"Does Broadway Have a Trans and Drag Dilemma?"

"Sitting in the Shubert Theatre, I was sucked back to other recent transphobic man-in-a-dress musicals in recent memory, such as Tootsie and Mrs. Doubtfire. At the core of all three musicals is the misappropriation of drag. The issue isn’t drag but how the art form is used: drag as drag is not problematic, but drag as disguise often is, especially when it plays into the man-in-a-dress transphobic trope. "

Does Broadway Have a Trans and Drag Dilemma? It’s Complicated

How do you catch a cloud and pin it down?

I’ve always wanted to visit the Streisand washroom at Juniors.

I think it's ok for people to have drastically different opinions on shows (and I've seen different opinions on this show from within the trans and non-binary communities) and I think Christian has some valid points. But, you lose me when you start complaining about how the line "Well, we’re both women. And always have been," is somehow TERF propaganda because it sounds like a talking point TERFs use in a different context or when you decide to spend considerable time diving into the semantics of whether Jerry/Daphne is non-binary or bigender.

You have a point you're trying to make, so make it. Don't get caught in semantics.

I think yes, disagreement for the sake of disagreement sounds a lot like whining to me. Half the time this topic comes up, you can tell people have not actually engaged with Lewis's writing, which I always find compelling. It's always dismissed as "children on the internet" when the person who is most vocal about it is not a child. They are a critic who regularly writes about other things happening in the industry. What makes their writing on this issue any different? I won't wait for an answer because I know most of you haven't bothered to read it.

These shows are based on films about cis straight men. The screenplays showed no interest in the LGBT experience. When I saw Tootsie in Chicago it didn’t acknowledge LGBT folk exist. The lead didn’t seem to learn anything from his experience (also an issue in the film) and the moment where he was exposed made no sense.


As in the film he revealed himself a man and his co-stars were SHOCKED! Then Julie kneed him in the crotch and it was treated as comic justice.

But the film was set on a soap opera in the 80’s. The stage musical was set on a Broadway show in 2020. A Broadway audience would have heard of Kinky Boots, Hairspray, La Cage, etc. a man in a dress on stage in the role of Juliet’s nurse wouldn’t shock them. The cast would know he’s been living as a woman but many would just assume the character was trans or non-binary. Few would cheer watching them kneed in the crotch.

It was a case of the writers cut and pasting the screenplay without thinking things through.

Updated On: 1/13/23 at 08:23 AM

THIS discourse again? Quelle snore.

Ke3 said: "Christian Lewis is trans, andthis issue is obviously close to their heart. The answer to "when are we going to stop writing this article"isnever. They'll continue to write about it because they continue to feel it's a problem. If you don'tagree,I think it's best you stop seeking out Lewis's articles about the topic.

I'm still not sure where I fall on this issue but you all sound so whiny when all you can muster up in response to thought provoking articles on the subject is stammering about the woke mob or whatever other nonsense."

I think maybe the fatigue with these articles is more about missing the point that these musicals just aren't very good in general, so of course they're going to get things wrong.

and FWIW, I found May (the non-binary character in & Juliet) far more transphobic than any of these - they are a prop and a "challenge" that exist as plot points for other characters. May is the non-binary character with the least agency of ANY of these.

There's also the point of how Ghee might feel being lumped into these "man-in-a-dress" complaints, as they're very publicly non-binary.

There are quite a few legislators in this great land who are preparing to put an end to this controversy once and for all; but it may not be the result that the trans community would want.

Warmed over talking points and total mischaracterizations of dialogue, lyrics, and directorial choices.

While I do wonder why Borle in drag isn't featured, I think it's more that they're using his footage to highlight the romance of the story. It ain't that complicated.