On Film And In Books, Meaningful Explorations Of Gender Rise

Art fosters understanding. Watching others on screen or reading about their emotions in a book often leads us to insights we may not have gained through simple discussion.

As executive director of Black Public Media, Leslie Fields-Cruz knows this truth better than most. She has seen it proven again and again in the content presented by the nonprofit. And when something happened at BPM that shone a light on the need for education, it spurred the introduction of I am Who I Say I Am, a new series of three micro documentaries telling feel-good stories of gender affirmation that began premiering this month on Thursdays as a lead up to Transgender Awareness Week (November 13-19).

“The Be HEARD! project came about after an incident of misgendering in one of our workshops. We want all of our makers to feel welcome as their authentic selves, so the incident really resonated with my staff and me,” Fields-Cruz says. “We held an internal discussion led by one of our nonbinary staff members, about how BPM as an organization can do better to support the LGBTQIA+ community at our events and in our content. Eventually, we landed on using the Be HEARD! series as a way to explore gender issues.”

BPM notes that a Pew Research Center report found 73% of Americans know someone who uses gender-neutral pronouns, yet only 47% feel comfortable using those pronouns. It views the film series as one way (understanding through art) to help change that.

BPM partnered with Feral Films, which produced and directed the first Be HEARD! Series with BPM, and Sophia Clarke, a Black filmmaker who is part of the LGBTQIA+ community. “Such stories can lead to much needed conversations when viewed with family or friends,” notes Fields-Cruz.

Social media influencers and celebrities including Big Freedia, Eva Reign and the Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis have promoted the series, which shines a spotlight on joyful everyday experiences.

“When there are popular social issues in which Black representation is small and/or is only associated with trauma, organizations like BPM can step in to support media makers with their stories presenting the diversity of Black perspectives on these issues,” says Fields-Cruz.

Acclaimed young adult author Kacen Callender had a chance to do that with their recently released book Lark & Kasim Start a Revolution, which received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. The book’s protagonist, who is Black, queer, nonbinary and neurodivergent, is an aspiring writer. They discover some of the downsides of social media when an accidental post becomes a sensation, but even amid the exploration of heavy themes including bullying and identity, Callender shows moments of joy.

They say that’s critical when depicting trans teens. “Writing about laughter and joy is necessary, first because it’s realistic—there aren’t many human experiences that are all pain, all sadness, all oppression, every single day of the year. Second, it’s an important reminder to trans readers that we deserve laughter and joy, too, and deserve to have that happiness reflected in our stories,” they say.

Mason Deaver’s latest YA novel, The Feeling of Falling in Love, is a rom-com with a trans lead that plays on many classic romance tropes. In the acknowledgements at the end of the book, Deaver writes that the work is for “every trans person who ever believed that they didn’t deserve a love story.”

Celebrations of joy and love seem especially important, too, at a time when book banning is on the rise, and books about transgender teens have been a particular target. Robbing kids and adults of the opportunity to learn more about gender through art hurts people in the long run. Art can answer questions kids may feel too shy to ask. It can help them navigate things in their own lives.

Fields-Cruz has experienced the navigation aspect firsthand as a parent.

“When my child came out about their sexual orientation, it was important to me that they knew my love for them was unconditional. A few years later, when they announced they were nonbinary, I admit I didn’t fully understand what that meant. But if it was important to my child, then it was important that I educate myself,” she says. “So, following my child’s lead, I joined them at a day-long LGBTQIA+ student-led summit designed to educate and inform LGBTQIA+ allies and celebrate and affirm LGBTQIA+ youth.

“Much of what I learned that day helped to make me a better parent and a better ally. What I didn’t realize at the time, however, was that by letting my child lead the way to understanding who they are, by asking questions and by sometimes failing but always, always trying to use their preferred pronouns when speaking to them directly and about them to others, and by continuing to love and support them, I was participating in acts that helped affirm their gender and sexual orientation.”