Transgenders and Films

According to sociology, gender roles - based on male-female differences in behavior and appearances are socially created. Although primary sex characteristics determine a person’s sex, their behavior is determined socially. Society sets their physical, behavioral, mental and emotional traits.

Although there is no clear line separating men and women because of transsexuals, in most societies, transsexuals are looked down upon, because of which many of them tend to undergo sex change operations.

Even in movies, cross-dressing and drag have had a long history in the film industry. Starting from Hollywood classics like “Some like it hot” to “White Chicks” cross-dressing was preferred over having a transgender on screen, although several movies have had the role of a transgenders, it was only in the late 60’s and 70’s that transgender performers were introduced as actors to act as a transgenders in movies. However the pool of well-known transgender actors is considerable small.

In the new movie Gun Hill Road, Harmony Santana plays the role of transgender, being a transgender herself on screen, which hasn’t always been the case. These days the film industry is trying to tell transgender stories from a transgender's perspective itself.