Andrea James

‘Gender Revolution’ is all about trans people, but it’s made for a cis audience

This program is titled, “Gender Revolution,” and I don’t think you will find a more detailed exploration of intersex, gender non-conforming/non-binary and, yes, trans Americans than in the 88 minute documentary produced by National Geographic in conjunction with Couric’s team and World of Wonder productions. You might say I am biased because I got to see this before most of you did.

[…] And to those who argue or complain that the producers did not recruit openly trans people to work on the editorial or production teams, there is this: one transgender woman has stepped forward to identify herself as a consulting producer on the show. Andrea James is a transgender pioneer who grew up in Indiana, transitioned 20 years ago, and has written, directed, produced and advised several Hollywood productions. She is also an activist and achieved fame with a controversial “how to” video guide to passing and living “deep stealth.” But with the exception of James, this production, unlike “Her Story” and “Transparent,” was most definitely not something made by us.

But it bears repeating: it’s also true that this film was not made for us.

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