Transgender actor Michaela Jaé Rodriguez says “trans actors playing cis roles isn’t a question anymore.”
The term “cis” refers to a man or woman who does not identify as the opposite sex, and is used among transgenders and trans activists as a way of labeling regular people.
“I think we have definitely grown into a space where that is not a question anymore,” Rodriguez told Pink News. “It’s definitely a topic of discussion, but it’s not in the actors’ space, I’ll tell you that much.”
“I think what we’re working towards now is more agency and more open space for trans voices and trans people — to obviously have more parts and have more space to express different types of characters, just like any other person on this planet,” Rodriguez added.
Pink News suggested “There will likely be discourse aplenty surrounding women, trans and cis, over the next four years,” noting that the outlet’s interview with Rodriguez transpired “less than a week after Trump’s devastating re-election.”
The outlet then pointed out that trans Baby Reindeer star Nava Mau was nominated at the Emmy Awards in September, “just three years after Rodriguez became the first ever trans actress to be nominated for a major acting award at the ceremony.”
Rodriguez reacted to that, saying, “There’s still great change that’s happening, and that’s definitely what keeps me hopeful.”
“In this time, I realize my existence alone creates sheer discord, no matter if I say something out loud or not,” the trans actor continued.
“And for that, I will continue to live. For that, I will continue to create. For that, I will continue to fight for women’s rights,” Rodriguez added. “For that, simply alone, knowing that my existence creates sheer discourse, that encourages me to not stop.”
Rodriguez first demanded that Hollywood allow trans actors to play non-trans roles in 2018, telling MTV, “If this is a way to challenge yourself as an actor, then I think you should let us challenge and play some cis roles.”
“We’ve been asking for it for a very long time. It’s something that we have always been able to do,” Rodriguez said, before bizarrely claimimg that he understands what it’s like to be a woman — despite not being one.
“We understand the experience of a woman,” Rodriguez declared.
The trans actor even went on to reveal that he has been given the opportunity to play non-trans characters, but suggested that it wasn’t enough — he wanted more.
“I’ve played cis roles because, but I haven’t played that many. I’ve wanted to play more,” Rodriguez said.
Transgender and “non-binary” actor Indya Moore, meanwhile, said that these demands are not a two-way street, claiming it would not be okay for non-transgender actors to play transgender characters.
“Gender is a social construct, but so is race, and that still doesn’t make it okay for white women to play Asian women. It still doesn’t make it okay for cis people to play trans people,” Moore said in the 2018 MTV interview.
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
