DVtv correspondent Brent Paxton has had some technical difficulties over the last few days, but better late than never, right? Paxton attended a protest this weekend outside the Rose Marine Theater in Fort Worth, where Israel Luna’s “Ticked-Off Tr@nnies With Knives” was screened during Q Cinema. (The controversial film took top honors at the festival.) In an effort to give voices to all sides in the debate, Paxton braved 100-degree heat to try to find out why those who oppose the film are so darn ticked off. Take a look.
10 Comments
Let’s start a discussion on here. What do you think about the film TOTWK? Is it a good or bad thing for the community…OR is it JUST ENTERTAINMENT? Post your comments here or on the YouTube video!
Which community are you referring to?
Within the first 45 secs, Ms Curry talks about the name of murdered transgenders being used in the promotion of the film, so I’d like to know why they used those same names on the sidewalk, written in chalk, outside of the theater this weekend.
I found that to be totally disrespectful and after all the BS they’ve said, like bringing up 166 deaths since the movies release, and I’m 100% appalled that the protesters had the nerve to do the EXACT shame thing they are bitching about. They used the names of those transgenders to push a point that makes no sense what so ever.
They have lost every once of credibility in my eyes.
I enjoyed the movie and I think the end sums it up when Pinky asked “Do you know what the difference is between us and them?” …..Her response….”Nothing.” We’re all part of the same community.
Same here M-B. Pure old hypocrisy…that’s all it is.
I haven’t looked at the clip yet. Does the reporter interview any of the transgendered people that watched the movie? There were more transgendered women inside than there was outside.
@ TORI No interviews as of now with the audience inside. We had to pack up before the show was over. Great idea. I really wanted to protestors to get their side in since they expressed to me that they’ve felt “silenced in the past. I would love to do a video debate between people in the trans community on both sides!
M-B, great point. I think it’s important to add that the “trans community” is much like the gay community in that it has it’s own diversity. It could be argued that the trans/drag actors are portraying a part of the community that the protesters don’t identify with. They have a right to expression in the film and the protesters have a right to protest. I don’t think the mention of names was to be exploitative as much as reference as to why the movie was made. It’s an approach to the problem of real violence. It’s not poking fun at the trans community as much as using art to approach an issue. Comedy is often the most successful way to approach social issues, especially in film.
How can Angie’s name in a trailer be “promoting” a movie? It brings attention to the fact that…although this film is fiction, real violence against transgendered people is occurring all the time. Why can’t Luna use it to bring attention to real violence? These people are using it to promote their cause. Of course, many of us transgendered people can see that their “cause” is to try and get the credit for what Luna was already doing…bringing transgender violence to the movie goers. Luna did a much better job.
Also, since they haven’t seen the movie, how do they know the context in which Angie’s name was used…by watching a trailer? I saw the trailer last Friday and I wasn’t impressed at all. I was impressed with the movie, however.
We saw this kind of advocacy at the Fort Worth City Council meeting when they were discussing the Rainbow Lounge incident.
The last splice segmented me into a disjointed conversation stating “that’s the reaction I get from gay men”.
What you didn’t hear.
The interviewer had just asked me “What do you find most offensive, the tittle or the content of TO#WK”.
I answered him with a question, “What would you find more offensive about a movie called ‘F@ggots chained, dragged to death behind cars’? The name, the content or that I could could fill theaters with homophobes, institute discussions normalizing the word f@ggot after screenings, or my me saying gay people should be proud of the word “f@ggot” get over it and claim it?”
And whats wrong with a little body dragging as long as we can have a discussion about it?
The interviewer lost his affable smile, his features clouding with anger and the small space between us became became charged with tension. That’s when I said “That’s the reaction I get from gay men” because in a instant I had demolished his detached sense of security, I had made us mutual owners equally responsible for the letter “T” in “them transgender” and made this interview as personal to him as it was to me.
I would ask the Dallas Voice, you are the only ones to blur the word tra**y with an “@” to this point. You have long used the word “tra##y” to bait us on you blog. You claim a right to do so because you beleive there is nothing wrong with the word, it is empowering and we should “own it”.
You have admitted by your own actions by replacing the “a” with the symbol @ in Tra**y that you acknowledge that the transgender people find this word highly offensive yet you superciliously slap us in the face by inserting a symbol @ in the place of the letter a.
That is the same as me writing smugly about the movie ‘F@ggots chained dragged to death behind cars’ and feeling smugly justified in having blurred the letter a in faggot with @.
Gay Misogynists, I know you hate that I am an you face advocate for transgender dignity and respect, well thats tough. We did not ask for your hate. We could have lived longer and happier lives without you.
Israel Luna should know this. What you have done is an injustice that we will not forget or forgive. Wherever your movie goes there will be two or three transgender people out front, protesting and educating about it.
Where ever.
Kelli, thank you for commenting. I would be more than happy to post the entire unedited interview online so that everyone can see that there was no anger on my part. I was glad to help you get your point across. I treated all of you with respect and the video proves that fact. Thank you for joining the discussion.