeed get away with murder.

How To Get Away With Murder comes on at 9 PM CDT on you local ABC station, and hope you'll tune in.

Break a leg, Alexandra!