‘Tiger King’ Constantly Misgenders Trans Man On Show, Portraying Him As A Butch Lesbian
LGBT+ people everywhere are watching ‘Tiger King’ but most have missed an important fact. Saff is presented in the series as a lesbian, repeatedly misgendered on camera, when in fact he is a trans man.
The series focuses on Joe Exotic, but Saff’s story is just as dramatic and shocking.
Rober Moor, who produced a podcast about the story, before Netflix’s documentary was released, pointed out on Twitter that the show erases Saff’s gender identity.
“A useful piece of info for anyone discussing the show: Saff, the person who got mauled by the tiger, told me repeatedly that he is trans, prefers to be called Saff (not ‘Kelci’), and uses he/him pronouns. So please do likewise,” Moor tweeted.
He added, “It’s tricky, because all of the news broadcasts at the time, and most of the people at the zoo, use the wrong pronouns for Saff. (Joe was particularly bad about this.)”
Although Netflix collaborated with GLAAD recently to raise trans visibility in the entertainment industry through the campaign #FirstTimeISawMe, they practically erased Saff as a trans man, presenting his as a lesbian without any context, as reported by ‘LGBTQ Nation’.
As GLAAD Executive Director Sarah Kate Ellis said in 2018, “Entertainment and media [are] the most powerful vehicle to share our stories — to combat negative or dehumanizing headlines, create a culture shift that makes it safe for LGBTQ people to live authentically as ourselves, and to offer hope and inspiration to young queer and trans people around the world.”
Read related myGwork articles here:
Hollywood’s Most Famous Trans Actors Still Struggle To Find Work
London’s Trans Pride Is Over And It’s "The One Day We’re Not Outcasts”
GLAAD Urges TV Industry To Increase LGBT+ Representation To 20% By 2025
GLAAD: Gay Representation in Media is Up
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