Stolen-Valor – Cisgender Appropriation of Trans Life & Experiences in 2010s American Cinema

Abstract

This paper will discuss instances of representation of transgender women in film of the 2010s as performed by and created by cisgender people, specifically The Danish Girl (2015) and Dallas Buyers Club (2013). The implications of these representations will be explored, elaborating upon the films' respective transgender characters and the transphobic implications that occur as a result of these narratives being created through a cisgender lens, with arguments of the film is intending to convey to a cisgender audience. Historical contexts will as well be explored to elaborate their ties to these modern works. As well, this paper considers the limitations of representation (and in turn, visibility) itself in the context of transgender liberation, and what "good" representation can mean for that.