#transgender comedy

I was checking the Spotify stats for my transgender comedy album and noticed some interesting data. This sample size is pretty tiny, but made me so happy to see 7% of the people who checked out Confessions From My New Vagina were non-binary. 

Even more heartwarming is the non-binary representation in the 28-59 categories. I see so much bigotry thrown at the non-binary community as being a “fad” for young people. Absolutely wrong. Trans & non-binary people exist throughout all age groups. Erasure of non-binary adults is not only cruel, it’s woefully inaccurate.

Non-binary people and the broader trans community deserve to see themselves represented in popular culture. I’m not non-binary myself, but I’m so grateful that non-binary people are giving my work a chance. In this broader cultural awakening of LGBTQ awareness, it is so important that our youth have content that validate who they are. I’m tired of cis-het takes on our experiences. 

You can check out my special on all major music streaming services. Thank you.

Spotify

Apple Music

Amazon Music

Update: 8/15/2021 (24 hours after intial tumblr post)

Sample size has grown quite a bit, but numbers of non-binary listeners is holding steady. 

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX67oK9WZNw)

“The Switch” – a new TV sitcom from creator Amy Fox, who also co-stars in it – is about being true to who your heart tells you that you are… even if your biology and anatomy are a little at odds on the issue.

In other words, to quote the great creator of Looney Tunes cartoons, Chuck Jones:

“Pronoun Trouble!”

The show, which bills itself as the world’s first transgender sitcom, follows Sü, an American who relocates to Vancouver to start life over in a new gender identity. Nyla Rose plays Sü with great warmth, joie de vie, and no fear of pratfalls. It’s a workplace comedy that is genuinely funny and cleverly written.

And, I will admit, the first episode left a tear in my eye at the end.

By the way, the predominantly transgender cast features all trans roles played by trans actors.

The first six episodes became available in the US – and most English-speaking countries -- via Amazon and iTunes – on August 15. If you enjoy a splash of diversity in your comedy, I recommend “The Switch.”

I wanted to do a bit on J.K. Rowling for a very simple reason. Cis people can have a hard time understanding just exactly what it is about Rowling’s repeated comments that upsets trans people. There’s a lot to pick from, but her 3,700 diatribe certainly doesn’t make things easy. How many average people are actually going to read that.

Instead, I focused on a much more run of the mill bit of transphobia.

“Sleep with any consenting adult who’ll have you”

Think of the implications of that kind of “advice.” Imagine saying that to any person, for any reason other than transphobia.

Your roommate goes out for a Tinder date. Do you say “have a nice time” or do you say “sleep with any consenting adult who’ll have you?”

SLEEP WITH VERY VERY VERY FEW OF THE CONSENTING ADULTS WHO’LL HAVE YOU

I can’t speak for the broader trans feminine population at large, but I’ll say this. It was never very hard at any point in my life or my transition to find men for a quickie. Even pre-HRT when I had no self-esteem, pretty damn easy to get stuffed when you want to.

Now, Rowling obviously thinks of trans women as men, but her point is so dehumanizingly offensive.

There are a lot of beautiful trans people out there, people with so much to bring to relationships, both casual and long team. Reducing us to “who’ll have you” frames trans people in a position of needing to beg for simple human intimacy.

You are worthy of love. You deserve to have relationships on equal footings. You don’t need to settle for “any consenting adult who’ll have you.” Settle for more.

Happy Birthday to Amy Fox, creator, showrunner and co-star of TV’s first transgender sitcom, "The Switch"! 2017 VIDEO INTERVIEW

“The Switch” – a new TV sitcom from creator Amy Fox, who also co-stars in it – is about being true to who your heart tells you that you are… even if your biology and anatomy are a little at odds on the issue.

In other words, to quote the great creator of Looney Tunes cartoons, Chuck Jones:

“Pronoun Trouble!”

The show, which bills itself as the world’s first transgender sitcom, follows Sü, an American who relocates to Vancouver to start life over in a new gender identity. Nyla Rose plays Sü with great warmth, joie de vie, and no fear of pratfalls. It’s a workplace comedy that is genuinely funny and cleverly written.

And, I will admit, the first episode left a tear in my eye at the end.

By the way, the predominantly transgender cast features all trans roles played by trans actors.

The first six episodes became available in the US – and most English-speaking countries -- via Amazon and iTunes – on August 15. If you enjoy a splash of diversity in your comedy, I recommend “The Switch.”

https://mrmedia.com/2017/10/1326-switch-turns-transgender-blues-tv-sitcom-video-interview/

Sharing this here, as I know of a few people it might be of interest to.

The Switch - a Fantastic Transgender Comedy Kickstarter

Meet Sü. Last week she was an upwardly-mobile software manager, at a place where her coworkers all knew her as Erwin. Life was normal enough and good enough. When Sü came out as a transsexual, she promptly lost her job. Her apartment followed.

Sü called in whatever favors she could, and that’s where our first episode leaves her: an out transsexual, unemployed and sleeping on her ex's couch at the unfashionable bottom of the rabbit hole that is the East Vancouver Queer Underground. Thrown into a world of marginal living, social inequity and quasi-legal employment, will she claw her way back to her old status? Or, to her horror, will she adapt and thrive?

About the team

At the helm of Trembling Void Studios is Amy Fox. She’s bringing multiple talents to The Switch, as a writer, producer, and actress. The season writing team is further comprised of Corey Essen, Vanessa Tara, Ryan Elias, Susan Chiv, and Shevon Singh, with the original script by Amy Fox and Elizabeth Marston. The production team is rounded out by Hannah Gordon and Jack Fox.

About half of the team members are trans*-identified themselves. The show’s content is often irreverent and quirky, but it’s born from intimate awareness and lived experience. The folks working behind the scenes share a lot in common with the characters in the show: a group populated by queers, activists, trans* individuals, kinksters, weirdos, and East Van rabble-rousers.

You’ll be able to read more about the team at Trembling Void Studios in an upcoming project update, or you can follow the link here.