WORK IT
Trans and gender non-conformative themed
film and media are few in comparison to Gay & Lesbian centered films. Up
until last year, the United
States understood Trans through
mainstream movies such as Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, Boys Don’t Cry, and
most recent characters in sitcoms such as Ugly Betty or RuPaul’s Drag Race.
However, on January 3rd 2012, ABC channel aired a new show that received
criticism for inappropriately generalizing, stereotyping and mocking the lives
and experiences of Trans and gender non-conformative folk. In the sitcom,
“Work It”, creators Andrew Reich and Ted Cohen tell a story of two middle-aged
men, Lee Standish (Caucasian) and Angel Ortiz (Puerto Rican), which are
unemployed due to the rising number of women in the job market. In
response to the economic recession, the two alpha male characters attempt to
cross dress and pass as women in order to survive in the work force. After two
episodes of “Work It” aired, viewer ratings dropped 1 million and ABC Channel
discontinued the show.
Reich and Cohen’s show received news coverage by the “Por Que Si Magazine: An
LGBT Latin@ Multimedia Publication” (XQSI) for a number of problematic images
portrayed on screen in particular relating to Puerto Rican culture. In an
open letter to ABC the XQSi addresses a particular line in which Puerto Rican
character Angel Ortiz blames his ethnic culture for his own transphobia: “I
don’t know man, you have to understand this kind of thing doesn’t really fly in
my culture” (Olvera). Not only does this transphobic comment separate
gender non-conformativity from ethnic identity, but also renders the lives of
Puerto Rican trans and non-conformative people invisible. As discussed by
Professor Ellie Hernandez, society will normalize heterosexuality and allow
micro aggressions against gender, class, and racial minorities to go on without
any protection (Hernandez). Similarly, Martin F Manalasan IV’s article:
“Searching for Community: Filipino Gay Men from New York City" also questions the notion
that “gay men regard identity as a static given and construct ethnic identity
as a polar opposite of gay identity” (Manalasan). Manalasan breaks down this
notion that a person of colors ethnic identity is inseparable from their sexual
identity and highlights the Pilipino LGBT communities that emerge and thrive in
New York City.
Moreover, Manalasan argues that “immigrants constantly negotiate both
dominant/hegemonic and subordinate (minority) cultural products and practices
into meaningful arrangements that inform their lives” (Manalasa). In other
words, the failed show “Work It” not only offended the lives of Trans and
Gender non-conformative people but also showcased fallacies about gender and
racial identity.
Media
coverage like “Work It” sends false messages that teach homophobia and gender
non-conformitivity as comedic subjects. Although the television show did not
center an actual transgendered person, “Work It” intertwines with the systems
of oppression in our lives that tell us that homophobia is almost non-existent.
Barbara Smiths’s essay: “Homophobia: Why Bring it Up?” also discusses the “misconceptions
and attitudes which I find particularly destructive because of the way they
work to isolate the concerns of Lesbian and gay men” and in which media ignores
the stories and experiences of Trans people like Gwen Araujo (Smith). Smith’s
elaborates on the same form of homophobia seen in the creation of “Work It”,
that is, people are generally threatened about issues of sexuality, and for
some the mere existence of homosexuals calls their sexuality/heterosexuality
into question” (Smith). This misguided show is a form in which institutional
homophobia writes of systems of oppression and once again ignores the realities
of people’s lives, namely Trans and gender non-conformitive folks.
Bibliography
Hernandez, Ellie.
"Microaggressions." lecture. Fem 80. Girvetz, Santa Barbara.
1/30/2012.
Lecture.
Manalasan, Martin F.
"Searching for Community: Filipino Gay Men from New York
City." GLQ:
A journel of lesbian and gay studies.. (1993): n. page. Print.
Olvera, Danny. "Open Letter
to ABC: Transphobia is not Puerto Rican." 01/13/2012. XQSi Magazine, Online Posting to XQSi
Magazine. Web. 8 Feb. 2012.
<http://xqsimagazine.com/2012/01/13/open-letter-to-abc-transphobia-is-not- puerto-rican/>.
I recall the initial outcry when Work It was said to air, and it was not surprising that the network decided to air it, nonetheless. The show was only pulled off of the air once they saw that ratings were low, and I think that speaks to the nature of the entertainment industry in some ways – they are ultimately more concerned with ratings than the portrayal of the LGBTQ community. The transgender community is often overlooked, and just because these characters were not transgender themselves, the offensive nature of the characters was not considered. It seems that, as long as the characters depicted are established as heterosexual, it is acceptable for them to cross-dress despite the fact that they could be offending an entire community. Angel Ortiz’s concern over cross-dressing being frowned upon in his community reminds me of the misconceptions mentioned in Smith’s “Homophobia: Why Bring It Up?” Smith touches on the idea that homosexuality is a “white problem”, and the issue of visibility in communities of people of color. Ortiz’s comment holds up the idea that in his culture, cross-dressing is not acceptable, and it establishes that culture as intolerant of sexual minorities. It is unfortunate that, along with making a mockery of the LGBTQ community, Work It would suggest that Ortiz’s culture in intolerant while ignoring the intolerant nature of the television show itself.
ReplyDeleteSmith, Barbara. "Homophobia: Why Bring It Up?" The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader. ed Henry Ablelobe et al New York & Londo: Routledge, 1993.
( -Carla De Santiago)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI couldn’t agree more with this. When I had heard about the “Work It” I was completely outraged that ABC, the same television broadcasting company that brought us Callie and Arizona from “Grey’s Anatomy”, Mitchell and Cameron from “Modern Family”, and guest star Chaz Bono from “Dancing with the Star”s, green-lighted this obviously inconsiderate sitcom that degrades and mocks transgender individuals and their lifestyles.
ReplyDeleteI know of few people of the LGB community that don’t see this show as an insult to the trans community, but they are unaware of the real struggles that transgender people face daily within our society. Barbara Smith says, “Homophobia is usually the last oppression to be mentioned, the last to be taken seriously, the last to let go,” however, I believe that transphobia is the forgotten because within the media, we have made homosexuality a more seen and common occurrence (its general acceptance is still in progress), but to respect and accept trangender people is another thing altogether. When even people in the queer community are failing to see the discrimination and mockery of transgender folks within these types of television shows, there is a major problem. How can we teach other about accepting all sexualities and non cisgendered individuals, when there is still discrimination going on within our own circles?
Smith, Barbara. "Homophobia: Why Bring It Up?" The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader. ed Henry Ablelobe et al New York & Londo: Routledge, 1993.