PROTEST AGAINST TRANS FILM

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance against Defamation (GLAAD) is protesting the screening of a film called Ticked-Off Trannies with Knives at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York.

According to GLAAD, the film “misrepresent the lives of transgender women and use grotesque, exploitative depictions of violence against transgender women in ways that make light of the horrific brutality they all too often face”.

The film, by writer/director Israel Luna, is intended to be a “hilariously campy homage to the exploitation films of the ’70s and ’80s”. It follows a group of ‘trans’ characters who are brutally attacked and then seek gruesome revenge against their transgressors.

GLAAD has slammed the filmmakers for using the word “trannies”, a pejorative term for transgender people, in the title of the movie and claimed that they irresponsibly use anti-LGBT hate crimes as a “hook” for the film.

It also said that “viewers unfamiliar with the lives of transgender women will likely leave this film with the impression that transgender women are ridiculous caricatures of ‘real women.’

“It demeans actual transgender women who struggle for acceptance and respect in their day-to-day lives and to be valued for their contributions to our society.”

The Tribeca Film Festival, in turn, accused GLAAD of hypocrisy, claiming that the organisation had seen the film in February and was initially supportive of the movie.

Krystal Summers, one of the transgender stars of the film, issued a statement in response to GLAAD’s position:

“Our film does not promote hate or violence against transgender women. It is not a documentary, but a work of fiction and a revenge fantasy. I would never partake in a project that made light of the appalling acts of hate that we, as transgender women, encounter nearly every day.”

The film festival added that it is “proud of its ongoing commitment to bring diverse voices and stories to its audiences” and would go ahead with the screening next month.

View the trailer for Ticked-Off Trannies with Knives below and tell us what you think.