Transgender creatives to put on your radar
Image: Ivy Marie Clarke
One way to combat the damage inflicted upon the trans community through negative media portrayals is by celebrating and supporting trans creators.
2020 marks the 21st year celebrating Transgender Day of Remembrance, which is recognized Nov. 20. It was begun by transgender activist Gwendolyn Ann Smith to honor Rita Hester, a Black trans woman who was murdered in 1998. TDOR brings attention to and honors trans people who have lost their lives due to transphobic violence.
TDOR also spotlights other ways in which trans people can be hurt that — though not necessarily always directly lethal — are no less harmful than physical violence.
Invisibility and negative portrayals of trans people in the media both impact the trans community catastrophically. While the former attempts to erase and “other” trans people in society, the latter encourages brutality against them. These consequences are heightened for trans people of color and trans people with disabilities.
One way to combat the damage inflicted upon the trans community through negative media portrayals is by celebrating and supporting trans creators. The figures below are not only reshaping how trans people are perceived by society at large but also making waves in their respective artistic fields.
Tourmaline
Tourmaline is an activist and filmmaker who has won national awards, recognition and fellowships for her work. Her mission is centered around historical trans people of color. She produced “Happy Birthday, Marsha!,” a short film about Stonewall figure Marsha P. Johnson; “The Personal Things,” an animation based on an interview with trans activist Miss Major and “Salacia,” a short film about a trans woman from the 1800s by the name of Mary Jones.
Amandla Stenberg
Amandla Stenberg is an actor and musician who rose to prominence with their role as Rue in “The Hunger Games.” Since then, they have played in “The Hate U Give” and “Everything, Everything.” They also have a couple of enchanting singles out called “Be Mine” and “Let My Baby Stay,” both of which are especially heart-wrenching to gay listeners.
Wu Tsang
Wu Tsang is a visual and performing artist interested in exploring the multifaceted nature of lived experience. Her work combines documentary and narrative, hidden and dominant histories, to dive into the implications of race and gender. Her work has been exhibited at the Tate Modern and the Guggenheim Museum amongst other international venues, and she has also been awarded the MacArthur Genius Grant.
Danez Smith
Danez Smith is a writer and a spoken word performer whose work primarily focuses on gender and race and their consequences in our whitewashed, cisheteronormative, patriarchal society. They have placed in international slam poetry contests and have published their work across a myriad of magazines and journals.
The works of all these creators, as well as many others, can be found on their websites.

Ivy Marie Clarke is a third-year student at Mercer double majoring in English Literature and creative writing. Her passion lies in poetry and the arts,...
The Cluster’s comments section is meant to be a place for respectful conversation and reflection on issues and events affecting students at Mercer University. Comments are moderated by the student staff of The Cluster to ensure that those made visible on the website reflect these standards. Harassment, hate, spam and personal attacks on staff members will not be approved. This does not mean that critical comments will be rejected. We welcome diverse perspectives on our reporting and on students’ experiences at Mercer University. Comments will not be approved unless a valid name and email address are submitted. Please also note that our comment moderation system logs IP addresses associated with every comment submitted.
If you want a picture to show with your comment, go get a gravatar.