The Tribeca Film festival has announced it’s 2010 lineup of films and “Ticked-Off Trannies With Knives” is among them.
“When a group of transgender women are violently beaten and left for dead, the violated vixens turn deadly divas in this hilariously campy homage to the exploitation films of the ’70s and ’80s (“Transploitation,” anyone?). Loaded with bodacious bods and extreme violence, this revenge fantasy proves that it takes more than balls to get even.”
And guess what, it’s billed as a COMEDY! Nothing is more hilarious than transwomens deaths! This movie is offensive on so many levels. Not only does the director, Israel Luna, make jokes on the back of hate crimes victims, he portrays transgender women as campy drag queens. Gina over at Skip The Makeup frames this perfectly:
“It just reminds me how gay men have a special insight into the world of trans women since, you know, trans women are really just, *wink wink* gay men, *cough-cough* in, ladies, um, drag. Gay men understand that drag is what makes the delusion of ‘transgenders’ actually believing they’re women all the more tolerable. Without the ability to gob on lots of makeup, wear ugly clothes no woman would ever wear and act campy, trans women would really be A DRAG.”
In the Dallas Voice Luna said of the use of transgender people:
“I didn’t want to write about a male gay bashing victim. That’s a story we’ve seen all too often, and I wanted to do something more modern and I thought ‘Whose story do you never see on the news these days?’ It’s not gay men—it’s transgenders.”
Luna’s experience as a male escort would give a movie about gay prostitutes being bashed a real world edge. But he didn’t want to do a drama, he wanted to do a comedy. A comedy about Matthew Shepard coming back from the grave and eating their brains wouldn’t be seen as funny or acceptable as this film. He used transgender people because it’s still acceptable to do so. Imagine the following:
“Pissed-Off Ni***rs With Glocks”
“Zombie Nelly F*****s with Knives”
“Mad K****s With Flame Throwers”
None of these films would ever make it into production, yet this film did. The portrayal of transwomen in this movie is nothing short of blackface. Yet Luna is not apologetic at all about this. In a recent recent Queerty post he said:
“He sought to make an entertaining, marketable movie rather an accurate depiction of transgender people that would speaks for the entire community. Anyone who begrudges him for not taking the opportunity to make such a film, he says, should make one themselves.”
Luna’s unapologetic behavior isn’t surprising, considering his entire body of work. But the fact that the Tribeca Film Festival is sanctioning this kind of transphobic trash is appalling. Please ask them via the comment section of their site to remove this movie, and send an email to GLAAD asking them to call for a boycott of Tribeca until they do so.
Portia, this isn't a unreleased Star Wars flick, it's not as if there aren't copies of the film going around. Some of us have seen the movie and I think there are some obvious points here that even someone that hasn't seen the film can KNOW for sure and OBJECT TO.
1. Using our dead to promote this film (ie. the trailer) is objectionable and sickening.
2. The word Trannie/Tranny is a pajoritve term used to dehumanize and objectify trans-people
3. The visuals used to promote the film promote violent stereotypes that get transwomen MURDERED. Need proof?
From Popeater.com
“They would'nt have to be worried about getting hurt if they did'nt misrepresent themselves as real women to straight men. These freaks are predators just like any other pervert.”
“I'm sorry but these people are freaks and should all be colonized somewhere like lepers.”
“The most appropriate phrase here is 'Grotesque and disgusting.' That totally deacribes 'transgender women.' Women they ain't! They're poopchute bio-evolutionary misfires that naturally died off for millions of years of evolution until our 'enlightened' society, for the good and health of the human species! Take a pack of wolves that kills a punk cur and show me they went to church.”
I can go on if you like, but I think that's more than enough. Even Luna thinks the 1st one is correct as he's pulling the trailer down.
So much for your apologist rant. Let me guess, you're in this film or involved with it?
Have any of you who are so vehemently opposed to the movie, including the writes of this post, actually seen the movie?
If not, I find both this post and the comments to be along the lines of people wanting to be offended, when they haven't even seen what they are offended by.
Don't you think the title alone might have raised a few alarm bells that some in the community they wanted to portray in a positive light just *might* not do so? Do you think they would show a film called, oh, 'Queers are Subhuman'?
“Whoa Kathy, don’t mess with Texas.”
Don’t start nothing, won’t be nothing…………..
“Whoa Kathy, don’t mess with Texas.”
Don’t start nothing, won’t be nothing…………..
Whoa Kathy, don’t mess with Texas. Dallas is a bright star of equality in a sea of blue. Dallas, Austin, Fort Worth and Houston have transprotective ordinances and there are many trans people like myself who live in the warm embrace of southern charm and we are proud of Texas.
Most of it anyways ;/
As we all know there is no accounting for everyone so please before you condemn us all as knuckle dragging nethanderals or highly delusional gay cinematographers, take the time to visit our wonderful city and state. You may come away with a different perspective.
You can even enter a contest to stay free for three days over Easter!
http://www.glbtdallas.com/agreement_easter.php
Dallas Live Large. Think Big!
Well Kelli,
I don’t think Kathy’s thoughts were directed solely at the Texas state, but only reference it because that is where this disgusting concept originated. The points she makes about Gay men portraying the Tran-Gender community and using the hardships of people like myself who have lived through what they are filming in order to make money is very well said.
I’m sure Texas is a nice place, but Kathy’s thoughts and words are dead on. It’s sad that it seems one needs to actually be a Transsexual to understand what’s going on here.
Whoa Kathy, don’t mess with Texas. Dallas is a bright star of equality in a sea of blue. Dallas, Austin, Fort Worth and Houston have transprotective ordinances and there are many trans people like myself who live in the warm embrace of southern charm and we are proud of Texas.
Most of it anyways ;/
As we all know there is no accounting for everyone so please before you condemn us all as knuckle dragging nethanderals or highly delusional gay cinematographers, take the time to visit our wonderful city and state. You may come away with a different perspective.
You can even enter a contest to stay free for three days over Easter!
http://www.glbtdallas.com/agreement_easter.php
Dallas Live Large. Think Big!
Well Kelli,
I don’t think Kathy’s thoughts were directed solely at the Texas state, but only reference it because that is where this disgusting concept originated. The points she makes about Gay men portraying the Tran-Gender community and using the hardships of people like myself who have lived through what they are filming in order to make money is very well said.
I’m sure Texas is a nice place, but Kathy’s thoughts and words are dead on. It’s sad that it seems one needs to actually be a Transsexual to understand what’s going on here.
“Film festivals screen film…period. If every film festival that screened a controversial film,”
This would be true if gay men never oppossed films and other media that presented offensive depictions of gay men. Clearly – they do. There’s whole advocacy groups gay men have set up & funded to address offensive media portrayals of…..gay men.
“This film was directed by a Dallas gay independent film maker and stars, for the most part, the epitome of over-the top Dallas drag queens”
Then make it a film about gay men. I agree that no one expects cutting edge culture from Texas nor do they expect progressive thinking. That’s why we challenge shit that happens there to the community so very often.
But don’t use the deaths of trans women to market a film that denigrates them. None of the people involved in this considered the people effected or their families. They thought trans women were jokes that they could make some cash off of. Really tired, really old jokes that say a lot about gay mens transpohobia & misogyny. None of them is going to have to go to a job interview after someone see’s the film, the youtube clips or even some pics. None of them is going to have to walk down a dark street with some drunk ass yahoos who saw they film and think we’re less than human.
What did I expect? I’ll admit I didn’t expect much from either Texas or the prostitutes who made the film. They’ld sell anything for a few bucks.
But – what did they expect? That we’ld like it? That we’ld roll over and just accept their ofensive lies about our lives?
Even they can’t be that stupid.
“Film festivals screen film…period. If every film festival that screened a controversial film,”
This would be true if gay men never oppossed films and other media that presented offensive depictions of gay men. Clearly – they do. There’s whole advocacy groups gay men have set up & funded to address offensive media portrayals of…..gay men.
“This film was directed by a Dallas gay independent film maker and stars, for the most part, the epitome of over-the top Dallas drag queens”
Then make it a film about gay men. I agree that no one expects cutting edge culture from Texas nor do they expect progressive thinking. That’s why we challenge shit that happens there to the community so very often.
But don’t use the deaths of trans women to market a film that denigrates them. None of the people involved in this considered the people effected or their families. They thought trans women were jokes that they could make some cash off of. Really tired, really old jokes that say a lot about gay mens transpohobia & misogyny. None of them is going to have to go to a job interview after someone see’s the film, the youtube clips or even some pics. None of them is going to have to walk down a dark street with some drunk ass yahoos who saw they film and think we’re less than human.
What did I expect? I’ll admit I didn’t expect much from either Texas or the prostitutes who made the film. They’ld sell anything for a few bucks.
But – what did they expect? That we’ld like it? That we’ld roll over and just accept their ofensive lies about our lives?
Even they can’t be that stupid.
What has the Tribeca Film Festival got to do with this? Film festivals screen film…period. If every film festival that screened a controversial film, based on either title or content, was slammed there would be any film festivals at all.
This film was directed by a Dallas gay independent film maker and stars, for the most part, the epitome of over-the top Dallas drag queens. Shouldn’t any outrage be aimed at them? If there is so much outrage, why doesn’t Kelli Busey organize a boycott of the Rose Room?
This was a Dallas based gay film starring Dallas based drag queen trannies…what’d ya expect?
What has the Tribeca Film Festival got to do with this? Film festivals screen film…period. If every film festival that screened a controversial film, based on either title or content, was slammed there would be any film festivals at all.
This film was directed by a Dallas gay independent film maker and stars, for the most part, the epitome of over-the top Dallas drag queens. Shouldn’t any outrage be aimed at them? If there is so much outrage, why doesn’t Kelli Busey organize a boycott of the Rose Room?
This was a Dallas based gay film starring Dallas based drag queen trannies…what’d ya expect?
My name is Stephanie…
Myself living as a Male-to-Female Transsexual for over 7 years and having dealt with everything a Bi-Polar | Duel Sexed | Gender-Defined World can possibly throw at me as well as being a victim of a Hate Crime and Bashing and living through it. I feel this is just another pathetic display of Gay Men whom dress in Drag in order to portray something they know nothing about.
If this knuckle-head director, Israel Luna would pull his head out his butt he may be able to fully realize that creating a film that exploits people in no way improves the outlook of a that which society relates too, but rather casts shame, misunderstanding and a senseless display of a lifestyle that only confuses the general population whom is already confused about Transsexualism.
Maybe this is all just a pathetic attempt of a Gay-Prostitute trying to deal with whatever mixed up feelings he has about his past. It is absolutely disgusting to see this actually play out. The entire cast and crew as well as everyone whom has been involved with the making of this film should be ashamed.
For some of us; having had to deal with the horror’s of having been beaten and/or nearly killed for no other reason then the fact that we existed should not be portrayed as a joke. If you have any decency and would like to create awareness for the TransGender population, make a film that reflects the real life issues we struggle with rather than presenting Transgender Individuals as a Joke. That too has also been done and re-done…
Get a frick’n clue
My name is Stephanie…
Myself living as a Male-to-Female Transsexual for over 7 years and having dealt with everything a Bi-Polar | Duel Sexed | Gender-Defined World can possibly throw at me as well as being a victim of a Hate Crime and Bashing and living through it. I feel this is just another pathetic display of Gay Men whom dress in Drag in order to portray something they know nothing about.
If this knuckle-head director, Israel Luna would pull his head out his butt he may be able to fully realize that creating a film that exploits people in no way improves the outlook of a that which society relates too, but rather casts shame, misunderstanding and a senseless display of a lifestyle that only confuses the general population whom is already confused about Transsexualism.
Maybe this is all just a pathetic attempt of a Gay-Prostitute trying to deal with whatever mixed up feelings he has about his past. It is absolutely disgusting to see this actually play out. The entire cast and crew as well as everyone whom has been involved with the making of this film should be ashamed.
For some of us; having had to deal with the horror’s of having been beaten and/or nearly killed for no other reason then the fact that we existed should not be portrayed as a joke. If you have any decency and would like to create awareness for the TransGender population, make a film that reflects the real life issues we struggle with rather than presenting Transgender Individuals as a Joke. That too has also been done and re-done…
Get a frick’n clue
I just sent emails to both GLAAD and Tammie Rosen at Tribeca.
Please do the same.
Thank you Marti for posting this, thank you Kelli for bringing this to light and your great points of argument in the Queerty blog and thank you Kathy for all your research!
I just sent emails to both GLAAD and Tammie Rosen at Tribeca.
Please do the same.
Thank you Marti for posting this, thank you Kelli for bringing this to light and your great points of argument in the Queerty blog and thank you Kathy for all your research!
That said, it’s hard not to have some sympathy for an aging rent boy who can no longer find customers for his dubious charms. Did some former customer take putty and support the production as a charitable deduction? Did involvement in this project influence the Dallas Voice’s editorial policy on considering “tranny” a slur? Did he ever purchase ads there for his “business” & if so – what was the nature of his payment?
These would make interesting points in a film treatment. Or just an article by the Dallas straight press.
That said, it’s hard not to have some sympathy for an aging rent boy who can no longer find customers for his dubious charms. Did some former customer take putty and support the production as a charitable deduction? Did involvement in this project influence the Dallas Voice’s editorial policy on considering “tranny” a slur? Did he ever purchase ads there for his “business” & if so – what was the nature of his payment?
These would make interesting points in a film treatment. Or just an article by the Dallas straight press.
Dallas Transgender Advocates and Allies
Demand Tribeca Film Festival removes ‘Ticked Off Trannys with Knifes’
Tribeca Film Festival contact
Tammie Rosen at (212) 941-2003
trosen@tribecaenterprises.com
http://dallastaa.ning.com/events/demand-tribeca-film-festival
Dallas Transgender Advocates and Allies
Demand Tribeca Film Festival removes ‘Ticked Off Trannys with Knifes’
Tribeca Film Festival contact
Tammie Rosen at (212) 941-2003
trosen@tribecaenterprises.com
http://dallastaa.ning.com/events/demand-tribeca-film-festival
Dallas Transgender Advocates and Allies
Demand Tribeca Film Festival removes ‘Ticked Off Trannys with Knifes’
Tribeca Film Festival contact
Tammie Rosen at (212) 941-2003
trosen@tribecaenterprises.com
http://dallastaa.ning.com/events/demand-tribeca-film-festival
Dallas Transgender Advocates and Allies
Demand Tribeca Film Festival removes ‘Ticked Off Trannys with Knifes’
Tribeca Film Festival contact
Tammie Rosen at (212) 941-2003
trosen@tribecaenterprises.com
http://dallastaa.ning.com/events/demand-tribeca-film-festival
They have a Facebook Fan page that lowers themselves even further as they are looking for “hot bods” and exhibitionists to help them raise funds for their travel costs to the Festival.
The Transgender Community faces marginalization from all over, including these arrogant people within the LGBT Community. Marginalization such as this film only furthers the stereotypical ideology that our detractors use against us in the legislation that is important to our lives and our rights.
This is the type of transphobia that people think is humorous without a thought of the damage it does to the Transgender Community. It is so sad that we must channel needless energies fighting marginalization from within what we think is Community, rather than towards our detractors who are trying to keep us from acheiving Equality.
Robyn Carolyn Montague
TransHaven Missouri, Inc.
They have a Facebook Fan page that lowers themselves even further as they are looking for “hot bods” and exhibitionists to help them raise funds for their travel costs to the Festival.
The Transgender Community faces marginalization from all over, including these arrogant people within the LGBT Community. Marginalization such as this film only furthers the stereotypical ideology that our detractors use against us in the legislation that is important to our lives and our rights.
This is the type of transphobia that people think is humorous without a thought of the damage it does to the Transgender Community. It is so sad that we must channel needless energies fighting marginalization from within what we think is Community, rather than towards our detractors who are trying to keep us from acheiving Equality.
Robyn Carolyn Montague
TransHaven Missouri, Inc.
Actually I’m pretty sure that Pissed Off Niggers With Glocks is a pretty well established staple of action cinema, maybe a little bit on the wane these days but probably because of how thoroughly it dominated cinema from the 70s through the 90s.
Also, some transgender women are camp and queeny (I’m thinking in part about my own history here, as well as the identities and presentations of a few people I know).
There are however clearly major issues with some gay bloke using trans people screen for projecting a gay culture stereotype comedy onto. Attack of the Killer Trannies produced by trans people for their (our) own ends (as a bunch of in jokes, an outing for missing heroic characters that trans people producing it might aspire to or identify with, or whatever) might have a chance at not just being an attempt to misrepresent a bunch of people and blur identity definitions for the entertainment of non-trans people. It’s a shame that writers are this stupid some times and that there’s so little to be done about it.
Actually I’m pretty sure that Pissed Off Niggers With Glocks is a pretty well established staple of action cinema, maybe a little bit on the wane these days but probably because of how thoroughly it dominated cinema from the 70s through the 90s.
Also, some transgender women are camp and queeny (I’m thinking in part about my own history here, as well as the identities and presentations of a few people I know).
There are however clearly major issues with some gay bloke using trans people screen for projecting a gay culture stereotype comedy onto. Attack of the Killer Trannies produced by trans people for their (our) own ends (as a bunch of in jokes, an outing for missing heroic characters that trans people producing it might aspire to or identify with, or whatever) might have a chance at not just being an attempt to misrepresent a bunch of people and blur identity definitions for the entertainment of non-trans people. It’s a shame that writers are this stupid some times and that there’s so little to be done about it.
There’s a facebook group for those who wish to protest the movie:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=106926329329724&ref=ts
The director has been using the fact that the majority of the queer community isn’t offended by the movie as its justification – let’s show him he’s wrong!
This is pathetic. I haven’t heard of anything so stupid in my life. Not all transwomen are even attracted to men! I know several that are genuinely into other women and wish to dear godess they had never been born with the wrong body in the first place. I suppose this means that all Transmen are just dykes? I guess you’d have some very ticked off transguys out there if you targeted them the same way. Funny, we keep expecting the straight world to give us our proper respect and we can’t even get it from our OWN community. I never like to wish bad on anyone but in this case, I sincerely hope the movie is a flop of major proportions. Maybe then he’ll get the message that trashing one part of the community makes us ALL look bad.
Another Transgender advocate.
Maison MacAeron
There’s a facebook group for those who wish to protest the movie:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=106926329329724&ref=ts
The director has been using the fact that the majority of the queer community isn’t offended by the movie as its justification – let’s show him he’s wrong!
This is pathetic. I haven’t heard of anything so stupid in my life. Not all transwomen are even attracted to men! I know several that are genuinely into other women and wish to dear godess they had never been born with the wrong body in the first place. I suppose this means that all Transmen are just dykes? I guess you’d have some very ticked off transguys out there if you targeted them the same way. Funny, we keep expecting the straight world to give us our proper respect and we can’t even get it from our OWN community. I never like to wish bad on anyone but in this case, I sincerely hope the movie is a flop of major proportions. Maybe then he’ll get the message that trashing one part of the community makes us ALL look bad.
Another Transgender advocate.
Maison MacAeron