Words matter. These are the best Brian Michael Smith Quotes, and they’re great for sharing with your friends.
People assume that trans people will only be accepted as trans characters, or that there aren’t enough trans writers, or that there aren’t any trans producers or directors, there’s that attitude.
Not too long after ‘OITB’ debuted, I was at NewFest and I saw ‘Black Is Blue,’ a short film by Cheryl Dunye about a Black trans man trying to make it in Oakland. It was the first time I could recall seeing a Black trans man on screen and this was in 2015.
I love a good hat.
When I got to high school and college, I was more involved in athletics then I was in acting. At that time, I was trying to figure out what my identity was and roles became more gendered, it was a little bit more challenging for me to stay with the acting.
Playing a Black trans character on a TV show is a story that needs to be told.
Orange Is the New Black’ was a game changer for me; Laverne Cox’s Sophia Burset was the first trans series regular character I’d seen. She was Black and she was a multi-dimensional person.
I bought a lot of home fitness equipment for my trailer as I was working on ‘9-1-1: Lone Star.’
There were a lot experiences I had during my transition and post transition, and I feel that I learned a lot, and I wanted to share that through my work as an artist.
That’s something I really like about ‘Lone Star,’ is that they allow my character to just be who he is, while also at other times exploring his trans experience and giving room for that as well.
I deeply appreciate the CSA and its initiatives to build equity in the industry by giving a platform to marginalized artists and listening to our concerns, and collaborating with us for impactful solutions.
As I reflect on my own journey, I knew it was important for me to be visible so other people wouldn’t have to struggle as I did.
If people want to see more representation of trans people you just have to look around, because with the explosion of digital creation, lots of trans actors and film makers have been creating their own content and it’s readily available.
The ‘Transtastic’ hat represents what I want to do with my life’s work, combining my experience and visibility to improve the lives of other people and bring their often-overlooked stories to the media forefront.
