Casting a woman as a transwoman

[Hazchem]

So there is a show about to air on the Australian ABC about Carlotta who is an incredibly well known and important entertainer in Australia. She Les Girls, was the first transexual in an Australian soap opera. An icon, someone whose very being has made changes to the Australian cultural landscape. She was original born male and very early on had surgery

So the person they have picked to play her is a ciswomen. Surely there was a trans actor who could have taken the role. My feeling is that a women has been cast because she can be sexy in the Les Girls numbers without making people feel uncomfortable about seeing her as sexy.

Am I over thinking this? Is it gender equality to have a ciswomen plan a transwomen?

I don't know about privilege, but I think I'm luckier than my sister (she is trans) because I'm not- we both are unluckier than a lot of world for being women, but I think I face a whole lot less discrimination for being cis than my sister does.

1. Using the concept of privilege to hide power structures. The White West uses military violence to fund miltary coups, interfere in elections and invade countries to control their telecommunications and dominate global media. This is power, privilege and control in the services of white supremacy to control most of the rest of the world - the majority.

There is no global system that is set up with explicit purpose of exploiting trans people. They are less than one percent of the world. Why bother? The gender system exists to exploit females. It is highly lucrative. Trans people, whether male or female are hugely oppressed by a system enforced to exploit women as a sex class based on the female body. We are not privileged by a system of gender that has our exploitation as its goal.

Honestly Kim, your poor me stance gets rather wearing.

Kim you spend most of your time on MN complaining how hard done by you are. And you routinely deny the oppression women experience. No I don't see women here doing that.

On the changing rooms thread, when talking about how women have privilege. And that is just today.

I am surprised that you have defended RadFem 13.

I was there. It was a good event with some good speakers.

Do you take part in any other forums where radical feminists and Trans peopel talk together?

Hazchem - you said you couldn't find much about Carlotta's involvement with the film about her life - well here you go:
www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/jessica-marais-steps-into-carlottas-big-shoes/story-e6frfmyi-1226637880852

and from Wiki on Carlotta:
Currently and 2014 Feature Film
Carlotta is currently touring Australia with her "Carlotta: Live and Intimate", a one woman show that regularly features all sorts of events and premieres like Sydney's Mardi Gras. In 2013, she became involved with the ABC as a co-producer and consultant on a TV movie project, which is based on her life that will air in 2014. Actress Jessica Marais will portray Carlotta in the telefilm.

Both indicate that she was pretty heavily involved.

Who are these mythical women bending over backwards to defend transwomen but not lesbians? I've never met any. And I'm 51 and have been tediously right-on since about 1982.

motherinferior - Are you a lesbian? I only ask because I have certainly met them. And I would be surprised at any lesbian involved in feminism who hasn't.

Hi Kim. Yes, I have a lot of privilege because I am whiteand British.

No, I'm not a lesbian (I tried but wasn't very good at it). I've just met lots more transphobes than homophobes.

"Almondcake"

"Your notion that Western media is only viewed by Western women is a reflection of your Western privilege."
In fact just in case you didn't read it this is when I first mentioned my prividlge

"Or I'm trying to challenge how I see the world because I come from a position of privilege in some area but at the same time feel the system is becoming harder and harder to be within."

So You know I might have grown up in a western world and I don;t fully understand the broadcasting/media saturation in non western countries. I'm aware that my world view is limited by how I have experienced the world. That is why I am asking the questions. Because I don't know. I want to understand better, I want to not be part of the problem. How else would I find out these thing without question. Please stop acting as 'm a mean nasty person hell bent on the oppression of women because I'm to stupid to see ;m part of an oppressed group.

well I think the way we talk about human rights are a bit bollocks actually because most of the things we we equate with human rights were written by a group of western men.

I'm not play oppression olympics, nor have equated pregnancy and womenhood because that is rubbish. I'm simply stating that I think that trans women (in this case) have less access to the institutions within society. I am not saying that women are holding privileged over or oppressing transwomen I am saying because I women born women do not have to face the same problems that transwomen do and lots of those problems are because society as a hold is not set up to deal with fluidity of gender.

I can't see where I have talked about using privilege to hide power structures.

My concern in this post has always been

1. Is casting a women born women in the main because it is more acceptable for men to find her sexy
2. is casting a women born women in a transrole a blow for trans women's exposure because there is so little of it in Australian TV.
   My second point is the part I worry about because I'm not sure if a) having a women born women play a transwomen is the sort of recognition that trans people are asking for and b) is just having the show enough.

These points are either so dull no one wants to think about them or so offensive to all women they have largely been ignored.

I used privilege as I have explained many times to talk about the fact I might be missing the bigger picture. What a dreadful arrogant and ignorant person I must be for want to explore this issue from others points of view.

hazchem, I suspect finding a good Trans actor is challenging. So producers are left with the choice to cast a woman or a man. Since the dominant view is that "trans women are women", it makes sense to cast a woman.