In the podcast, we talk a lot about "visibility," which has two valences. We are often talking about literal visibility, meaning the increasing representation of trans people on television and film, and coverage of trans issues in the news. Visibility also refers to an approach to political change that prioritizes formal legal equality and anti-discrimination legislation, often utilizing a “we’re just like you” approach in order to secure such rights.
Learn what Diamond, Rickke, LaSaia, and Dean each have to say about the problems of trans visibility.
LaSaia Wade describes the racism inherent in a politics of assimilation into dominant culture.
Rickke Mananzala describes the danger of single issue “equality” politics, and his hope that trans movements take a more capacious, intersectional path than the narrow focus of the LGBT rights movement.
Diamond Stylz, in conversation with Carter Brown, describes how despite the success of shows like Pose, media visibility does not translate into increased safety or access to housing, employment, or freedom from discrimination for trans people.
Dean Spade describes the mainstreaming of trans issues over the last 20 years, and the danger of replicating the LGBT movements' narrow focus on formal legal equality.
Want to learn more?
Books
- Trap Door: trans cultural production and the politics of visibility, eds. Reina Gossett, Eric A. Stanley, and Johanna Burton
- Gay, Inc.: The Non-Profitization of Queer Politics, by Myrl Beam
- Invisible Lives, by Viviane Namaste
- Terrorizing Gender: Transgender Visibility and the Surveillance Practices of the U.S. Security State, by Mia Fischer
Articles
- "The internet made trans people visible. It also left them more vulnerable," by Katelyn Burns
- "The Politics of Visibility," by Eunsong Kim
- "Capital T: Trans Visibility, Corporate Capitalism, and Commodity Culture," by Emmanuel David
