BY JOHN CARTER JR
Among the various groups in the LGBTQIA+ community, the T has been historically ignored and underrepresented in the media. Only recently did trans people take center stage in the media. “Pose,” “Euphoria,” “Tangerine,” “Paris is Burning,” and “The Danish Girl,” all are examples of media containing stories of the trans experience from the 90s until now. That being said, most well-known trans stories focus on trans feminine storylines, with trans masculine stories being pushed aside.
When most non-LGBT people think of transgender people, images that may come to mind include trans girls in high school sports, the fetishized trans woman who is constantly being used as a discussion piece in insecure straight men’s conversations about their own sexuality (often being weighed against the cis white woman beauty standard), and sadly Caitlyn Jenner.
Nobody is talking about trans men participating in high school sports and insecure men aren’t talking about whether or not their attraction to trans men makes them gay. In fact, many cis people inflict the same misogyny they do on their cis woman counterparts on trans men. For many people, trans men are nonexistent, while recent laws that oppress both trans men and women work hard to essentially erase trans existence. Society has rubbed the proverbial pencil eraser against the page on trans men already, with only but a faint erased sentence remaining. However, trans men are here; they have been here as long as the rest of us. Their stories and lives need to be told, now more than ever.
The award-winning documentary “Shinjuku Boys” (1995), directed by Kim Longinotto and Jano Williams, follows the lives of three trans men who work at a host club called the New Marilyn Club in Shinjuku Ni-chōme Tokyo, Japan. Their names are Kazuki, Tatsu, and Gaish. The film explores the lives they lead both as entertainers and as human beings and gives a glimpse into the lives of trans men with uniquely different experiences and approaches to the interpretation of their identity. It also explores the relationships the men have with their families along with their respective significant others.
Kazuki’s relationship with his partner, who is a trans woman, Tatsu’s relationship with his partner, who is a cis woman, and Gaish’s apprehension about committing to a long-term relationship are major discussion points for the documentary. The film expands the discussion concerning the transmasculine experience through the tales of the lives of these men. We see the effects the transphobia from their parents has on them, the transphobia that internally manifests in them, and what society has relegated them to. We also see the positive influences in their lives; supportive partners, their community, and their workplace.
“Shinjuku Boys” is an important piece of trans media, especially coming after and out of the AIDS epidemic. It displays a community of queer people not often shown on screen. Queer bodies are not just white gay cis men. Even today, it is a constant fight to receive representation for groups that have none or are not diverse in terms of their representation. Here in the US, it is uncommon to see racially diverse trans men have their stories told. More people need to be aware of the international library of queer stories that we can have access to.
This is especially important in recognizing just how much the film does to positively portray the lives of these real human beings. These men are people with lives, love, loneliness, and struggle, just like any other person. However, a major difference in their plight is that they also have to deal with the struggles of being trans in a society that doesn’t accept them. The film does a great job at exploring, through conversation with hosts, the struggles of specifically being trans-masculine in 90s Tokyo.
“Shinjuku Boys” is an excellent film in the annals of LGBT history as it is only but a start to the documentation of trans masculine experiences. We are sorely lacking in documentation, academic research, representation of the media, and in government in terms of the types of diverse people we support. Queer bodies are not simply the ones held up by the beauty standard, but rather encompass the entire population of the planet. Queer people come in every shape, size, color, and creed. Queer people exist all over the planet and have forever. Trans Men are among the groups in the LGBT, which is already lacking in representation, that many people not only don’t take seriously, but also don’t give an opportunity to.
If we take the time to engage in the consumption of content like this film, then we would be better off as we would understand the similarities that we have with people who are different from us and the struggles that we inflict on people with no discernible beneficial reason. Trans women, men, and people are here, are queer, and aren’t going anywhere. Trans rights now.
You must be logged in to post a comment.