What A Day - We See You, Tre'vell

Episode Date: May 9, 2023

Award-winning journalist and What A Day host Tre’vell Anderson has officially added “author” to their many accolades. Their debut book, We See Each Other: A Black, Trans Journey Through TV & Film, is out today, along with the audiobook and an accompanying limited series podcast. Tre’vell walks us through their process writing the book, the stories within it, and their message to future generations of Black trans kids.And in headlines: a New York jury will begin deliberations today over whether to hold Donald Trump liable for an alleged sexual assault, California’s reparations task force approved several recommendations addressing the state’s history of racism and discrimination toward Black residents, and the Writer’s Guild strike has officially entered its second week.Show Notes:We See Each Other: A Black, Trans Journey Through TV and Film  – https://www.trevellanderson.com/booksWe See Each Other: The Podcast – https://maximumfun.org/podcasts/we-see-each-other-the-podcastWhat A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcastCrooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffeeFollow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

It's Tuesday, May 9th. I'm Josie Duffy Rice. And I'm Traevel Anderson. And this is What A Day, where we would like to formally apologize for our royal family coverage this week. Right. We did not talk about Queen Charlotte. But to be fair, there's a lot going on right now. There absolutely is, Shonda Rhimes. If you're out there listening, we're sorry and we'll do better. On today's show, a New York jury will deliberate on whether to hold Donald Trump liable for an alleged sexual assault. Plus, this year's Pulitzer Prize winners have been announced. Spoiler alert, neither one of us got it.

We didn't get it. For yet another year in a row. What is wrong with them? I know. Anyway. 30-something years of not getting the Pulitzer in a row. Undefeated. Undefeated. In a different type of way.

But first, today is a very special day as my first book, We See Each Other, A Black Trends Journey Through TV and Film, is officially available at a bookstore near you and on audiobook read by me. This book is part history of trans images on screen, part memoir. It is both a culmination of my reporting over the last decade on the issue of diversity in Hollywood, and it reflects a little bit of my own identity formation

throughout that same period, weaving in some cultural critique about the things we've seen on TV and in movies. Actress Angelica Ross did the foreword. And if you care about blurbs and whatnot, everyone from journalists, Samara Jones and Raquel Willis to the writer-producer Lena Waithe have said that you need to check out my book, including Josie Duffy Rise. Not only do I think you need to check it out, I think you need to purchase it and then purchase one for your car, purchase one for your job, purchase one for your family. It is truly so good. Thank you.

And I'm really excited to talk about it. Let's do it. I'm really excited. I'm like awkwardly excited, like nerdly excited. Okay, so let's start with the foreword by Angelica Ross. She writes really passionately about the trans community's resilience in everyday life. And I want to know, how did you feel when you read these words for the first time? What did it mean to you? And why did you choose her, right, to write the foreword to your first book? Yeah, well, so first of all, grateful and thankful that she said yes

and took time out of her busy, busy schedule to check out my little book, all right? But, you know, when we have conversations about representation and diversity in Hollywood, this also applies to DE&I work in other industries. There's often a capitulation towards, like, the feelings of those who are already in power, the folks that are actually doing the marginalizing and committing the violences against those of us who've been historically excluded for various reasons. And for many years, I feel like Angelica Ross has resisted that urge to like sanitize her thoughts and experiences for the consumption of white people, of cis people.

And I kind of feel like because we've been having this conversation about visibility, particularly for trans folks and how it is a paradox, right? We are the most visible we've ever been as a culture and community, but we also are the most vulnerable we've ever been as a community.

I think Angelica Ross is someone who doesn't sanitize her thoughts. And the way that she communicates, I believe, is where the discourse on trans visibility needs to go. And it's going to require some tough, unapologetic talk to get us to that promised land that we say we want. And I'm thankful, again, that Angelica chose to model that once more in her foreword, in which she's talking about something she hasn't talked publicly about before, as relates to her experience, right, moving through the world and through the industry as a trans person. So I think it's a cute little appetizer, a nice little appetizer. I say appetizer, you know, for what I

hope is the meal that folks will be able to chomp down on in the pages that follow. Absolutely. Love food analogies. My favorite kind. So great work. Talk to us a little bit about writing this book and really researching this book, right? Because one of the kind of important elements of this is that there are not a lot of these histories recorded. Like a lot of this is you're doing yourself, primary research, trying to kind of trace back some of these things that are in some ways not untraceable, but very difficult to trace.

Yeah, so I pitched the book as a very like comprehensive look at the history of trans images on screen. I thought it would be primarily like diving into the archive, right? And watching all of these old movies and in the process of doing that i actually was watching boys don't cry which is this canonical film and was realizing that i basically was putting myself in the position to have to watch all of these deeply traumatic stories as a means of like telling this history on screen. And I basically decided I didn't want to do that because it was causing me to basically, you know, trigger and unsettle so many things that, you know,

we as trans people kind of live through. And so when I decided to, instead of doing a comprehensive thing to just focus on the movies, the shows that kind of helped me come into myself and helped people who I am in community with come into themselves. That kind of changed things. And, you know, that's one of the reasons why the subtitle of the book is not The Black Trans Journey Through TV and Film. It's just

a Black Trans Journey Through TV and Film because I wanted to like alleviate myself of the pressure, right, of doing something comprehensive and also kind of serving as a calling card, right, for other people to also dive into the archive, to also unearth and document their histories and histories from their vantage points as well. Yeah, I think what you just said is so interesting and relevant to the book and what I really love about it, which is that it acknowledges the struggle and the isolation and frankly, the persecution of the trans experience of the gender non-binary experience. And it's not just tragedy.

Like there is community, there is joy, there is this sense of like the gift, right? Of being part of this community. So can you talk a little bit about framing it that way? Because, you know, you see books and stories about Black history and about history of oppressed groups where it's just tragedy, it's just sorrow. And that always feels really one-dimensional to me. And you do, I think, a beautiful job of presenting a much more holistic and beautiful picture of this experience. Thank you. You know, I feel like with many of our histories, they just often get sanitized into

these, you know, one-dimensional stories. And so often, when it comes to trans people in particular, the bulk of what people know about us is, you know, our trauma. It's our tragedy, often our deaths. And while that is very much so a part of our reality in this anti-trans, transphobic world that we live in, there also is a whole lot of joy and community and care. I think we kind of model that also, right, on this show. We talk about the anti-trans stuff that's happening all the time. And more often than not, I'm laughing through it

because of the absurdity. But that is the complexity of our lives, right? What's the saying? You know, laughing to keep from crying and all that other stuff. And so with the book, when you read these pages, when you listen to the audiobook i want you to feel like you know like trey val is giving you this information right because i'm concerned and

invested in upholding my complexities as an individual um hopefully the book also recognizes and and honors and uplifts that complexity as well. So yeah, you're going to get the trauma and the murder and, you know, those types of stories. But you're also going to get a little fun, a little razzle dazzle, as I like to say. Trauma and murder and a little razzle dazzle. You know. You talked a little bit about the experience of watching Boys Don't Cry and recognizing, like, really having to assess how much of the trauma of sitting through some of this that you wanted to do. And throughout the book, you reference, like, several films and TV shows that have featured trans characters, for better or for worse.

We all know there are countless transphobic movies and shows out there. Friends, I'm looking at you. But can you pick one movie or TV show that you mention in your book that had this profoundly positive impact on your journey with gender? And what made you feel seen? I mean, it's kind of a cliche thing to say at this point, but truly, I mean, it's really relevant, I think, in the context of what you write about. Absolutely. And I talk in the book about that question in particular. When was the first time you felt seen?

It's a question I personally hate for a number of reasons that you all will read about in the pages of the book but in answering it i often give credit to what i call my possibility models um and they include the character of noah from the tv show noah's ark played by daryl stevens back in the day shout out to patrick and poke who was the writer director of that um as well as miss j alexander and andre leon tally who both came into my life by way of America's Next Top Model. But, you know, they were possibility models for the person I was then. Right.

Or the person I thought I wanted to be then. Right. I didn't really see a character like the me that I am today until rather recently. And that is the character of Uncle Clifford on Pea Valley what did you mean man you asked me what I am without even realizing all that come along with that answer don't get me wrong I love me some me and people don't understand how lonely it can be to shine so bright i remember when i first saw uncle clifford and that tv show p valley it did something in me in

the ways that you often hear people talk about you know when they see themselves on screen and how it allows them to like you know just realize possibilities that they didn't consider before. And when I think about the complexities of my existence as a Black non-binary person of trans experience from where I'm from, you know, in this world, P-Valley really gets the closest, right? But this is a show that premiered in 2020. And, you know, I've been alive for a little longer than just 2020. And so, you know, part of the book talks about the experience of folks always say you can't be what you can't see. But I find are regardless but it is about what you could be by seeing that which is out there right and how much easier it might have been if i had a character like uncle clifford on tv that felt right a lot earlier but you know uncle clifford you know is

played by a cis gay man nico anon and while he does a damn good job in the role, to be clear, he's not a non-binary person, right? And I would have loved to see that character embodied by a non-binary person to see what they might be able to do with it. And so a lot of the book is about the complexities, about like, you know, recognizing something for its greatness and what it does, but also critiquing it in a particular way

to hopefully push us a little forward. I also talk in the book about my relationship with Madea. something for its greatness and what it does, but also critiquing it in a particular way to hopefully push us a little forward. I also talk in the book about my relationship with Madea, which is an interesting one that y'all can read about. Okay, so I don't know if you know this, but what it is a news podcast. Is it? Breaking news. It's a news podcast. And there is this like entire section of your book that talks about the news and how media has historically covered trans issues and trans people in this horrible, irresponsible, othering, cruel way that has had a very negative impact on how trans people are perceived. And we've obviously seen, in some ways, some improvement, I think, in that department.

There are reporters such as yourself doing the work, complicating the narrative, telling a broader story. In other ways, we are having similar, or worse, I would say, conversations because of the, you know, the increased persecution and culture war over kind of othering of trans people that we're seeing even more drastically, I think, on the right and some on the left. So in many ways, we are like having new conversations, having similar conversations. Like, how is the history of media coverage here, along with your own desire to be seen authentically and fully by news media, inform your decision to do something like What A Day? Where you are like reporting the news, right? Like where you are helping tell the story.

Yeah. You know, it's interesting because, you know, this is a news show, but I'm always trying to weasel some culture and some entertainment up in this mix. We love it. But, you know, part of the reason why I wrote this book is because I feel like everybody thinks that our history as trans people in this country in particular started with like Laverne Cox on Orange is the New Black. Maybe you can go back a few years earlier to Chaz Bono. But, you know, folks just don't know that history, which is our collective history. So many people still believe that they've never met a trans person. And so all that they're really getting about us is coming from what they see on TV or

what they see in movies. Or if they happen to be, you know, someone who grapples with the news a little bit, then they're getting what they're getting about us from newspapers or from Fox News or wherever. And so when I got the chance to be on this platform, that definitely crossed my mind. Much like what we see in movies and TV shows, those are characters written by and written for a quote unquote mainstream audience. By mainstream, I mean cis people, I mean white people. In the same way, those same type of people are also the ones doing a lot of the coverage of trans issues. We've had various conversations on this show about the New York Times, for example, and their coverage issues. And so it was important for me to be a trans person covering trans issues in this particular moment. So I would say yes, but that

history also informs where I hope our conversations on this show are going, where I hope the broader media landscape is going, which is not only can trans people speak about, cover, report on the issues that impact directly our communities, but we're also able to speak on and cover issues that aren't quote unquote trans issues because our lives are much more expansive than the legislative assault that we are fighting against. Mm hmm. Absolutely. And you say that your book is a reclamation of lineage still in progress, one that can't stop and won't stop. And you also talk about how this book is documenting your transestory, love a hybrid word, first of all, your transestory in real time as it's being made. So as a transester in the making, what is your message to the next generation of Black

trans kids coming up in a crazy world, like a different world than we came up in? What's your message? It has been very useful for me as we move through this legislative assault, this cultural backlash on trans people to remind myself that I belong to a long line of trans bad bitches, right, who have walked this earth and gifted this culture so much. And so for the next generation of particular Black trans kids, I would remind them of that because I know that it is the thing, it is the secret weapon that keeps me going, that keeps me showing up to this show every single week to cover, you know, these horrible stories. It's so interesting. We often hear people say, like I said earlier, you can't be what you can't see. But knowing that you belong to a history of folks who have lived and loved and existed prior to this moment i think can be very motivating as we as a community fight back and fight forward

so that's what i would share to the next generation you belong to a lineage of trans brilliance we are divine we will always be divine even though this world may not always recognize it and so we have to recognize it ourselves absolutely and before we go if y'all would like more discussion about some of these things i'm doing a limited series podcast nine episodes okay it's giving kitchen table talk with journalist Sharjah Saud. The podcast is called We See Each Other, the podcast, and it is available right now wherever you are listening to us here. And for our New York City listeners, if you're interested in coming to a book talk and signing that I'm doing this week, I will be at the Barnes & Noble in Brooklyn on Atlantic Avenue this Thursday, May 11th at 6.30.

Come join me. Come say hello and all of that wonderful stuff. But that is the latest for now. We'll be back after some ads. Let's get to some headlines. Headlines. A New York jury will begin deliberations today over whether former President Donald Trump can be held liable for the alleged rape of writer E. Jean Carroll. We've talked about this on the show, but to recap, Carroll filed this civil case last year.

She says Trump assaulted her in a department store in the 1990s and that he defamed her by denying her account when she went public in 2019. During yesterday's closing arguments, Carroll's attorney noted that this isn't the first time someone has accused Trump of rape or assault. That his behavior and defense, quote, fit a pattern. Trump himself did not appear in court and declined to testify in his own defense during the two-week trial. But his lawyer called Carroll's accusations, quote, an unbelievable work of fiction. This is the same lawyer, by the way, that questioned Carroll on the stand about why she did not fight back during the alleged attack. The jury will decide whether to award any damages to Carroll, and Trump won't be facing any jail time as a result. A Texas man accused of killing eight people after driving his SUV into a crowded bus stop outside a migrant center has been charged with manslaughter and aggravated assault.

The crash happened Sunday morning after investigators say the 34-year-old Brownsville local ran a red light, lost control, and struck at least 18 people. Several of the victims have been identified as Venezuelan migrants. Police said yesterday that the driver, who has previous assault and DUI charges on his record, tried to flee the scene Sunday morning but was held back by several witnesses. According to the Washington Post, the driver even taunted the crowd and yelled insults at them before the crash, with one witness saying the driver yelled, quote, you're invading my property. Authorities are still looking into whether or not the crash was intentional, and they're also waiting on the results of toxicology tests to determine if the driver was driving under the influence at the time. His bond has been set at $3.6 million.

You just heard protesters inside the Texas state capitol chanting, raise the age. It happened right before a committee voted to advance a bill that would raise the legal age in Texas to buy semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21. Just hours before the decision, relatives of the victims of the Uvalde school shooting asked the panel to vote on the bill because it was up against a deadline that would make passing it into law much more difficult. The measure does face an uphill battle with Texas' GOP majority, but it is progress. The decision comes just two days after the shooting in Allen, Texas, that killed eight people, and a week and a half after a separate shooting in the town of Cleveland that left five people dead. Last June, the New York Times reported that six of the nine deadliest mass shootings since 2018 had been committed by people under 21.

In the first-ever state-level effort of its kind, the world's coldest mass shooting since 2018 had been committed by people under 21. In the first ever state-level effort of its kind, California's Reparations Task Force has approved several recommendations to address the state's history of racism and discrimination toward Black Californians. On Saturday, the nine-member board voted to approve a report that proposes financial compensation for Black residents, a package of policy changes, and a formal apology for the Golden State's role in perpetuating slavery and discriminatory laws. According to the report's preliminary estimates, a California resident who meets the eligibility requirements could receive more than $13,000 a year.

And according to calculations run by the nonprofit newsroom CalMatters, an eligible Californian in their 70s could get up to $1.2 million in damages. Okay, that sounds like a lot of money for those in their 70s. Potentially a lot of money because you might not get the 1.2. It says up to y'all. Those numbers are based on the harm caused by systemic racism, including mass incarceration, housing discrimination and other injustices. The task force was officially convened back in 2020 following the police murder of George Floyd and the ensuing protests for racial justice. The panel has spent the past two years conducting research and holding listening sessions across the state and will meet once more on June 30th before sending its final report to state lawmakers by July 1st. The Writers Guild strike has officially entered its second week as its members continue to pressure Hollywood studios to meet their demands for fair compensation. Week one saw huge shows

of support nationwide with picket lines drawing big crowds in both New York and Los Angeles, with many A-list actors like Quinta Brunson of Abbott Elementary and SNL's Pete Davidson stopping by as well to show their solidarity. Meanwhile, the studio's unwillingness to negotiate a fair labor contract continues to impact production across the entertainment industry. Members of other unions like the Teamsters and IATSE have refused to cross those picket lines in solidarity with striking WGA members. And many shows have had to stop production entirely, with production crew members and writers walking off the job. Severance has become the latest high-profile show to halt work on its highly anticipated second season.

Other big shows like HBO's Hacks and Netflix's Stranger Things have also been forced to shut down their sets indefinitely. Now, look, studios, you are in the way of Hack season three and it is not a laughing matter. Get it together. Yes, do not take our laughter for weakness, okay? We're being serious here. The 2023 Pulitzer Prize winners were announced yesterday.

Among the notable awardees, the staff of the Los Angeles Times received the Breaking News Reporting Award for its coverage of last year's L.A. City Council scandal involving leaked audio of racist remarks made by then-Council President Nuri Martinez and two of her colleagues. In the category of audio journalism, Gimlet Media took home the award for its podcast, Stolen, Surviving St. Michael's, led by Connie Walker, which details the abuse of hundreds of indigenous children at a residential school in Canada. And two friends of WOD, Washington Post reporters Robert Sanuels and Tolu Olorinipa, won the General Nonfiction Award for their book, His Name Was George Floyd.

The Pulitzer Board called the book, quote, an intimate, riveting portrait of Floyd, whose murder sparked a racial reckoning in the U.S. that was heard around the world. Love Pulitzer season. Don't you? I really do. We love to uplift and honor great reporting, great storytelling. We do.

Shout out to everybody. Shout out to everybody. Special shout out to Stolen. When I was making Unreformed, we really admired their work, really shining a light on what happened to those children. So I'm so happy that it's getting this fancy Pulitzer Award. Absolutely. And you know, next year I will be the Pulitzer Prize winner.

It's true. It's true. I don't know why you're laughing. We know why I'm laughing. And those are the headlines. One more thing before we go. Cricket Coffee's Cold Brewer is back in stock and just in time for summer. The Cold Brewer is an easy way to make your own delicious cold brew at home so you don't have to leave the house or pay $7 to get your caffeine fix. It's like having a fancy cafe in your fridge, but you never have to fight anyone for an

outlet. These always sell out, so grab yours today at Cricut.com slash store. And don't forget to check out our show notes for today for links to my book and its companion podcast. Yes, do not forget. Are you listening to me? Don't forget. That is all for today. If you like the show show make sure you subscribe leave a review pressure the

Pulitzer board to give us an award and tell your friends to listen and if you're into reading and not just personal histories of trans visibility like me well today is also a nightly newsletter check it out and subscribe at crooked.com slash subscribe I'm Trayvon Anderson I'm Josie Duffy Rice and buy Tray And buy my book already. You know you want to. One copy does not cut it. You have people you need to buy presents for. Birthdays. Yes.

Graduation. Mother's Day. Great graduation. Christmas. Graduation. July 4th or something. Pride Month. Yes. Buy a book. Juneteenth. Why not? Juneteenth. Oh. Juneteenth. Why not? June 10th. Oh, June 10th. What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. It's recorded and mixed by Bill Lance. Our show's producer is Itzy Quintanilla.

And Raven Yamamoto is our associate producer. Jossie Kaufman is our head writer. And our senior producer is Lita Martinez. Our theme music is by Colin Gilliard and Kashaka.