An award-winning journalist, podcast host, and culture reporter who always comes to slay, Tre’vell Anderson (they/them) is doing pivotal work around society and culture. Included in the Root’s 2020 list of the 100 most influential African Americans, Anderson has dedicated their career to centering those who are marginalized.
Anderson’s new book, We See Each Other: A Black, Trans Journey Through TV and Film, takes a groundbreaking look at the history of transgender representation in television and film — the good and the bad. It’s also a personal story of how Anderson came into their own identity.
“I don’t remember exactly when I was taught to hate myself,” says Anderson in the book’s introduction. As the narrative unfolds, they piece together the history of trans people on screen with stories of their life growing up and their formative experiences as a Black trans journalist.
A native of Charleston, South Carolina, and graduate of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Anderson got their start in journalism at the LA Times. They have covered every major red carpet in Hollywood and interviewed Gabrielle Union, Laverne Cox, André Leon Talley, Lil’ Nas X, and more. Their work has been seen in Essence, Entertainment Weekly, and Time.
I was already a fan of Tre’vell Anderson from the What a Day podcast, and I love books that do deep dives on entertainment and the role of media in society. So, I had been looking forward to this book since I heard about it.
I enjoyed this offering from the beginning, with a foreword by Angelica Ross from FX’s Pose, discussing not only honoring and protecting their own trans spaces, but fighting the good fight to make sure others are honored as well.
Chapter 1 of the book, Cross-Dressed for Success, serves us an honest conversation about the tropes trans experiences have been reduced to on screen and our culture’s history of men dressing up as women. For the more recent generation, the most impactful example would be Tyler Perry, but we can go back to the 1970s with Flip Wilson. Chapter 3, Reality Bites, takes a look at the space where most of the various images of trans people happen. Anderson revisits the television moments we will never forget such as Isis King on America’s Next Top Model and Zeke Smith’s outing on Survivor.
The final chapter, Beyond the Binary, focuses on our favorite matriarch Uncle Clifford from Starz’s P-Valley. It discusses non-binary people on screen and gender non-conforming aesthetics in culture.
Anderson provides a viewing guide at the end of each chapter, with curated suggestions of films and shows that parallel the theme. I found myself googling as I was reading. I was reminded of these films and shows but now had fresh eyes and a more open perspective. I also appreciate that Anderson gives cinema and reality TV the same weight.
I remember the Netflix movie, Girl, about a 15-year-old girl who struggles with gender dysphoria. Anderson breaks this down into something I didn’t think about at the time: “What’s wrong with Girl is what’s wrong with most projects that claim to represent the experiences of trans people with no substantive participation of trans voices,” Anderson’s review reads. “It’s a missed opportunity to properly contextualize the experiences of trans folks coming into ourselves as more than purely physical and medical.”
Anderson says, “They wanted to hold Hollywood accountable for its continued erasure of viable talent, and how casting cis people in trans roles reinforced the notion that being transgender is a performance of sorts, that underneath whatever clothes trans people may be wearing, they are actually what their birth certificate says.”
Anderson explores the history of trans representation in media, along with their own journey with gender. By including their personal story, they show the impact media can have. But they also show that while media shapes the world we live in, representation alone isn’t enough. Even though representation is higher than it’s ever been, it seems like we’ve taken steps backwards with all the anti-trans laws being passed.
The book balances celebrating the strides that have been made in trans representation with pointing out where we still need to improve. Even though it’s a serious topic, Anderson is very funny, which makes me want to get the audio book.
From the way Anderson takes a deep dive into the history of popular culture, anyone who studies it, formally or informally, can learn some valuable lessons. I believe one of the most difficult things to do is understanding the importance of both keeping societal context about something while also critiquing its place in our time. This is, basically, the difference between criticizing and critiquing. Critiquing allows us to give a nod to how things seemed at the time while also pointing out how those same things fell short by our current standards. It is grappling with these problematic texts, what Anderson calls “problemasia,” that allows us to both better understand the past and make strides for a better future.
In addition to the serious elements, the book is also fun to read. You will want to go back and revisit some of these works with a new perspective as I did or take in some works you may never have seen. The most important thing, I believe, is how we can then actively engage any film or television show we view from now on.
I hope that people who might feel isolated or question who they are will read this book. It will not only show them that no one’s alone in the world, even at those times when it most feels like it, but that even the cultural images we see don’t have to and shouldn’t be taken at face value.
I give We See Each Other 5/5 stars and highly recommended for anyone with an interest in the intersection of art and society.
We See Each Other is available on Amazon.
