Laughing While Trans
I’m Not Offended; I Just Want You To Do Better.
CW: T-Slur. Transphobia.
Trans People as Humor: Why Should I Care?
Listen Dave, Ricky: Do you want to hurt people? If the answer to that question is yes, then fuck you and good bye.
You don’t? Well, you are. Do you want to be a better person and not hurt people? Well, this is a pretty easy place to start.
Treat trans people like human beings.
I’m Invested Here
I have a personal stake in this. That is on more than one level.
The last time I was called a tranny (that wasn’t muttered behind my back) was when I was being introduced to a stage to perform stand-up comedy.
The host chanted “Tran-knee, tran-knee, tran-knee, tran-knee.” Why? I have no fucking idea. Maybe the liberal aphrodisiac of diversity on stage got the better of him.
I didn’t think it was funny. And I couldn’t tell if the audience did either. They certainly didn’t applaud or laugh too much except for when I got on stage.
But, I am a professional. So I got up there and did my set. I made fun of Nazis, myself, men who don’t wipe their ass, transphobic people, myself, politicians, and I think that was it. Oh and myself. No punching down. That’s kind of a rule I have. Not everyone has that rule. I sometimes mistake sideways for up. It’s not a perfect world.
I am aware that some people might have thought the tranny thing was funny. I don’t. But I’m also not offended at the word. I’m offended at how fucking lazy it is.
Trans Jokes are Now On Par with Airline Food
When Ace Ventura: Pet Detective came out, did you think it was funny that Finkle was Einhorn? That nearly everyone vomited at the thought of having sex with a trans woman? It was not played for drama but laughs. And, again, when Family Guy pulled a similar story-line. And….Kevin Smith’s Clerks with the “chicks with dicks” joke. I’ve seen the joke before. We all have. “Trans women are men. Get it. Ha ha ha. Gross.”
Mr Chappelle and Mr Gervais both had extended trans humor segments that were just like this.
I am bored with the idea. It’s like airline food, at this point. Except now people are more familiar with trans people and less so about food on airplanes.
I’ve heard the hot take on: Chaz Bono, Alexis Arquette, Caitlyn Jenner, Laverne Cox, Jazz Jennings, the Wachowskis, Lili Elbe, Christine Jorgensen, Fallon Fox, Stephen Beatty, me, that one trans guy cousin who you can’t get those darn pronouns right for, that girl that was a “trap,” your trip to Thailand, the sex worker you paid for your friend, that one trans girl you met twelve years ago at that one bar, and how you don’t understand how there can be a singular pronoun even though you used it as such in the sentence before you ranted on how it can’t be.
This isn’t to mention Crying Game, Lost Girl, Silence of the Lambs, and other “trans reveals/villains.”
And I see right through the “Live how you want, but…”
And you know what, none of them surprise me. None of them are interesting takes on the premise.
Does this mean you can’t tell jokes about Caitlyn Jenner? No. Don’t be silly. You can. You should. But the intrinsic bits of her being trans is not part of that. It’s about her. She’s utterly ridiculous.
I’ve seen approximately 2 jokes about trans people done by cis people that were interesting and funny:
- About his trans son.
- About a trans woman who chose the name “Becky.” Not “Rebecca.” “Becky.”
Both of these did not rely on the simple fact of trans people existing, but rather the foibles of those individuals and how they related to them as their friends and relatives.
Making jokes about our existence isn’t funny, it’s harmful. And if it ever was funny, you’re gonna have to try harder now because, well, *writer gestures at history.*
What we as trans people do? It can be fucking hilarious.
The Myth of a Safe Space
I don’t want my comedy to be a safe space. Stop being ridiculous. I just don’t want to have to worry about my very existence being made into a bit of humor.
I have a joke about men. I have a few, actually. But I don’t make fun of what men are. I make fun of what specific ones do. These are two different things and I think that line must be approached very carefully.
When I do these men jokes, I can see the men get uncomfortable. But ultimately it’s not about them; when they realize it’s not about them, they relax. “There are men that don’t wipe their ass? Wild!”
I am not a good comic, so sometimes this fails.
But, if your joke is “[she] still has a penis” isn’t funny. It’s not “triggering.” It’s not even original. It’s just predictable and sad.
Tell a joke about your trans friend! That’s great! What did they do? Seriously? That’s funny! OMG!
I want you to do better. Please, leave her dick out of it.
