The Trans Award has recently joined up with
the BBC Writers Room to launch a script writing competition - calling for
positive and affirming portrayals of transgender characters in mainstream comedy.
While the desire to change the ways the media represents transgender issues is
cause for celebration, the competition’s premise does pose a certain kind of
challenge for a comedy writer.
What does it mean to portray someone in a
positive light? That they are happy and accepted by their society? Or, that
they avoid tired stereotypes and, instead, come across as a fresh, original
character who people can relate to?
The latter seems like a favourable option.
Whereas the former notion of trying to prescribe specific kinds of characters
sets off alarms bells for a few different reasons:
Happy
characters:
A comedy writer will often be hesitant to
make any character too happy or well adjusted. Generally, comedy comes out of placing
characters in difficult or even desperate situations, humiliating them,
confirming their worst fears and generally putting them through the mill. This
is how the audience gets to know them, and learns where their boundaries lie.
Likewise, the idea that this character should be accepted by the people around
them flouts key comedy rules – storylines and tension is created through
conflict and a perpetual lack of harmony.
Taste:
The debate over transgender issues tends to
provoke comments on taste and offensiveness, functioning as parameters of what
is deemed worthy discussion. But, as Picasso once famously said, taste is the
enemy of creativity. Taste has no place in comedy; rather, comedy is perhaps
best and most fruitfully used when exploring ideas that are subversive or
unpopular. Writers should, therefore, not shy away from representations on the
grounds that the majority may not be pleased by these. In the world of comedy,
each person should be presented through the comedic gaze – subject to scrutiny
and laughter.
Reality:
What can often be pleasurable in comedy or
any form of art is its ability to reflect the nature and details of everyday
life. We should portray not only the positive aspects of the transgender
experience but also the inevitable challenges faced. To ignore this would be
frustrating for an audience, and ultimately an unsatisfying representation of
the complexities of this subject.
To this end, I hope the winning script is
one which tackles transgender issues with courage and conviction. I hope it is
one that does not avoid difficult subjects but confronts them head-on to create
fresh and original comedy.
The winners will be announced at the end of May.
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