Trans Recommended Media
*A huge thank you to Mel Ferrara, for all their work compiling this list as part of their internship with the LGBTQ+ Resource Center (2018). Mel Ferrara is a doctoral student in Gender & Women's Studies and a Point Foundation Scholar.
Resources
Films
A Fantastic Woman (2017, drama)
"Marina and Orlando are in love and planning for the future. Marina is a young waitress and aspiring singer. Orlando is 20 years older than her, and owns a printing company. After celebrating Marina's birthday one evening, Orlando falls seriously ill. Marina rushes him to the emergency room, but he passes away just after arriving at the hospital. Instead of being able to mourn her lover, suddenly Marina is treated with suspicion…Marina is a trans woman and for most of Orlando's family, her sexual identity is an aberration, a perversion. So Marina struggles for the right to be herself. She battles the very same forces that she has spent a lifetime fighting just to become the woman she is now - a complex, strong, forthright and fantastic woman."
A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story (2006, drama)
"…A Girl Like Me tells the story of Gwen Araujo, a young trans Latina, who was beaten and murdered by a group of men who attacked her after they found out she was trans when she was just 17 years old."
CW: graphic violence, murder, hate crime
Boy Meets Girl (2014, comedy, romance, drama)
"Boy Meets Girl is a funny, tender, sex positive romantic comedy that explores what it means to be a real man or woman, and how important it is to live a courageous life not letting fear stand in the way of going after your dreams."
Boys Don’t Cry (1999, romance, drama)
A dramatization of the events surrounding the life of Brandon Teena, a trans man who was assaulted and murdered in Nebraska in 1993, Boys Don’t Cry is also a love story between Brandon and a young woman he meets in Falls City, Lana Tisdel, in the time leading up to his death.
CW: graphic depiction of sexual assault; violence; murder; hate crime
Drunktown’s Finest (2014, drama)
"…written and directed by a trans woman, this time a trans woman of color named Sydney Freeland, Drunktown’s Finest also co-stars a trans woman of color playing a trans woman of color. This film is about three interconnected young Navajo people, including a sex worker and aspiring model Felixia played by newcomer Carmen Moore. Freeland and Moore bring an authenticity to a trans woman’s story that’s rare in film, and even more rare for a Native American trans woman."
Free CeCe (2016, documentary)
"This film confronts the culture of violence surrounding trans women of color. It is told through the voices of Laverne Cox and Cece McDonald."
Gun Hill Road (2011, drama)
"An ex-con returns home to the Bronx after three years in prison to discover his wife estranged and his child exploring a gender transformation that will put the fragile bonds of their family to the test."
Major! (2015, documentary)
"MAJOR! is a documentary film exploring the life and campaigns of Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, a formerly incarcerated Black transgender elder and activist who has been fighting for the rights of trans women of color for over 40 years. Miss Major is a veteran of the Stonewall Rebellion and a survivor of Attica State Prison, a former sex worker, an elder, and a community leader and human rights activist."
Ma Vie en Rose (1997, drama)
"Ludovic is a transgender girl who is coming out. She talks of marrying her neighbor's son and can not understand why everyone is so surprised about it. Her family and neighbors struggle with her actions."
Paris Is Burning (1990, documentary)
"A chronicle of New York's drag scene in the 1980s, focusing on balls, voguing and the ambitions and dreams of those who gave the era its warmth and vitality."
Screaming Queens (2005, documentary)
"Documentary about transgender women and drag queens who fought police harassment at Compton's Cafeteria in San Francisco's Tenderloin in 1966, three years before the famous riot at Stonewall Inn bar in NYC."
Soldier’s Girl (2003, drama)
Based on a true story, Soldier’s Girl portrays the relationship between Barry Winchell, an Army PFC, and Calpernia Addams, a trans nightclub performer, prior to his murder by fellow soldiers on July 4, 1999.
CW: graphic violence, hate crime
Southern Comfort (2001, documentary)
"Southern Comfort documents the final year in the life of Robert Eads, a transgender man. Eads, diagnosed with ovarian cancer, was turned down for treatment by two dozen doctors out of fear that treating such a patient would hurt their reputations. By the time Eads received treatment, the cancer was too advanced to save his life. Filmmaker Kate Davis follows Robert and a group of transgender Southerners in this captivating and truly touching documentary."
Tangerine (2015, comedy, crime, drama)
"It's Christmas Eve in Tinseltown and Sin-Dee (newcomer Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) is back on the block. Upon hearing that her pimp boyfriend (James Ransone, STARLET, “Generation Kill”) hasn't been faithful during the 28 days she was locked up, the sex worker and her best friend, Alexandra (newcomer Mya Taylor), embark on a mission to get to the bottom of the scandalous rumor. Their rip-roaring odyssey leads them through various subcultures of Los Angeles."
3 Generations (2015, drama)
After Ray decides to transition from female to male, Ray's mother, Maggie, must come to terms with the decision while tracking down Ray's biological father to get his legal consent.
Books
My New Gender Workbook: A Step-by-Step Guide To Achieving Peace Through Gender Anarchy and Sex Positivity
Bornstein, Kate.
Routledge. 2013.
Balancing on the Mechitza: Transgender in Jewish Community
Dzmura, Noach.
North Atlantic Books. 2010.
Transgender Warriors: Making History from Joan of Arc to Marsha P. Johnson and Beyond
Feinberg, Leslie.
Beacon Press. 1997.
Trans* Policies & Experiences in Housing & Residence Life
Garvey, Jason C., Stephanie H. Chang, Z Nicolazzo, and Rex Jackson (eds).
Stylus Publishing. 2018.
Queer and Trans Artists of Color: Stories of Some of Our Lives
King, Nia. Jessica Glennon-Zukoff and Terra Mikalson (eds).
CreateSpace. 2014.
Living Out Islam: Voices of Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Muslims
Kugle, Scott Siraj al-Haqq.
NYU Press. 2013.
Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More
Mock, Janet.
Atria Books. 2014.
Normal Life: Administrative Violence, Critical Trans Politics and the Limits of Law
Spade, Dean.
South End Press. 2015.
Captive Genders: Trans Embodiment and the Prison Industrial Complex
Stanley, Eric, Nat Smith, and CeCe McDonald.
AK Press. 2015.
Troubling the Line: Trans and Genderqueer Poetry and Poetics
Tolbert, TC and Trace Peterson (eds).
Nightboat Books. 2013.
In College: Transgender Students’ Strategies For Navigating Campus Life and the Institutional Politics of Inclusion
Nicolazzo, Z.
Stylus Publishing. 2016.
Raising Ryland: Our Story of Parenting A Transgender Child With No Strings Attached
Whittington, Hillary.
William Morrow Paperbacks. 2016.
Podcasts
YouTube
Kat Blaque
Kat Blaque (she/her) is a Black, straight trans woman who makes videos on racism, transphobia, social justice, and other topics!
Some of Kat’s videos: