I AM YOUR SISTER
Interview with the Filmmaker
BY Carolyn Brown, Author and Contributing
Editor of BLACK ENTERPRISE Magazine
Q. What does it mean to be transgendered?
A. Transgender is an umbrella term for any individuals who identifies
as being gender variant in some way. They may be "cross dressers,"
male-bodied women, female-bodied men, the list goes on. However, in the
film, I focused only on those individuals who were born male and are now
living their lives as women.
Q. Why did you choose to focus on women instead of men?
A. It is much easier for a female to transition into becoming a man,
all that is required legally to change into the opposite sex is that the
person begins testosterone hormone treatments. However, for the male to
female transition, transwomen not only have to undergo very expensive
and cosmetic surgery, but they are also required to undergo a very expensive
and painful sexual reassignment surgery (SRS), before they are legally
defined and recognized as women. Often times, this forces transgendered
women into alternative means of supporting themselves such as prostitution.
It is this line of work that makes them more susceptible to violence.
Q. The recent film Boys Don't Cry brought to light violence against
transgender people, is this an epidemic?
A. Absolutely, transgender people are being killed at alarming rates.
Many times they don't have the support of either the gay or straight communities,
nor can they always count on the the protection of the police. Their deaths
are more brutal, yet they often go unreported.
Q. Some people argue that these women may bring this violence upon
themselves because they don't disclose their identities, how do you feel
about this?
A. Violence is violence, and no one deserves to be brutalized. These
women have the choice whether or not to disclose their identities and
they should not be punished either way.
Q. What is the difference between being transgendered and being gay?
A. The difference is that being transgendered has to do with one's sexual
identity, and not sexual orientation. For example, a transwoman who is
attracted to a man, is attracted to that man as a heterosexual woman would
be, likewise a transwoman who is attracted to a woman, would be attracted
to that woman as a lesbian would be.
Q. Why would a lesbian make a film about transwomen?
A. I am a womanist, and a member of the LGBT community. It was impossible
for me to stand aside and see my fellow trans-sisters being killed everyday,
denied employment, and rejected by the gay community, and not to be outraged,
and at the same time encouraged to tell their stories. It was important
for me to do my part in dispelling some of these myths.
<-- back to press room index
|