{"id":1676,"date":"2021-12-01T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-01T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/fall-2021-gws-100-130w\/?p=1676"},"modified":"2021-11-29T23:32:49","modified_gmt":"2021-11-30T04:32:49","slug":"disclosure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/fall-2021-gws-100-130w\/2021\/12\/01\/disclosure\/","title":{"rendered":"DISCLOSURE"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

DISCLOSURE is an unprecedented, eye-opening look at transgender depictions in film and television, revealing how Hollywood simultaneously reflects and manufactures our deepest anxieties about gender. Leading trans thinkers and creatives, including Laverne Cox, Lilly Wachowski, Yance Ford, Mj Rodriguez, Jamie Clayton, and Chaz Bono, share their reactions and resistance to some of Hollywood\u2019s most beloved moments. Grappling with films like A Florida Enchantment <\/em>(1914), Dog Day Afternoon<\/em>, The Crying Game<\/em>, and Boys Don\u2019t Cry<\/em>, and with TV shows like The Jeffersons<\/em>, The L Word<\/em>, and Pose<\/em>, they trace a history that is at once dehumanizing, yet also evolving, complex, and sometimes humorous. What emerges is a fascinating story of dynamic interplay between trans representation on screen, society\u2019s beliefs, and the reality of trans lives. Reframing familiar scenes and iconic characters in a new light, director Sam Feder invites viewers to confront unexamined assumptions, and shows how what once captured the American imagination now elicits new feelings. DISCLOSURE provokes a startling revolution in how we see and understand trans people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A LETTER FROM THE FILMMAKERS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We all need to be seen, and often, being seen is what puts marginalized people in harm’s way. It is that paradox of visibility which inspired us to make DISCLOSURE. We looked to one of the most compelling modes of storytelling\u2014Hollywood film and TV\u2014to consider how trans people have learned to think about ourselves, and what non trans people have been taught to think about us. <\/p>

For three years, we worked together researching, producing, and editing DISCLOSURE. Along the way we collaborated with over 100 other trans filmmakers, assembling a history of trans representation in mainstream film and TV. While sharing footage, articles, and ideas, we wrestled with the dehumanizing stereotypes, tropes, and sometimes empowering aspects of this history. It\u2019s often been painful to confront some of this material, but we think it\u2019s meaningful to show it here and now. Together we were able to acknowledge and sometimes find humor in the absurdity, which has been cathartic.<\/em> <\/p>

We did not want to demonize any one person or any one story; we wanted to construct a nuanced film that includes many, often conflicting ways of seeing. We can love something and look at it critically.<\/p>

There are so many more people, materials, and stories to tell and ways to tell them, which didn\u2019t make it into this film. There is more within and outside of Hollywood that is crucial to trans audiences. There are so many trans filmmakers who have created pivotal stories.<\/p>

DISCLOSURE won\u2019t be the only history of trans representation. It\u2019s just a start. We can\u2019t wait to see how it is received, built upon, and grappled with. And we can\u2019t wait to see what comes next.<\/p>

\u2014Sam Feder, Amy Scholder, and Laverne Cox<\/p>DISCLOSURE Toolkit<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Questions to think about after viewing:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

DISCLOSURE shows examples from popular film, television, and news media. People in the film talk about seeing themselves and also seeing distortions in those examples. Where do you see yourself in these media stories? Was there any particular clip that triggered a memory for you? Compare your reactions then and now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who stands to benefit from problematic depictions of transgender people and what do they stand to gain? How might this intersect with who benefits from other forms of discrimination and hate like racism, sexism, or homophobia?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Entertainment media only rarely depict the fullness or nuances of real life. Yet, through repetition, they have the power to shape our perceptions of reality and, in turn, culture. What are simple actions you can take to challenge misrepresentation, erasure, or invisibility?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How have media influenced your own perception of your gender? How have media shaped your idea of \u201cnormal\u201d ways to express your gender? Have you felt or seen judgment placed on gender nonconformity?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What messages have you learned about how to perform your gender, how to conform to prescribed gender norms? What\u2019s one thing you\u2019d never do or always do to express your gender identity?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are some of the ways the film shows us that distorted media depictions of transgender people are harmful to transgender people, as well as the larger society?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does it mean to say that gender is a \u201csocial construct\u201d or that there is such a thing as a \u201creal man\u201d or a \u201creal woman\u201d? Who gains power by declaring that some people do not fit within the boundaries of manhood or womanhood?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the significance of the film\u2019s title? What should people have to disclose about themselves to be in relationship with other people and why? What are the differences between what should be disclosed to colleagues, lovers, partners, friends, family, classmates, employers?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DISCLOSURE is an unprecedented, eye-opening look at transgender depictions in film and television, revealing how Hollywood simultaneously reflects and manufactures our deepest anxieties about gender. Leading trans thinkers and creatives, including Laverne Cox, Lilly Wachowski, Yance Ford, Mj Rodriguez, Jamie Clayton, and Chaz Bono, share their reactions and resistance to some of Hollywood\u2019s most beloved […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1304,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"portfolio_post_id":0,"portfolio_citation":"","portfolio_annotation":"","openlab_post_visibility":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1676","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-announcements"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/fall-2021-gws-100-130w\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1676","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/fall-2021-gws-100-130w\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/fall-2021-gws-100-130w\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/fall-2021-gws-100-130w\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1304"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/fall-2021-gws-100-130w\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1676"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/fall-2021-gws-100-130w\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1676\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1677,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/fall-2021-gws-100-130w\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1676\/revisions\/1677"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/fall-2021-gws-100-130w\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/fall-2021-gws-100-130w\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1676"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openlab.bmcc.cuny.edu\/fall-2021-gws-100-130w\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}