The debate surrounding Scarlett Johansson’s role as a transgender male character in the film ‘Rub & Tug’ could have been avoided if there was a level playing field for transgender actors in the film industry.
The practice of selecting cisgender actors to portray transgender characters might be on the verge of a significant shift. The recent backlash surrounding Scarlett Johansson’s portrayal of Dante Tex Gill, a transgender man, serves as evidence for this potential turning point.
Just a month ago, Donna, the journalist whose story about the murder of transgender man Brandon Teena in the Village Voice back in 1994 inspired the renowned Hilary Swank film Boys Don’t Cry, reflected on her previous transphobic views in a compelling essay.
In the movie review, Roger Ebert playfully coined the phrase “Girls just wanna have fun” to encapsulate the spirit of the film. However, this lighthearted characterization unintentionally perpetuated a false perception of the main character, Brandon, as a lonely girl who simply wished to be a boy. The misunderstanding was further fueled by the casting of a cisgender woman, Swank, in the role. Having a transgender male actor would have added an authentic layer to the character and sparked meaningful conversations about identity within the entertainment industry. It is effortless to engage in speculation, but challenging to confront a transgender man and mistakenly refer to him as a woman.
The obituary highlights the disheartening fact that Gill appeared to conform effortlessly to societal expectations of a man, which is likely because he identified as a man at a period when society lacked adequate awareness of transgender experiences.
