Michelle Rodriguez Says Gender Surgery Film Tomboy Is Actually Promoting Trans Rights
Michelle Rodriguez is set to star alongside Sigourney Weaver in a film featuring forcible gender reassignment surgery. When asked about her critics recently Rodriguez said “No press is bad press, baby.”
I couldn’t believe my eyes when I first wrote about this film. It would be a revenge story centering around a “hitman” turned into a “hitwoman” (played by Rodriguez) by an immoral surgeon.
I previously pointed out the film’s problematic nature, the least of which is the description doesn’t actually identify the main character as trans, and GLAAD gave a statement saying in part “It’s disappointing to see filmmakers turning what is a life-saving medical procedure for transgender people into a sensationalistic plot device.”
Now TMZ, of all outlets, pressed Rodriguez on the issue. They asked what she thought of GLAAD’S response to Tomboy which she replied, “You mean the LGBT community?” TMZ then specifically said “They’re saying that it might set back trans rights.” Rodriguez went on to say:
If anything it’s freaking promoting it. You know what I mean? No press is bad press, baby. I remember a day when white people were playing black people. So it’s just about the evolution. Thank Kris [sic] Jenner for becoming who he became and now you have a popular subject matter that nobody wanted to make a movie about and now everybody’s on it.
Rodriguez incorrectly calls Caitlyn Jenner, Kris Jenner here, as well as misgendering her. Not a good start. Granted, TMZ caught her walking out of an event, this wasn’t a press conference or something she had time to prepare for. Regardless, her words are disappointing. Especially since Rodriguez has identified herself as bisexual in recent years. (Don’t even get me started on the blackface comment.)
True, Hollywood is evolving but there’s good evolution and bad evolution and Tomboy, from what we’ve heard so far, is definitely the bad kind.
I reached out to GLAAD to see if they had another statement about the project after the actor’s response. They told me they have no comment beyond their previous statement.
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Michelle Rodriguez has a history of foot in mouth disease
Wow, this is like bad on like every single level. Man in my heart of hearts I want to support Hispanic woman who get to act but screw her. She is almost always on the wrong side of an issue.
Yeah. It clearly demonstrates that she doesn’t understand the issue. I mean, she compares this to friggin’ blackface. I … ugh.
She more or less seemed to say black face wasn’t a bad thing because now black people can act? Like what the hell is up with this fool?
I think she’s trying to say, ‘Babysteps, lol’. Which… I guess? Considering that babysteps are usually in the right direction, though, and that she sees this as in the right direction really says a lot about her.
This story isn’t telling any trans story unless it seriously addresses that Michelle’s character is male, that gender is in their head and they have now made this person have gender identity issues. This movie doesn’t seem like it will do anything good for anyone.
She’s an actress. If she were smart, she’d be a director. OOOH
*headdesk*