Trans actors can play cis but cis can't play trans. Why am I bothering to try and see the sense?

'A person whose identity aligns with their sex observed at birth'. But very few who 'fit the category' actually use the term. It is a term foist upon people when they don't want or need it. At least they said 'sex observed at birth' I suppose.

So they are effectively moving from 'talking about trans women v women' to 'talking about women v c** women.

Any any Latin scholar will scoff at this feeble explanation. I guess that's the 'wiki' definition!

royalcorgi
I spoke to the complaints department at the Guardian. Apparently the article does conform to their guidelines because the word is not used in the title or tags and is about the trans experience compared to non trans one.
Here are the guidelines
Cisgender/ cis
A person whose identity aligns with their sex observed at birth. From the Latin cis, meaning “on the same side”. Used when comparing the trans experience with that of the non-trans population, eg how trans men and cis men navigate the health service. Avoid talking about trans women v women, or trans men v men. As this is a relatively new term, talk to editors if you are planning to use it in furniture

My main complaint and it is a complaint, is the use of the word cis man several times in the article.

Didn't the Guardian style guide ban the use of the word "cis"? Definitely worth a complaint.

The idea that a trans woman can play a woman, but only a trans person can play a trans person, is deeply idiotic, but it's what we've come to expect.

This makes no sense, and I do not believe this actually happened. I suspect Kate quit (or was let go) for some other reason and is just trying to look noble.

"Why Does He Do That?: Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men"

Talk about cutting your nose off to spite your face.

The trans actor could have got loads of publicity for playing the female part and celebrated a trans woman getting a mainstream female role.

I've got a feeling this production is going to be sympathetic towards the trans plight and they have actively looked for a trans actor for the trans part. It just shows in TRA land nothing you do however well intentioned is good enough.

I know, I feel it's like an episode of Brass Eye and at some time the curtains will be pulled back and everyone will laugh.

I saw this in the Guardian too, I had some sympathy until I read this quote When you do this it just perpetuates the idea that trans women are men … They are dressing up and misleading people. Also, creatively, it is just not interesting. To see a man in a dress, which is kind of what it will be, it reminds people of blacking up.

Lest we miss it, said trans actor shed tears over this. Womanly essence enhanced.

I wonder how your average middle aged actress feels about a rare part they might get going to a male.

Wellll... her cv is thin, so I am not sure the organisers have much to worry about.

MNHQ I am quoting the trans person in the article directly with that phrase, I can't see any way to make the point without using it; please don't strike me again for this one]

As an aside, always worth noting qualifiers like this as a reminder to those that think posters here don’t walk on egg shells with their language with concerns that the budding team of external TRA Monitors (note, not moderators) will vexatiously report.

Woman says she is a cat trapped in a human body

I'd suggest she was up a tree, but if she was, she wouldn't be able to get down.

"having an actor who was born male playing a trans woman"

Erm, hate to point out the obvious but......

Also you are assuming the actors gender. He may be non binary or a part time cross dresser like pips bunce, which according to stonewall would still make him trans.

This news item is now in the guardian written by Mark Brown arts correspondent. My main complaint and it is a complaint, is the use of the word cis man several times in the article.
Haven't seen that before in a guardian article as in the way to describe a biological Male or "man"
Eg "O’Donnell told the Guardian how her excitement turned to disappointment when told a cis man was cast in the lead".

"transgender actor has spoken of her disappointment and tears after she felt forced to withdraw from a high-profile musical because the main role of a trans woman was given to a cisgender man"

I looked up the Guardian complaints page but I am not sure that they wouldn't just dismiss any complaint from me as trivial or not affected by it. .

The term makes my blood boil though. Not sure if anyone else or body is in a better place to complain?

www.theguardian.com/stage/2020/mar/11/actor-felt-forced-quit-musical-man-cast-trans-woman

There is no visual difference. Identifying makes zero outward difference. Or any difference at all, come to that.
And they’re actors, the whole point is to be able to play the part of someone you are not.

Do a trans woman was playing someone’s mum? That wasn’t part of the storyline though (Luke I am your father)? Why do they think it’s ok for them to play that part but protest the other actor (and get a bit over worked about the prospects of a civil war breaking out as a result).

There is a difference between a man in a dress and a Trans Woman. One is masculine-identifying, the other is feminine-identifying. Without this difference there would be no Trans.

However, I expect a great Trans actor to be able to play a non-Trans role as well as they play Trans and vice versa.

Oddly enough I can accept a transwoman being played by a man in a dress much more readily than a transwoman playing a mother. Strange that.

Oh hang on - transcat may now be identifying as a woman as I can’t see any news of purr since 2018.

I have no problem with actors of any description playing anyone so long as they are convincing, if it's meant to be a naturalistic performance. Or if it's not naturalistic, then whatever really.

I'm not a huge fan of swapping the sexes though, in cases where the roles are meant to be one sex or the other. In productions I've seen like that, it was interesting, intellectually, but I can't say I was really engaged much emotionally.

Dick Whittingtons cat! I’m on it...

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/12127067/woman-says-she-is-a-cat-trapped-in-the-wrong-body.html

Producers are going to have problems come Christmas....

I saw a live human play Frankenstein monster once, and another play Dracula. I’m shocked I tell you...

What nonsense. Really.