This Trans+ History Week, here are a few films and TV shows to watch
BY YASMIN VINCE, IMAGE BY FX
Happy Trans+ History Week! The trans community has always been here, and yet we don’t see a lot of representation for them in our history books, lessons or documentaries.
So, if you want to learn more about trans history, here are four things to watch…
Pose
This TV show is the series to watch if you want to know more about New York City’s ball culture. Set in the 1980s and 1990s, this groundbreaking series follows several Black and Latino trans women as they navigate the AIDS epidemic.
Led by trans actors and characters, the show has been a beacon of trans representation on screen. Not only is it a great way to learn more about ball culture and how AIDS impacted the trans community, the show is itself a piece of trans history. Lead actor Michaela Jaé Rodriguez was the first trans woman to earn an Emmy nomination in a major acting category after she was nominated for playing Blanca Evangelista in Pose.
Paris Is Burning
Finished Pose and want to know more about ball culture? Then turn on this 1990 documentary that served as inspiration for the show. Paris Is Burning was filmed in the mid-to-late 1980s and follows the ball culture of New York.
It is considered to be one of the most important documentaries to explore race, class, gender identity and sexuality in America. In 2016, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for its cultural significance.
The Death And Life Of Marsha P. Johnson
This 2017 documentary chronicles the lives of Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, two trans women whose work was instrumental in moving towards equality for LGBTQIA people.
The two were present at the 1969 Stonewall riots and founded Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR) not long after that. STAR was a political group that provided housing and support to homeless LGBTQIA youth and sex workers.
![The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix](https://i0.wp.com/i.ytimg.com/vi/pADsuuPd79E/hqdefault.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)
Disclosure
If you’re interested in how Hollywood’s depiction of trans people has impacted trans lives, this is the documentary for you. Featuring interviews with several trans people from the film industry, including Laverne Cox, Lilly Wachowski and Brian Michael Smith, the documentary takes the audience on a history lesson through how damaging and inaccurate depictions of trans people affect the community.
DIVA magazine celebrates 31 years in print in 2025. If you like what we do, then get behind LGBTQIA media and keep us going for another generation. Your support is invaluable.