The Daily Show: Ears Edition - ICYMI - Laverne Cox's Trans Documentary "Disclosure"

Episode Date: September 13, 2020

Laverne Cox discusses "Disclosure," her documentary about Hollywood's portrayals of trans people, and argues for professionally elevating members of marginalized communities. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look on Apple podcasts starting September 17th.

Laveon Cox, welcome to the Daily Social Distancing Show. Thank you so much. It's so wild. This is so interesting, this whole. It's a very strange experience, yes? Have you gotten used to just meeting and talking to everybody like this? I have and I kind of prefer it. Can I tell you before coronavirus? I never did video chats, like when I would meet guys on dating apps. I would always want to just meet in person.

Now it's a prerequisite. Now we have to video chat. And it's a great way to pre-screen. So now I'm going to be pre-screening all my potential dates via video chat. So thank you. Covet 19. Wait, okay. Help me understand this, though. What do you think you get from the video chat that you wouldn't have gotten in person? Or is it just for you that you don't have to go to the in in in in in in in in in in in in in in in in in in in in in in in in in in in in in in video video video video video video video video video video video video video video video video video video video video video video video video video video video video video video video chat chat chat chat chat chat chat chat the video chat the video. the video. the video. to to to to to to the video. the video chat. to to to to to to screen to to to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the video. pre. pre. the video. the video. the video. the video. the video. the the the the the the the the the th. thi. the the ttte. the te. te. toe. toe. toe. toe. to. to. to, to, their, their, their, their, the video chat that you wouldn't have gotten in person. Or is it just for you that you don't have to go to the in person because you've done the video chat? Is that what it is? You save time.

You eliminate a lot of people that you would have wasted time going to meet. And so you kind of know in like three to five minutes if it's gonna be a match. So it's just another, it's a pre-a, it's a pre, it's a pre, it's a pre, it's just, it's just, it's a pre, it's just, it's a pre, it's just another, it's a pre, it's a pre, it's a pre, it's a pre, it's a pre, it's a pre-a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a the, you. It's a, you. You. You. You. You. You. You. You, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you. You. You. You. You. You. You. You. You. You. You. You, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you, you. You. You. You. You. You. It's a, you, you. the, you. the, you. the, you. the, the the the the the the the t. the, the, the the, the, the, the, the, the, the, you're, you're, you're, you. time, you. You. You. You. been, I mean, one of the loudest and proudest LGBTQ activists out there. Like, you became just like the archetype for what people hoped trans people could achieve, not just in acting, but in any field. You've come out with a new documentary now that you are a part of and you've produced as well. And it's called Disclosure. And what I loved about it is, it's a documentary taking us through how trans people have been portrayed by Hollywood and the entertainment industry for so long. Tell me why you chose to go with this route.

I am obsessed with looking back in history and to help us understand why we are where we are now, and there's so much that hasn't been done around looking at trans history on so many different levels, and because my work the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the and the the and the and the and the the the the the and the and the and the and the and the and the and the and the and the and the and the and the, and the, and the, and the, and the, and the, and it the, and it's, and it's, the, the, the, the, and it's the, the and it's the and it's thean, theanananan, theananan, theanananan's, theananan's theanananan, theananan's thean, and it's the and it's the so much that hasn't been done around looking at trans history on so many different levels and because my work is in the media and I'm obsessed with media and want to get do better and want the media to do better it made a lot of sense. We don't even think about it from the time we're kids we're receiving images, we're receiving images and images and video and we just start to you know assemble the world in our minds.

There's no denying that trans has for a very long time been a punchline. Trans has been, you know, always displayed as the other, the scary, the punchline. It's been this thing. Over the past few years, we've started seeing the change. But when you look at it as somebody who is trans, what, have you seen a big change? Has that change been enough? Enough is relative, right? Like, what the film, one of the things that film grapples with is that there is indeed unprecedented representation of trans folks in the media that really probably began about six years ago. And Sam, our director, Sam Thader, noted that whenever there's increased visibility of a marginalized community, there's often backlash and it's often increased violence. And that is exactly what we're seeing with the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th th th th th th th th th th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. It's th. It's thi thi thi thi thi. It's thi. It's thi. It's thi. It's relative is relative is relative is relative is relative is relative is relative is relative is relative is relative is relative is relative is relative is relative is relative is relative is relative is relative is relative is relative is relative, right, right, right, right, right, right, right, th. th. th. th. It's th. It's th. It's th. It's th. It's th. It's th. It's th. It's th. It's thi. It's thi. It's thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi. It's thi. It's thi. It's thi thi thi thi thi thi th noted that whenever there's increased visibility of a marginalized community, there's often backlash and it's often increased violence. And that is exactly what we're seeing with the increased murders of black trans women and

with the legislative assault as well. So yes, things have gotten better in terms of visibility, and then there has been a backlash that we're seeing. And I think one of the most critical things that we should all remember is how the technique of divide and conquer works and to divide marginalized people, right? So that I was so beautifully moved when I saw that protest for black trans lives, right, a little over a week ago. And so many people, yeah, and here in LA as well, where folks were declaring that black trans lives matter, that we understand that all black folks are affected by systemic racism and that we have to come together and we all marginalized

people have to come together. Here's a question I have for you that's a difficult one and I would only ask you because I'm comfortable with you, but how do you think we get to the place where people can acknowledge their discomfort and their misunderstanding of a thing whilst not offending or discriminating against the other person. How would you encourage that? You know, in the same way we're having conversations around race, how would you say to people, hey, let's try and encourage just a movement in and around trans awareness? I think we have to really learn how to sit with discomfort, period, right?

I think whenever it is, we are called upon to interrogate our internalized racism, I internalize transphobia, and we all internalize these things as Americans, probably as citizens of the world. And so we each have to be able to sit with that discomfort. I think so often when we are, when we come up against something that is uncomfortable for us, often we go into this defense mode. We go into five flight or freeze. Oh my God, someone call me transphobic. Then I have to immediately defend that.

Instead of taking a breath and taking a moment and sitting with the discomfort of maybe being called out, maybe you weren't wrong, maybe you were. We all have to struggle. So I think a lot of it's about learning how how how how how how how how how how how how how how how the to to to the to to to to their, to to to their, to to to to to to their, to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to be, to be, to be, to be, to be, to be, to to to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, to, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I. And, I, I, I. And, I, I, I, to, to, the the the the the the the the th. And, th. And, thi. to, thi. toe. tooooooome. tooome.e. too. And, too, too, too. And, toe. And, to, to, to, to, to struggle. So I think a lot of it's about learning how to sit with discomfort, not going into five flight or free so we can actually hear what the criticism and the critique is. And then understanding that being uncomfortable does not mean that you are unsafe, right? So there is a difference between what I think with a bathroom conversation just makes me think so much about, because really, for every, for several several years it was all about bathrooms, spanning the people in bathrooms, right? In the segregated South, why folks were not comfortable

with black people in the bathroom with them, did that mean that they were unsafe? And so, what does it mean for us to sit with discomfort? What does it mean for us to really ask ourselves, are we not safe or are we just uncomfortable? I know you've been working on programs to try and help trans people break into the industry, you know, just behind the cameras, and you're really pushing for how trans people

are portrayed on screen. What are the big changes you think we need to make? I think the piece is how do we have diverse people in positions of power, right? One one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one their th f f f f f f f f f f f f. th. th. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. th, th, th, th, thi, th, thi, thi, th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th is th is th is th is th. th is th is th is th is th is th. th is th is thi. thi. to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the is the is the is the piece is how do we have diverse people in positions of power, right? One of the things I'm most proud of with disclosure is that everyone on screen is trans and most of the people working behind the scenes on the crew are also trans and in the case, and we couldn't find someone trans to fill a role, we had a fellowship program where we had a sister-gender person the trans person. But it's not just about what Karno West calls putting black faces in high places, right? It's not just about, you know, sort of putting, you know, diverse people in the

same sort of corrupt systems. We have to change the way that power works. And so much of that is about, I believe, changing the material conditions of poor and working people, the people who are the most marginalized, and get them opportunities to work in the industry behind the most marginalized. Does get them, you know, opportunities to work in the industry behind the scenes and then be truly elevated to positions of power to not just occupy the same sort of, you know, corrupt systems, but to change the system. LeVon Cox, thank you so much for joining us on the show. Thank you, Trevor Noah. the Daily Show with Trevor Noah, Ears Edition. Watch the Daily Show weeknights at the the the the the the the the the the the the the th. the the the thine thine thine the thine thi thi thi the thi thi thi thi tho the the the the the the tho tho tho the the tho tho thoe thoomease thoomea thoomea thoomease thoomease thoom. thoom. thoom. thoom. thoe thoe thoe thoe thoe. thoe th. thoe th. th. thoe tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho tho o' tho o' thea. tooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooea Ears Edition. Watch the Daily Show weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central, and the Comedy Central app.

Watch full episodes and videos at the Daily Show. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and subscribe to the Daily Show on YouTube for exclusive content and more. This has been a Comedy Central Podcast. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like, none of this stuff gets looked at.

That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look, starting September 17th, wherever you get your podcasts.