The problematic history of trans characters on screen is laid out in Netflix's 'Disclosure'

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The problematic history of trans characters on screen is laid out in Netflix's 'Disclosure'
Netflix
  • Netflix's new documentary "Disclosure" focuses on the troubled history of transgender representation in film and television.
  • Starring prominent figures like Laverne Cox and "Pose" star MJ Rodriguez, "Disclosure" unpacks how transphobic myths in media have been harmful to trans people.
  • "'Disclosure' came to life so beautifully because trans people were at the centre of production," director Sam Feder told Deadline. "Over 150 trans people were involved, from early research through distribution."
  • Netflix will release its latest documentary on June 19, right in time for Pride month.
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From "The Silence of the Lambs" to "The L Word" to "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective," trans characters have been something of a mainstay in TV and movies.

But, for the most part, the way they have been portrayed has been inaccurate, or even offensive.

That problematic history is laid bare in a new documentary "Disclosure," that hits Netflix on Friday, June 19.

Executive produced by award-winning actress and trans activist Laverne Cox and directed by Sam Feder, the film stars a number of prominent trans actors, directors, and advocates including "Pose" star MJ Rodriguez and director Lilly Wachowski.

"I think for a very long time, the ways in which trans people have been represented on screen have suggested that we're not real, have suggested that we're mentally ill, that we won't exist," Cox said in a trailer for the movie.

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"And yet here I am. Yet here we are, and we've always been here. I never thought I'd live in a world where trans people would be celebrated. On or off the screen."

Delving into a myriad of films, "Disclosure" airs a much-needed conversation on the transphobic myths in media have leaked into our everyday understanding of trans people.

And there is no shortage of shows or films that have incorporated trans characters.

The problematic history of trans characters on screen is laid out in Netflix's 'Disclosure'
Directed by Adam Shankman.New Line Cinema/Entertainment Film Distributors

The movie looks at more than 50, including some positive portrayals, including "The Jeffersons," "How I Met Your Mother," "Degrassi," "Billions," "Grey's Anatomy," "Sex And The City," "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," "Hairspray," "Transparent."

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Some are good ("Yentl," "Pose"), and many are incredibly damaging ("Psycho," "Buffalo Bill," "Silence Of The Lambs").

"'Disclosure' came to life so beautifully because trans people were at the center of production," director Sam Feder told Deadline. "Over 150 trans people were involved, from early research through distribution."

Netflix said in a statement that the documentary "shows how what once captured the American imagination now elicit new feelings, [and] provokes a startling revolution in how we see and understand trans people."

Read More:

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