Transgender fraternity seeking Hollywood respect and roles

Not long ago, says Schofield and others, transgender people felt they had to be grateful for the mere fact that Hollywood was willing to tell their stories, albeit with non-trans stars, like Hilary Swank in the 1999 “Boys Don’t Cry,” Felicity Huffman in the 2005 “Transamerica,” or Jared Leto in 2013’s “Dallas Buyers Club” (Swank and Leto won Oscars and Huffman was nominated.)

“I don’t begrudge ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ anything,” said Schofield, “but times have changed. We have trans people who are professionally trained artists.”

An even deeper problem, says Adams of GLAAD, is the impression given the public when an actor who is not transgender appears on the red carpet in a beard and tuxedo after playing a trans woman in a wig and a dress.

“It reinforces in some people’s minds that trans people’s identities are not real, that it’s a costume, a show, a performance,” said Adams, who is a trans man. “That fundamental misunderstanding about who trans people are is toxic and it can lead to violence.”

GLAAD also advocates, of course, for better representation of gays and lesbians in Hollywood. But the difference, says Adams, is that trans people are fighting for their very identity to be recognized.

“Often we’re told our gender identity is not real, that it’s all in our heads,” he said.

Some directors who have hired trans actors note that they bring a perspective that non-trans actors can’t. Dutch director Maria Peters, who hired Schofield for “The Conductor,” says the pivotal role he plays required an innate understanding of both genders.

“I told Scott I would hire him again to play a man OR a woman,” she said.

She adds that in an ideal world, anybody could play anything. But, she says, “Transgender actors are fed up with not having been taken seriously for so many years.”

The trans community was buoyed last year when “A Fantastic Woman” won the Oscar for best foreign language film, starring trans actress Daniela Vega as a transgender character. Adams says that victory was significant for the struggle for more prominent trans representation in movies.

Backlash was swift when Johansson announced plans last month to play the real-life character of Dante “Tex” Gill, a trans man. She initially responded that criticism “can be directed to Jeffrey Tambor (of TV’s “Transparent”), Jared Leto and Felicity Huffman’s reps.”

Johansson later said her earlier statement was insensitive.

“I understand why many feel (the character) should be portrayed by a transgender person, and I am thankful that this casting debate, albeit controversial, has sparked a larger conversation about diversity and representation in film,” she said. It’s not clear if “Rub & Tug,” which Johansson was producing, will go forward.

A different casting controversy arose last year when a British broadcaster canceled a TV comedy starring Joseph Fiennes, who is white, as Michael Jackson, in light of concerns from Jackson’s family. Fiennes said he fully supported that decision.

In an interview, he explained that he, too, had learned from the incident.

“It’s about listening and making the playing ground level and fair and the opportunities level and fair,” he said.

“One also has to respect that when you tread on the toes of the lives that are you’re inhabiting, of people that should also have that availability to play the parts that are THEM, I think we have to absolutely acknowledge that.”

Despite what feels like a growing attention to diversity, Hollywood films remain as white, male-dominated and non-diverse in other ways as ever, according to a recent report from the University of Southern California, which found that the representation of LBGT people, minorities, women and disabled people remained largely unchanged from the previous year.

Toward the very bottom of the list, in terms of representation in movie characters, were disabled people, notes Lauren Appelbaum of RespectAbility, which advocates for the disabled and signed GLAAD’s open letter.

“You’d think with all the conversations going on right now, you would see an increase,” she said, pointing out that roughly one in five Americans, close to 20 percent, has some sort of disability. Like GLAAD, her group seeks more than just acting roles for disabled actors, rather representation at all levels of the industry in a way that reflects society at large.

Just as transgender roles are compelling to actors of all orientations, so are parts involving disability, says talent agent Gail Williamson, who represents disabled actors.