My thoughts on CSI...
Nov. 19th, 2004 10:15 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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transCross-posted from my journal.
There was an episode of CSI last night that centered around the death of a transgendered woman. For those of you that saw it, here are my thoughts. I'd love to hear some other opinions, maybe it'll cheer me up.
I don't know how I feel about last night's CSI. I have a very mixed reaction. First of all, its the first time I remember an hour-long primetime show focusing on a transgendered character since Ally McBeal did it several years ago. I noticed that the CSI's were all conscientious about referring to Wendy as "she" and treated her death as a hate crime. That was good. I also think that they did a lot to capture the desperation felt by T's facing the fact that surgery is not an option to them, either because they have to wait longer or can't afford it. There really are back alley doctors like that portrayed in the show butchering people who can't wait. There also a number of them who attempt to do it themselves out of desperation. And Grissom's sensitivity and in particular his closing remark about changing sex, etc., were interesting, and about what I would expect from his character by now. That being said, there were some things that bothered me:
1. The portrayal of Wendy, the transgendered person, as a deceiver. She met her fiance in a grief support group where she was grieving over her "twin brother." I think a lot of people without the proper knowledge of T issues will interpret that as her lying her way into the support group, rather than her legitimate grief over the loss of Walter, her former self. And then she told him she didn't believe in pre-marital sex to prolong his possible discovery and to give her more time to complete her transition. She had no intention of *ever* telling him, and she was even faking a period to deceive him. And he made a comment about loving her because of her "traditional values" when the audience already knows, wink wink nudge nudge, that those weren't her real reasons. It gives the impression that transgendered people are deceitful, devious liars. While I think some people do try Wendy's route, many more are honest to their loved ones. But the general viewing public will not see that. Warrick's discovery of the makeup bag full of stuff is further reinforcement that Wendy is a phony.
2. Despite the fact that Tawny was a transgendered woman just like Wendy, the CSI's referred to her as "Vern" and "he" without fail. Why is this? I assume it is because her surgery was botched, and therefore she could not be viewed as a legitimate woman by them. They refused to acknowledge who she was because she never passed that hurdle. This is incredibly derogatory to transgendered people, especially those who choose not to transition surgically at all. Since Wendy had her penis removed, she was honored with the correct pronouns and name, while Tawny was just a mutilated man to them.
3. When Grissom & Nick go to the bar looking for answers, the atmosphere is seedy and deviant. Everyone is being very surreptitious, and Mercedes even mentions that some of the patrons are men about to head home to their wives & kids. Most people who are dating transgendered people are not pervs or freaks, they just fell in love with who they fell in love with. This is not captured here. Also, there is a lot of focus on the women getting ready in the back, injecting silicon, putting on makeup (and the comment about injecting motor oil if they can't afford silicone). It further reinforces the message that transgender is about deception and cover up. Again, I am sure that in many situations this is realistic, but this whole episode seemed to focus on only the ugly and seedy, and that is not an accurate representation for many people.
4. At the end, we discover the doctor is a MTF transgendered woman who has not had surgery. She and her husband are made out to be freaks. The image we are given of their relationship is that the husband is some kind of deviant perv (there was a lot of emphasis on the fact that he gave her a blow-job). And it turns out the husband is crazy when it comes to his wife, crazy enough to kill to protect her. But she and he both sound almost like religious fanatics when they describe her work, and this further emphasizes that they are just "wrong." Also, there was never an answer as to why he didn't just kill Wendy ... he cut out her Adam's apple and genitally mutilated her. Why? The fact that this is left hanging seems to indicate that it's not really very important. They caught the bad guy, woo hoo. But it just ends up making transgendered people and those who love them look like crazies.
5. Unlike other episodes, there was little to know coverage of the grief of those left behind. Wendy's fiance and even Mimosa were not seen grieving and aching for the person they lost.
I don't know. I guess I just hoped that when transgendered characters made it on the screen it could be handled responsibly. Yes, I know, I am a retard for thinking this way. I should've known better. Let me ask this...Why couldn't it have been just a T-woman, killed in a hate crime, and they searched for the answers? They could've even still thrown in the bad doctor angle and left out all the other weird crap. Why did it have to be so convoluted, so dirty and ugly and weird? Why did they choose to further this image of the T community? I think I'm going to write them a letter. As long as transgendered people are sensationalized in this manner, they will never achieve what they deserve, which is simple human respect and compassion.
There was an episode of CSI last night that centered around the death of a transgendered woman. For those of you that saw it, here are my thoughts. I'd love to hear some other opinions, maybe it'll cheer me up.
I don't know how I feel about last night's CSI. I have a very mixed reaction. First of all, its the first time I remember an hour-long primetime show focusing on a transgendered character since Ally McBeal did it several years ago. I noticed that the CSI's were all conscientious about referring to Wendy as "she" and treated her death as a hate crime. That was good. I also think that they did a lot to capture the desperation felt by T's facing the fact that surgery is not an option to them, either because they have to wait longer or can't afford it. There really are back alley doctors like that portrayed in the show butchering people who can't wait. There also a number of them who attempt to do it themselves out of desperation. And Grissom's sensitivity and in particular his closing remark about changing sex, etc., were interesting, and about what I would expect from his character by now. That being said, there were some things that bothered me:
1. The portrayal of Wendy, the transgendered person, as a deceiver. She met her fiance in a grief support group where she was grieving over her "twin brother." I think a lot of people without the proper knowledge of T issues will interpret that as her lying her way into the support group, rather than her legitimate grief over the loss of Walter, her former self. And then she told him she didn't believe in pre-marital sex to prolong his possible discovery and to give her more time to complete her transition. She had no intention of *ever* telling him, and she was even faking a period to deceive him. And he made a comment about loving her because of her "traditional values" when the audience already knows, wink wink nudge nudge, that those weren't her real reasons. It gives the impression that transgendered people are deceitful, devious liars. While I think some people do try Wendy's route, many more are honest to their loved ones. But the general viewing public will not see that. Warrick's discovery of the makeup bag full of stuff is further reinforcement that Wendy is a phony.
2. Despite the fact that Tawny was a transgendered woman just like Wendy, the CSI's referred to her as "Vern" and "he" without fail. Why is this? I assume it is because her surgery was botched, and therefore she could not be viewed as a legitimate woman by them. They refused to acknowledge who she was because she never passed that hurdle. This is incredibly derogatory to transgendered people, especially those who choose not to transition surgically at all. Since Wendy had her penis removed, she was honored with the correct pronouns and name, while Tawny was just a mutilated man to them.
3. When Grissom & Nick go to the bar looking for answers, the atmosphere is seedy and deviant. Everyone is being very surreptitious, and Mercedes even mentions that some of the patrons are men about to head home to their wives & kids. Most people who are dating transgendered people are not pervs or freaks, they just fell in love with who they fell in love with. This is not captured here. Also, there is a lot of focus on the women getting ready in the back, injecting silicon, putting on makeup (and the comment about injecting motor oil if they can't afford silicone). It further reinforces the message that transgender is about deception and cover up. Again, I am sure that in many situations this is realistic, but this whole episode seemed to focus on only the ugly and seedy, and that is not an accurate representation for many people.
4. At the end, we discover the doctor is a MTF transgendered woman who has not had surgery. She and her husband are made out to be freaks. The image we are given of their relationship is that the husband is some kind of deviant perv (there was a lot of emphasis on the fact that he gave her a blow-job). And it turns out the husband is crazy when it comes to his wife, crazy enough to kill to protect her. But she and he both sound almost like religious fanatics when they describe her work, and this further emphasizes that they are just "wrong." Also, there was never an answer as to why he didn't just kill Wendy ... he cut out her Adam's apple and genitally mutilated her. Why? The fact that this is left hanging seems to indicate that it's not really very important. They caught the bad guy, woo hoo. But it just ends up making transgendered people and those who love them look like crazies.
5. Unlike other episodes, there was little to know coverage of the grief of those left behind. Wendy's fiance and even Mimosa were not seen grieving and aching for the person they lost.
I don't know. I guess I just hoped that when transgendered characters made it on the screen it could be handled responsibly. Yes, I know, I am a retard for thinking this way. I should've known better. Let me ask this...Why couldn't it have been just a T-woman, killed in a hate crime, and they searched for the answers? They could've even still thrown in the bad doctor angle and left out all the other weird crap. Why did it have to be so convoluted, so dirty and ugly and weird? Why did they choose to further this image of the T community? I think I'm going to write them a letter. As long as transgendered people are sensationalized in this manner, they will never achieve what they deserve, which is simple human respect and compassion.
