OWN, Oprah Winfrey’s new cable TV network, is gearing up with all sorts of new shows. And it seems LGBT folks are well in the mix.
A few weeks ago, this blog covered an LGBT incident with Oprah herself on her behind-the-scenes show. This time, much less drama but no less interesting.
Our America with Lisa Ling premiered recently on OWN. Ling runs around the country covering a topic with several interviews of people on said topic. She injects her own thoughts and narration throughout.
The most recent episode covered the lives of transgender people in various states of transition. Aside from one or two moments where I wasn’t quite sure of the context of pronoun usage (he vs. she), I was pleased at how fair and accurate Ling was when it came to appropriate pronoun usage.
Click here to watch a video excerpt from the show, which depicts the story of Hailey, a young child born as Harry, and how Haley’s parents have handled the situation.
I hope that OWN continues to depict such thoughtful coverage of LGBT issues.
Filed under: Oriol R. Gutierrez Jr. | Tagged: television, transgender |
The NLGJA Blog 
Yes, it is good. However, I have a complicated relationship with these types of shows. 1) It’s sympathetic and thoughtful. 2) The music and cinematography are filled with pathos and desolation, illustrating the plight of the poor souls in this predicament. 3) The next show is about the secret world of faith healers and their hokum: Will Scott Walk? I’m a respected academic and lawyer, not a desperate freak on a ledge. Many of my trans friends are respected and successful people, too.
I completely agree with Jillian, but also I have another issue with these kinds of features in general. They always seem to be about people with stable homes, plenty of money for SRS and other procedures, and they never seem to focus on or usually even mention the rampant discrimination transpeople often face in our daily lives.
We often hear about how a significant portion of the public incorrectly assumes we’re protected against discrimination under the law in the same way as racial, ethnic, and religious minorities are. These kinds of features lend credibility to this popular misunderstanding and therefore harm us politically and make fighting for legal protections that much harder.
[…] 3. “Our America: Transgender Lives” […]