I remember our
first transgender ride on Taxicab Confessions. The woman got into the cab one evening in 1993, as we were
making the pilot episode. We
picked her up in the meatpacking district of Manhattan, near 14th
street on the West side, where during the day all the meat wholesalers had
their businesses. Today that area
is the trendiest part of the West Village. But in 1993, at night, with all the empty truck loading
docks, that neighborhood felt somewhat deserted. It wasn't completely deserted, though. Hidden in certain corners and basements
of the meatpacking district were interesting bars and clubs that pushed the
boundaries. Our garage was right
there, on Gansevoort Street, so we were in that part of town several times a
night.
The way Taxicab
Confessions worked was that either my brother or myself was in a follow
vehicle, following the cab all night.
We could see all the six cameras in the cab through a microwave feed,
and hear the five microphones. We
talked to the cab driver through a wireless earpiece, and directed the
conversation from the follow vehicle.
It was about one
in the morning and we had just changed batteries at our garage, when a cute,
brown haired woman flagged down our cab. Our cab driver that night was an older Jewish guy
named Jerry who had been driving a cab in New York City for thirty years. Jerry asked the woman what she
did for a living, and she told him that she impersonated Maria Carey at clubs
around town. Jerry smiled and
asked her, "sing a little". The
woman laughed and said, "no, I don't sing like Maria Carey, I look like Maria
Carey!" And with her long brown
hair lit by the New York city streetlights, sitting in the back seat of our
cab, she did look something like Maria Carey.
The woman told
Jerry that she had been born male, and that she was Transgender. You could see from Jerry's expression
that he was a bit confused by that.
But in 1993 many people who would watch Taxicab Confessions would find
this subject a bit difficult to wrap their minds around. Speaking through Jerry, I asked the
woman if she was in a relationship.
She said that she had a boyfriend who really loved her, but--and she
searched for the right way to put this--"her boyfriend was not into dick."
By her expression she seemed to apologize for even using that word. Then the woman continued with a smile,
"but he's not going to let that little detail come between us."
The woman was so
friendly and relaxed and energetic that she quickly won Jerry over. I remember that at one point she went
on to tell Jerry that if he ever needed advice on a relationship, a transgender
person is the best person to give it.
"We used to be boys so we know what boys want. And now we are women so we know what women want. So we can explain things from all
sides!"
Taxicab
Confessions was one of the first series on television to show gay, lesbian or
transgender people in a non-judgmental light. And that's just how we approached all of our rides. Later in the ride this woman began to
talk about her family. She had
been extremely close to her family growing up, and their complete rejection of
her once she'd made the decision to live her life as a woman had been very
difficult for her to deal with.
As I listened from
the follow vehicle, it was so sad to hear how her father and mother and
grandmother had all let her gender identity issues break off their family's
love for each other. Our Maria
Carey look alike vividly described the tragedy of parents who refuse to accept
their child for the choices they've made.
In this case, she'd been cut off from her family for choosing to live
her life as a woman. But other
kids have faced similar situations, being cut off from their families because
they married outside their race or their religion, or simply for acknowledging
that they are gay or lesbian.
This woman's ride
resonated with a lot of viewers.
Her story, and the emotion that she showed as she told it, had an impact
that was very moving. And that's
the thing about Taxicab Confessions, looking into someone else's life gives
insight into your own life. When
this woman described her situation so honestly and so openly, her story touched
and informed people who never thought they world learn from a person whose
lifestyle was so different than their own.
This woman's
message of accepting others, especially those closest to you, was a powerful
reminder of how many people get hung up on appearance when there are so many
more important matters to focus on, in life and in families.
Right before
getting out of the cab, Miss Maria Carey look alike leaned forward and told
Jerry, our driver, "if you're not happy with the way you are, you have the
right, you have every right,
to be who you want to be." Those
words and the way she said them, with the conviction of a person who had risked
so much to live her life, have stuck in my mind ever since.
Over the years
we've had many amazing transgender rides on Taxicab Confessions. The way we always work is, we just stay
non-judgmental and we tell our subject's story from their perspective. Our latest show, Gender Blender, focuses on the lives and the
relationships of Transgender beauty queen contestants.
Perhaps the most
interesting aspect of the Transgender transformation process is seeing how each
person's lifestyle effects their closest relationships. Gender Blender is a simple, very human story. And now that we have started
CrushedPlanet we finally have a distribution vehicle for innovative, authentic
and provocative content like Gender Blender. We have been wanting to make a series
like Gender Blender for
years, and we would love to get your feedback on how it turned out. Please contact us at CrushedPlanet.com,
and I hope you enjoy it.
Recent Comments