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We See Each Other: A Black, Trans Journey Through TV and Film
A groundbreaking look at the history of transgender representation in TV and film, by an of-the-moment and in-demand culture reporter.
WE SEE EACH OTHER is a personal history of trans visibility since the beginning of moving images. A literary reckoning, it unearths a transcestry that’s long existed in plain sight and in the shadows of history’s annals, and further contextualizes our present moment of increased representation. The films and television shows that Tre’vell covers Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil, Psycho, Holiday Heart, Boys Don’t Cry, America’s Next Top Model, Some Like It Hot, Survivor, Tangerine, Pose, RuPaul's Drag Race and much more. Though there have been trans memoirs and histories, there has never been a book quite like this, nor is anyone more suited to write it than Tre’vell.
“I don’t remember exactly when I was taught to hate myself," says Tre’vell Anderson in We See Each Other's introduction. As the narrative unfolds, Tre'vell knits together the history of trans people on screen with stories of their life growing up and their formative experiences as a Black, trans journalist.
WE SEE EACH OTHER is a personal history of trans visibility since the beginning of moving images. A literary reckoning, it unearths a transcestry that’s long existed in plain sight and in the shadows of history’s annals, and further contextualizes our present moment of increased representation. The films and television shows that Tre’vell covers Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil, Psycho, Holiday Heart, Boys Don’t Cry, America’s Next Top Model, Some Like It Hot, Survivor, Tangerine, Pose, RuPaul's Drag Race and much more. Though there have been trans memoirs and histories, there has never been a book quite like this, nor is anyone more suited to write it than Tre’vell.
“I don’t remember exactly when I was taught to hate myself," says Tre’vell Anderson in We See Each Other's introduction. As the narrative unfolds, Tre'vell knits together the history of trans people on screen with stories of their life growing up and their formative experiences as a Black, trans journalist.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published May 9, 2023
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3549 people want to read
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May 16, 2023A deep dive and personal reflection into the history of trans and gender non-conforming media representation in the United States.
May 21, 2023
So good. So necessary. Couldn’t stop googling as I read. This book made me want to learn more and engage more with trans stories and representation. Also a very cool conceit of mixing memoir with pop culture history.
July 1, 2023
This was great and you should read it.
April 5, 2024
An examination of the way trans people are portrayed in TV and film, how it's evolved, what more needs to happen, and the impact it has on us all. The author is a Black trans journalist and shares their own journey. It's a master class in trans Hollywood history, as well as a thoughtful and informative read.
Content notes: intimate partner violence, child physical abuse, transphobia, anti-trans legislation, misgendering, deadnaming, gender affirmation surgery, body dysmorphia, gender dysphoria, genital mutilation and self-harm, homophobia, sex work, cross-dressing, HIV and AIDS, incarceration based on sex assigned at birth, murder, police violence and brutality, racism, infidelity, divorce, past enslavement, past death of grandmother, author raised by single mother in the army and grandma, gendered pejoratives, ableist language
Content notes: intimate partner violence, child physical abuse, transphobia, anti-trans legislation, misgendering, deadnaming, gender affirmation surgery, body dysmorphia, gender dysphoria, genital mutilation and self-harm, homophobia, sex work, cross-dressing, HIV and AIDS, incarceration based on sex assigned at birth, murder, police violence and brutality, racism, infidelity, divorce, past enslavement, past death of grandmother, author raised by single mother in the army and grandma, gendered pejoratives, ableist language
January 23, 2024
This was an enlightening listen from a very entertaining Black, Nonbinary voice - literally! Tre'vell narrated it themself, and the snarky asides and other remarks were performed very well and conversationally.
Many of the films and media discussed I had never heard of, with a whole list of recommendations to consume now! I also wasn't familiar with the term "trancestors", and now I won't forget it.
I really appreciated Tre'vell's frankness in their sharp critiques of trans representation through the years. Anderson's intersectional analysis and critique of film and shows featuring drag queens, crossdressers, and overtly trans characters was scathing and heartwarming in turns. It looks at harmful tropes and depictions, and then more positive representation. Their focus on Black trans women as one of the most victimized groups of violence and hate in society was excellent.
The afterword held a particularly great line: "Visibility alone does not keep and has not kept the girls safe. It has not gotten nor does it get the boys trans-competent, affirming healthcare. It, alone, has not put nor does it put a roof over the heads of the enbys".
Highly recommend this fairly short but important read\listen.
Many of the films and media discussed I had never heard of, with a whole list of recommendations to consume now! I also wasn't familiar with the term "trancestors", and now I won't forget it.
I really appreciated Tre'vell's frankness in their sharp critiques of trans representation through the years. Anderson's intersectional analysis and critique of film and shows featuring drag queens, crossdressers, and overtly trans characters was scathing and heartwarming in turns. It looks at harmful tropes and depictions, and then more positive representation. Their focus on Black trans women as one of the most victimized groups of violence and hate in society was excellent.
The afterword held a particularly great line: "Visibility alone does not keep and has not kept the girls safe. It has not gotten nor does it get the boys trans-competent, affirming healthcare. It, alone, has not put nor does it put a roof over the heads of the enbys".
Highly recommend this fairly short but important read\listen.
May 14, 2023
I would like to reread this book after I watch some of these movies and films to better engage with the text. I think it would be interesting to turn this book into a documentary with scenes/clips from the referenced movies and films.
Some of the things that stuck with me…
Some of the things that stuck with me…
* “What’s wrong with Girl is what’s wrong with most projects that claim to represent the experiences of trans people with no substantive participation of trans voices,” my review reads. “It’s a missed opportunity to properly contextualize the experiences of trans folks coming into ourselves as more than purely physical and medical.” (131)
* “the historical medicalization of transness” (147)
* They wanted to hold Hollywood accountable for its continued erasure of viable talent, and how casting cis people in trans roles reinforced “the notion that being transgender is a performance of sorts, that underneath whatever clothes trans people may be wearing, they are actually what their birth certificate says.” – Tre’Vell Anderson, 2017 Los Angeles Times column (163)
* Lachlan Watson on Silence of the Lambs – “Every single time Buffalo Bill is villainized or discriminated against, it is from the straight cisgender white guys in the FBI. They’re the ones who decided, ‘Oh, well, it must be because they’re trans that they’re killing people,’ but that’s not really the trans person’s fault. I think this portrayal makes a better commentary on the societal reaction to Buffalo Bill as a person than it says about why Buffalo Bill was a villain in the first place, and I find that fascinating. We can (and should) be transgender and a villain, but only in a cisgender narrative do we become the villain because we’re transgender.” (203)
May 7, 2023
We See Each Other: A Black, Trans Journey Through TV and Film
by Tre’vell Anderson
The audio version of Tre'vell Anderson gives weight to the voice of the story. I chose to read this book to allow my understanding of the Trans Journey. I did not personally know most of the history explained so succinctly in this book. I spent the book surprised by my lack of information. I did not know about majority of the films, and television series described in the book. The personal history of the actors, directors, and media personalities were all new information for me, with few names outside of titles of series or films. More from my lack of media history than any personal selection. I found the book well written. The information new, yet understandable. I hope that being exposed to this information I can become a better friend and advocate for the LTGBQ+ community.
by Tre’vell Anderson
The audio version of Tre'vell Anderson gives weight to the voice of the story. I chose to read this book to allow my understanding of the Trans Journey. I did not personally know most of the history explained so succinctly in this book. I spent the book surprised by my lack of information. I did not know about majority of the films, and television series described in the book. The personal history of the actors, directors, and media personalities were all new information for me, with few names outside of titles of series or films. More from my lack of media history than any personal selection. I found the book well written. The information new, yet understandable. I hope that being exposed to this information I can become a better friend and advocate for the LTGBQ+ community.
Read
March 24, 2023fascinating look at the history of trans rep & specifically black trans rep that goes as far back to ~1900. really enjoyed the little viewing lists at the end of each chapter & the way the personal essay style felt informal & genuine. dizzying to have it put into context just how much things have changed over the past 10-15 years
August 14, 2024
interesting and enlightening, if at times longwinded and repetitive.
i think more care could’ve been put into the inclusion of trans men/mascs. there’s a vibe of “they have it easier/better” and that’s just not a narrative i care to engage with when it comes to queerness. the transmasc specific chapter (because why thoughtfully include all trans people throughout the entirety of a book about trans representation when you can relegate trans men/mascs and nonbinary folks into their own chapters at the end?) opens with the author for some reason admitting to never “considering” trans men/mascs until they started dating one, followed by seemingly trying to justify it with what amounts to “but it’s not a personal failing, everyone does it because it’s a cultural issue.” sounds totally legit. there’s also the perpetuatation of the narrative that there isn’t mainstream transphobia targetting trans men/mascs specifically because they’re so erased and ignored, which ironically erases the transphobia targetting trans men/mascs specifically that’s actually happening.
some quotes:
“it’d be disingenuous otherwise to not recognize that we, as trans people, can both be entertained by these characters who were foundatinoal in our media diets and question the ways that they are complicit in the ongoing acts of violence we experience.”
“my reading is more contemporary, and not necessarily reflective of the period-specific understandings of identity, or lack thereof, when they were made. but when you know better, you do better, do having robust and nuanced conversations about the many complexities of art of yesteryear with both an awareness of the sociocultural circumstances of when it was made alongside the lenses of today should only improve our discourse.”
“a better question than ‘when was the first time you saw yourself on-screen?’ is ‘what depiction on-screen has held you the best, the longest? do you feel held, in your fullness, by what’s on-screen now?’ otherwise, we’ll keep asking people about the first time the media showed them how to be palatable to the masses, and we’ll keep getting responses that reproduce respectability and collapse our complexities.”
“trans folks, and others from historically marginalized and excluded communities, are always expected to be so grateful at the mere fact that we’re invited to the party, because the invitation alone is such a huge move for the entities welcoming us in. but we’re not supposed to call them out for how their work of inclusion doesn’t start and end with an invite. we’re not supposed to express our disappointment and frustration and anger when the environments we’re in show their true colors regarding how they feel about the complexity of our truths, or at least not in ways that’ll disrupt goings-on they’d rather not disrupt. perhaps that expectation is changing. regardless, the world is lucky trans people naturally have resilient spirits. but also, why we always gotta be resilient?”
“when we think of men and therefore masculinity, we automatically think toxicity and aggression and power and negativity. and when we think of women and therefore femininity, we think of positivity and comfort and care and warmth. such a binary leaves little to no room for those of us who find that our lived experiences necessarily complicate prevailing gender stereotypes. this means that broad strokes about men and masculinity never consider trans men and transmasculine people, and particularly how the truth and complexities of their existences might offer us as a culture other ways to see, hold, and gros alongside masc folks. in the same way trans women and femmes help further define and redefine womanhood and femme-ness, so can trans men and transmasc people help further define and redefine manhood and masc-ness.”
content/trigger warnings; mentions or discussions of queerphobia, transphobia, transmisogyny, anti-transmasculinity, misgendering, deadnaming, outing, gender essentialism, intersex-phobia, hate crimes, police brutality, religion, bullying, racism, anti-blackness, slavery, murder, sexual assault/rape, castration, self-harm, mutilation,
i think more care could’ve been put into the inclusion of trans men/mascs. there’s a vibe of “they have it easier/better” and that’s just not a narrative i care to engage with when it comes to queerness. the transmasc specific chapter (because why thoughtfully include all trans people throughout the entirety of a book about trans representation when you can relegate trans men/mascs and nonbinary folks into their own chapters at the end?) opens with the author for some reason admitting to never “considering” trans men/mascs until they started dating one, followed by seemingly trying to justify it with what amounts to “but it’s not a personal failing, everyone does it because it’s a cultural issue.” sounds totally legit. there’s also the perpetuatation of the narrative that there isn’t mainstream transphobia targetting trans men/mascs specifically because they’re so erased and ignored, which ironically erases the transphobia targetting trans men/mascs specifically that’s actually happening.
some quotes:
“it’d be disingenuous otherwise to not recognize that we, as trans people, can both be entertained by these characters who were foundatinoal in our media diets and question the ways that they are complicit in the ongoing acts of violence we experience.”
“my reading is more contemporary, and not necessarily reflective of the period-specific understandings of identity, or lack thereof, when they were made. but when you know better, you do better, do having robust and nuanced conversations about the many complexities of art of yesteryear with both an awareness of the sociocultural circumstances of when it was made alongside the lenses of today should only improve our discourse.”
“a better question than ‘when was the first time you saw yourself on-screen?’ is ‘what depiction on-screen has held you the best, the longest? do you feel held, in your fullness, by what’s on-screen now?’ otherwise, we’ll keep asking people about the first time the media showed them how to be palatable to the masses, and we’ll keep getting responses that reproduce respectability and collapse our complexities.”
“trans folks, and others from historically marginalized and excluded communities, are always expected to be so grateful at the mere fact that we’re invited to the party, because the invitation alone is such a huge move for the entities welcoming us in. but we’re not supposed to call them out for how their work of inclusion doesn’t start and end with an invite. we’re not supposed to express our disappointment and frustration and anger when the environments we’re in show their true colors regarding how they feel about the complexity of our truths, or at least not in ways that’ll disrupt goings-on they’d rather not disrupt. perhaps that expectation is changing. regardless, the world is lucky trans people naturally have resilient spirits. but also, why we always gotta be resilient?”
“when we think of men and therefore masculinity, we automatically think toxicity and aggression and power and negativity. and when we think of women and therefore femininity, we think of positivity and comfort and care and warmth. such a binary leaves little to no room for those of us who find that our lived experiences necessarily complicate prevailing gender stereotypes. this means that broad strokes about men and masculinity never consider trans men and transmasculine people, and particularly how the truth and complexities of their existences might offer us as a culture other ways to see, hold, and gros alongside masc folks. in the same way trans women and femmes help further define and redefine womanhood and femme-ness, so can trans men and transmasc people help further define and redefine manhood and masc-ness.”
content/trigger warnings; mentions or discussions of queerphobia, transphobia, transmisogyny, anti-transmasculinity, misgendering, deadnaming, outing, gender essentialism, intersex-phobia, hate crimes, police brutality, religion, bullying, racism, anti-blackness, slavery, murder, sexual assault/rape, castration, self-harm, mutilation,
October 2, 2023
Loved this. Tre'vell is a host on the daily podcast What a Day, so my parasocial relationship with them is hella strong. This book is great. It's personal and gives such a great history of trans and gender expansive folks throughout media. I love that they didn't strive to be comprehensive given the trauma this would necessarily inflict upon their body with all the transphobic, trauma porn viewing. Rather, they focused on the TV and films that shaped them. I wish the sections on nonbinary and transmasc folks were longer but as Anderson notes, that may be a project for the next trans/nonbinary/gender expansive writer to write themselves into the transcestry.
Appreciative of all the additional resources Tre'vell provides and reminding me I need to watch P Valley expeditiously (I know...it's time to get my life together).
Appreciative of all the additional resources Tre'vell provides and reminding me I need to watch P Valley expeditiously (I know...it's time to get my life together).
January 12, 2024
Book 5 of 2024 - ☑️ ! I was made aware of We See Each Other: A Black, Trans Journey Through TV and Film by Tre’vell Anderson after reading Hi Honey, I’m Homo by Matt Baume during Pride month last year & seeing Traci Thomas of The Stacks’ review.
I am always down to read a book about media studies, especially one that is own-voices, and Anderson so brilliantly blends their own personal stories while simultaneously doing a deep-dive into Black, Trans representation in film & TV. There were a few shows and stories I was familiar with (such as “Pose” and “Disclosure” to name a couple), and I do remember seeing Anderson on “Disclosure.”
I finished this book in a few days thanks to Anderson’s compelling writing and narration, and felt like I learned a lot in the process. 5/5 ⭐️! 📺 🎥 🎞️
I am always down to read a book about media studies, especially one that is own-voices, and Anderson so brilliantly blends their own personal stories while simultaneously doing a deep-dive into Black, Trans representation in film & TV. There were a few shows and stories I was familiar with (such as “Pose” and “Disclosure” to name a couple), and I do remember seeing Anderson on “Disclosure.”
I finished this book in a few days thanks to Anderson’s compelling writing and narration, and felt like I learned a lot in the process. 5/5 ⭐️! 📺 🎥 🎞️
November 13, 2023
Anderson reminds readers that enslaved Africans were challenging colonial gender norms during enslavement. Anderson challenges the question of “ When was the first time you were represented on screen? With, What depiction on screen has held you the best, the longest? Anderson suggests that if one isn't reflective; one can run the risk of reproduce[ing] respectability and collapse[ing?] complexity.”
January 2, 2024
Amazing book. It resonated with me a lot. Thoughtful personable and full of insight into trans representation and critiques of pop culture moments that I experienced very differently
August 13, 2024
A lot to add to my watch list
September 3, 2024
This will be most enjoyable to people interested in reality TV. I am not. Still a really good piece, though.
July 22, 2025
3.5 rounded up
July 17, 2023
I don’t normally rate nonfiction but this rocked. Can’t wait to own a physical copy to quote from and access those media guides! Tre’vell’s narration for the audiobook was also fantastic.
March 4, 2024
love love loved the viewing guide that accompanied each chapter!
July 10, 2024
Insightful and appreciated
May 1, 2023
This was a powerful history and i want to go back and listen to it again so that i can see the media lists in each chapter! I really appreciate that Anderson takes cinema and reality TV with the same weightiness. Overall, it's a really thoughtful and necessary reminder that while increased visibility is currently leading to so much anti-trans legislative aggression as well as hand-wringing, it's not because of transness being new. And many reminders of that focus on whiteness. This specific look at the Black trans experience/representation in media over time taught me a lot. And it's very well-narrated!
May 24, 2023
We See Each Other: A Black, Trans Journey Through TV and Film by Tre'vell Anderson is both a personal story of their coming to understand who they are as well as a very good example of how to both appreciate and critique popular culture.
I hope that people who might feel isolated or questioning about who they are will read this book. It will not only show them that no one's alone in the world, even at those times when it most feels like it, but that even the cultural images we see don't have to be, and shouldn't be, taken at face value.
It is in how Anderson looks back at the history of popular culture that anyone who studies it, formally or informally, can learn some valuable lessons. One of the most difficult things I found when I was actively studying and teaching in WGS was in understanding the importance of both keeping the texts we analyze in their societal context while also critiquing their place in our time. This is, basically, the difference between criticizing and critiquing. It is very easy, and largely pointless, to criticize older texts for things that the creators perhaps didn't even have the words or concepts to do differently. Critiquing allows one to give a nod to how it seemed at the time while also pointing out where we can now understand how it fell short by our current standards. It is grappling with these problematic texts, what Anderson calls "problemasia" with the texts, where we can both better understand the past and make strides for a better future.
In addition to the serious elements of the book, it is also fun to read. You will want to go back and revisit some of these works with a new perspective or take in some works you may never have seen. Most important, I think, is how we can then actively engage any film or TV we view from now on.
Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in the intersection of art and society, even if your main interest isn't Black and/or trans.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
I hope that people who might feel isolated or questioning about who they are will read this book. It will not only show them that no one's alone in the world, even at those times when it most feels like it, but that even the cultural images we see don't have to be, and shouldn't be, taken at face value.
It is in how Anderson looks back at the history of popular culture that anyone who studies it, formally or informally, can learn some valuable lessons. One of the most difficult things I found when I was actively studying and teaching in WGS was in understanding the importance of both keeping the texts we analyze in their societal context while also critiquing their place in our time. This is, basically, the difference between criticizing and critiquing. It is very easy, and largely pointless, to criticize older texts for things that the creators perhaps didn't even have the words or concepts to do differently. Critiquing allows one to give a nod to how it seemed at the time while also pointing out where we can now understand how it fell short by our current standards. It is grappling with these problematic texts, what Anderson calls "problemasia" with the texts, where we can both better understand the past and make strides for a better future.
In addition to the serious elements of the book, it is also fun to read. You will want to go back and revisit some of these works with a new perspective or take in some works you may never have seen. Most important, I think, is how we can then actively engage any film or TV we view from now on.
Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in the intersection of art and society, even if your main interest isn't Black and/or trans.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
October 20, 2023
This was just so great on many levels. As of this moment, I've only seen a small handful of the films and shows Tre'vell discusses. But I used to be an arts and entertainment journalist, and I was good at it, and good at discerning between good versus bad A & E journalism. Tre'vell Anderson is killing it at their craft, capably engaging the reader with the most important facts of the subject matter while also never shying away from acknowledgments of the ways their own subjectivity played a role at different points in time. They establish contexts in culture in different eras and give us a brief, underrepresented history that is a joy to read.
Tre'vell and I are both AMAB nonbinary transfabulous femme baddies. I was born almost a decade earlier, so we have some overlap and a lot of different experience in terms of generational experience. I have white privilege and they're Black, so that alone sets our experiential lenses apart greatly for processing the significance of many of the figures featured in this book. I'll definitely be watching some of the material I learned about: When They See Us, Disclosure, and Sort Of are highest on the list. I never watched Powerpuff Girls (didn't have Cartoon Network growing up) but I had a cool, punk friend named April who was a mega-fan of it and who, I think in retrospect, saw the genderqueerness in me. The villain, called "H.I.M.," from that show sounds/looks like a great character to learn about and cosplay as!
Tre'vell and I are both AMAB nonbinary transfabulous femme baddies. I was born almost a decade earlier, so we have some overlap and a lot of different experience in terms of generational experience. I have white privilege and they're Black, so that alone sets our experiential lenses apart greatly for processing the significance of many of the figures featured in this book. I'll definitely be watching some of the material I learned about: When They See Us, Disclosure, and Sort Of are highest on the list. I never watched Powerpuff Girls (didn't have Cartoon Network growing up) but I had a cool, punk friend named April who was a mega-fan of it and who, I think in retrospect, saw the genderqueerness in me. The villain, called "H.I.M.," from that show sounds/looks like a great character to learn about and cosplay as!
January 10, 2024
When asked if I see myself on TV or film, I can confidently say, "Absolutely." Of course, no one character is exactly like me, but I see white cis women all over the place. Trans folks do not have this luxury. Tre'vell Anderson also noticed this omission. They work and write in hopes of increasing representation. "We See Each Other" is a book about trans visibility. It's also part memoir. Tre'vell incorporates original writing, personal experiences and recaps of various articles they published in multiple print and online publications.
The writing style is personable in places and dry in others. I found myself skimming multiple chapters, though.
I appreciated the photos that made the people in this book come alive for me. And the recommended viewing lists at the end of each chapter gave me insight into additional resources that will expand my understanding of trans visibility.
While this book isn't one of my favorites, it's an important resource that invites conversation and thoughtful media viewing.
The writing style is personable in places and dry in others. I found myself skimming multiple chapters, though.
I appreciated the photos that made the people in this book come alive for me. And the recommended viewing lists at the end of each chapter gave me insight into additional resources that will expand my understanding of trans visibility.
While this book isn't one of my favorites, it's an important resource that invites conversation and thoughtful media viewing.
August 24, 2024
I like Anderson's approach to The Archive TM, in which they're very upfront that they're exploring the pop culture histories and moments that have been significant for them, and where they have an expansive understanding about what black trans representation looks like. There's a messiness of representation, in the sense that it's rarely "good" or "bad" (boo, binaries!) and also the vocabulary we have to describe gender and trans-ness are always evolving. For the most part, I found myself agreeing emphatically with Anderson's analysis (as I also enjoyed their reverence for pop culture and overall silliness). Though I remember wanting their analysis of trans masculine representation to be further developed. I also wanted tighter editing, as it wasn't always clear why certain pop culture moments or biographical stories belonged in some chapters and not others. But overall, I learned a lot and found "We See Each Other" extremely enjoyable. I'm even assigning a chapter in one of my classes!
May 18, 2023
I was already a fan of Tre’vell Anderson from the podcast What a Day, and I love books that do deep dives on entertainment and the role of media in society- so I’ve been looking forward to this book since I heard about it.
Tre’vell explores the history of trans rep in media along with their own journey with gender. By including their personal story it shows the impact media can have. But they also show that while media shapes the world we live in, representation alone isn’t enough- trans rep is higher than it’s been, but look at all the anti-trans laws being passed.
The book balances celebrating the strides that have been made in trans rep with pointing out where we still need to improve. Even though it’s a serious topic, Tre’vell is also really funny- I definitely recommend the audiobook
Tre’vell explores the history of trans rep in media along with their own journey with gender. By including their personal story it shows the impact media can have. But they also show that while media shapes the world we live in, representation alone isn’t enough- trans rep is higher than it’s been, but look at all the anti-trans laws being passed.
The book balances celebrating the strides that have been made in trans rep with pointing out where we still need to improve. Even though it’s a serious topic, Tre’vell is also really funny- I definitely recommend the audiobook
June 27, 2023
A trans femme’s journalist’s exploration of their history with trans media that also works as an accessible introduction to trans representations in mainstream media. I loved the respect and recognition shown to Trans Griot blogger Monica Roberts, whose blog was an entry point to trans thought and history for many of us back in the mid aughts.
However…the first line on the chapter about transmasc people (yes they are relegated to one chapter) is, “I don’t think I ever considered trans men and transmasculine people until I started dating one.” Imagine framing an entire group of trans people based on your desire, in a book discussing the portrayals of trans people… I think more work could/should have been done by the author in this area.
However…the first line on the chapter about transmasc people (yes they are relegated to one chapter) is, “I don’t think I ever considered trans men and transmasculine people until I started dating one.” Imagine framing an entire group of trans people based on your desire, in a book discussing the portrayals of trans people… I think more work could/should have been done by the author in this area.
Read
April 2, 2024I'm not going to rate this one. I liked it, and the author's tying together their iconic moments in seeing trans representation. I'm really glad I read (listened) to this one, but I think I really wanted a deeper dive, probably as a product of my age. I know a lot of the representation is new, but I wanted more about the roots of it all.
I'm happy to post this as a read book to get it and the author in front of more eyes. This will be an invaluable resource going forward and a building block for more exploration of the topic and people with an interest in LGBTQIA+ topics, history, and future should check it out. Maybe literally, because, libraries. I borrowed my copy from the Queer Liberation Library, an online lending library I highly recommend.
I'm happy to post this as a read book to get it and the author in front of more eyes. This will be an invaluable resource going forward and a building block for more exploration of the topic and people with an interest in LGBTQIA+ topics, history, and future should check it out. Maybe literally, because, libraries. I borrowed my copy from the Queer Liberation Library, an online lending library I highly recommend.
March 5, 2024
An in-depth look at some of the media that helped Tre’vell Anderson embrace their identity, through a trans, black lens. Filled with Anderson’s signature humor, this is a thoughtful, well-written look at trans representation and visibility in tv and film. This book is academic without being overly so. It doesn’t feel unapproachable like many academic texts on the subject. The audiobook, read by Anderson, is really good. My one complaint is when Anderson would start listing a bunch of people, it could get a bit tricky to keep track of them all in audio, and reading a physical or ebook version would help with that.
June 16, 2024
We See Each Other is a great introduction to Black trans TV and film—although Anderson notes that they wrote the book primarily for themself, there were several shows and films that I had never heard of as a (white) cis woman. Anderson doesn’t delve into deep analyses of any of the media they mention, but brief overviews work well as Anderson is more interested in discussing the ways that this media affected/affects their gender journey.
We See Each Other is a non-exhaustive yet competent survey of Black trans TV and film that helped me add more media to my watch list.
We See Each Other is a non-exhaustive yet competent survey of Black trans TV and film that helped me add more media to my watch list.
July 20, 2024
An undeniably necessary read for reimagining gender abolition (learned this amazing phrase from the book) in cinema and visual storytelling.
Affirms that visibility and representation, while important, are not end-all goals that will keep the non-binary and trans community safe. The book, however, posits that film & tv productions ought to be safer spaces for stories of people with trans experiences. A thoughtful balance is struck perfectly between the two using Tre'vell Anderson's tone and knowledge, enhanced by their narration.
Would love to see this text in academic curriculum for film studies, yesterday.
Affirms that visibility and representation, while important, are not end-all goals that will keep the non-binary and trans community safe. The book, however, posits that film & tv productions ought to be safer spaces for stories of people with trans experiences. A thoughtful balance is struck perfectly between the two using Tre'vell Anderson's tone and knowledge, enhanced by their narration.
Would love to see this text in academic curriculum for film studies, yesterday.
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