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HBO’s documentary ‘The Trans List’ gives trans people the power over their narrative

Notable profiles include Janet Mock, Laverne Cox, and Caitlyn Jenner.

 

Mehak Anwar

IRL

Posted on Nov 17, 2016   Updated on May 25, 2021, 1:56 pm CDT

If you don’t already have an HBO subscription, you’ll want to be sure to get one in time for the Dec. 5 premiere of The Trans List, a documentary profiling the lives of 11 transgender people. Director Timothy Greenfield-Sanders previously directed similarly themed HBO documentaries like The Out List, The Latino List, and The Women’s List.

The trailer features prominent transgender figures like Orange Is the New Black star Laverne Cox and Olympic gold medalist turned reality-TV star Caitlyn Jenner. It starts off with author and editor Janet Mock, who is also a co-producer for The Trans List, stating to the camera, “We fight to be seen, without compromise,” and goes on to cover a variety of people spanning different gender identities, races, and professional backgrounds. 


The documentary’s Facebook page explains that its goal is to allow transgender people to share their own narrative, not one created for them by politicians, Hollywood, or media pundits. “While transgender narratives have recently become more common within the pop culture landscape,” it reads, “it’s rare that we actually get to hear transgender people voicing their own stories, telling their own truths.”

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*First Published: Nov 17, 2016, 11:48 am CST