LEXIE CANNES STATE OF TRANS — Are you an A-list celebrity? Thinking about coming out (transgender)? Want to be Queen (or King) Of All Media? Only 2 requirements: (1) Be higher in popularity than Caitlyn Jenner, (2) be left of center in thinking. Compensation: Huge IMDb.com popularity bump, hob nob with transgender activists and advocates, book deals, TV reality show, film offers, clothing line, and most importantly, the go-to person for media reporting on all things transgender.
By now, it is clear the transgender community usually doesn’t get to pick their own spokespersons in popular culture. The de facto spokesperson for the trans community often ends up being the the most popular celebrity to have recently come out as transgender — an appointment made completely out of our hands.
For a while there, it has worked out for us. People like Chaz Bono, Lana Wachowski, and now, her sister, Lilly. A musician here, a billionaire there. All usually saying the right things, at the right time — sure, there’s been gaffes, but transitions are never smooth — even for the most uber-cool among us.
We also have our home-grown popular culture celebrities: Trans people like Laverne Cox, Jenna Talakova, and Hari Nef — people who became popular culture figures after coming out.
Instead of one of these amazing people as our trans spokesperson, we’ve now someone who has political bent to the right of the Dowager Countess and about as gaffe-free as a Court Jester. Initially welcomed, now, the mat’s worn. Well’s dry. Gift horse dead. Insert your favorite we’re-tired-of-Caitlyn cliche here.
So, if you’re an A-list celebrity — Oscar-calibre this time, no more cereal boxes — and have “liked” the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Facebook page, have your agent contact me.
——
I’ve written dozens and dozens of articles about about most of the amazing trans people in this space, including many positive articles about Caitlyn Jenner. Use this site’s search function.
Lilly Wachowski comes out: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/03/09/matrix-co-director-lilly-wachowski-comes-out-as-a-trans-woman-like-her-sister-lana-wachowski/
Caitlyn Jenner’s last straw: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/caitlyn-jenner-hillary-clinton_us_56deeeb3e4b0ffe6f8ea9bf6
Watch LEXIE CANNES right now: http://www.amazon.com/Lexie-Cannes-CourtneyODonnell/dp/B00KEYH3LQ Or get the DVD: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0963781332 Read Lexie Cannes in The Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/courtney-odonnell/
Categories: Transgender, Transsexual, Trans
LEXIE CANNES STATE OF TRANS 
Caityn shows transgender people are part of every corner of society. The good bad and ugly part. The problem is what currently society does with them and of course the privileged elite gets privileged treatment.
I think we are all ambassadors in our own right. I think if we project a serious desire to be a woman, act like a woman and dress like a woman, and not be too bizzare in our presentation, we each do good in our community. I think also, if we can answer questions and truly try to help people understand what it is all about, without getting defensive, we can also serve the community and project goodwill. Even with your notariety Lexie, and my TV shows, we don’t have the public recognition that a real celebrity gets, so we can’t be in your face with the public. The papparazzi has no clue who we are, thus niether does the world; however, we still try to do our share to promote, assist and inform our community, which in the long run is probably more important. We assist, inform and support our community from within. Granted, with less fanfare, but does the fanfare really promote the community, or help the community, or support those that are just coming out, and have no clue what their experiences will be like. The celebrity Transgenders that wow the audiences with their timely admissions do help the general public to know we exist, but rarely are capable of helping another person who is just coming out of their shell. We all are then ambassadors….some to the public for attention, kind of saying “here we are”, and “get to know us, as we get to know ourselves”. You, I and others are ambassadors within the community, helping those just coming out with our assistance, information and support. Both types of ambassadors are equally important. I will never share a stage, be in the spotlight or be famous, but I feel I have contributed to the success of many trans women and men in their adaptation to trans life. Also, as President of a local NOW chapter, and speaker at a couple of NOW’s conferences, I have been able to at least impart a little knowledge to the general public. I feel that you and I have been successful in what we set out to do. No awards, but satisfaction, and a ton of friends made daily. It seems to me that is what ambassadors do.
I tend to agree with the idea she is is a member of the group who walks a different path. As far as her political stance goes she always has been conservative with very conservative Christian beliefs in addition. That may be why she is moving in the direction of Ted Cruz. Yes she is a paradox of many conflicting ideas but this works for her. At least she is true to herself.
The question really comes down to ” is she a positive aspect to the trans community”. I would say Yes. She has access to areas of society the rest of us could never have access to. For every wrong you see there is an equal positive effect she gives. Of course I don’t agree with her on everything but I cannot bring myself to attack her either.
But she doesn’t use that access to advantage. As a matter of fact, she doesn’t even recognize that she has pretty much shown herself the door with her conservative, rich, (mostly white) male friends.
I really cannot disagree with you on her value system. Even from my vantage point of a white person I feel she doesn’t bridge our culture gaps. All I can think of she has spent her life being such a competitive person who rose herself from the middle class world and uses this as her path to a life in this world. She is selling the world of a image she has of herself. Good for her not super great for others in the community.
Having said this she is one of ours, for better or worse and rejecting her would take something away from all of us. I could never reject any child of mine because of the bond of birth. We do owe her respect for being one of the group.
I’ll like her for being herself in a world that hates people like us.
We now have the Wachowski sisters to replace Jenner as a role model. I like, no, I love both of them. They have a very positive impact and I hope that pressure doesn’t crush them
Now I wish they would do another Matrix thing and life will be fantastic.
“But wait, there’s more! Are you a washed-up, minor celebrity, rapidly losing whatever relevance you had?
Maybe you still think you’re a leading thinker in feminism, an edgy comedian doing drag, or you wrote a musical years ago and gave been living off that ever since!
Don’t worry! Simply put out a press release with the words ‘Lopping off your d**k doesn’t make you a woman’. The media will beat a path to your door, and your 15 minutes of renewed fame are all but guaranteed!!!
And hey, who cares if that might have a negative effect on one of society’s most vulnerable groups, and contribute to young people killing themselves? It’s not like these freaks are real human beings, right?!!!!”
**** Just to be absolutely clear, the above is sarcasm in the style of an infomercial. Greer, Humphries and O’Brien are the latest examples of fading celebs using transphobia to get the attention they crave. It sickens me ****
LOL!
I lobbied my Republican representative, arranged a meeting with him, and worked with ERW and also my company’s ERG to apply pressure to kill the bills. He voted against the anti-trans bill.
Now I’m fascinated to hear why Clairese supports a party which does nothing but introduce bills against her own rights.
[deleted comment due to improper pronoun usage.]
its just anouther media angle to get attention,im waiting for the detransition when the frenzy is over to stir up said media once again. a crossdressing dad found out by a kardashian coaxed into the limelight an used to print tabloid covers.
http://www.shermanswilderness.org. 🙂
David to Graduate May 14th, with a Doctor of Ministry in Transformational Leadership, from Boston University School of Theology. Here we go again… Just keeping in touch Lexie
Blessings, Deborah Weekley
Congrats to David! 🙂
Thanks for the comments everyone!
First and foremost we are all representatives of the community…But believe it or not in the trans activism world we have and had several self appointed number ones..Just nothing on the scale of Jenner because of her hollywood background. I have done this over 30 years and seen the self appointed ones.. And they would have their audience but very few had the entire audience or backing from all trans people. If you ever get into the activism scene you will realize how narcissistic it can be.. Even 30 years ago I said there will not be any number ones and for the most part I was correct. I called Jenner for what it was at the time and had lets just say the not so out community damn me LOL… Jenner is interested in money first and her interests and be damned with everyone else.Most of the community was to starstruck to see it. Frankly the only way to counter Jenner is to denounce her actions and move on..In hollywood almost all publicity is good publicity same on the net.. Lets move on and surpass Jenner and right some of the wrongs publicity created for us..
We don’t need another self-promoting attention whore “face of the population”. What we NEED is someone at the grass roots level, articulate, not by any means at the upper echelons of the socioeconomic scale and has actually had a wealth of TYPICAL experiences of the trans population. Someone with a very strong social conscience whose goal as an advocate is to represent that vast majority of trans people, and won’t succumb to their past comfort zone as a shield against the realities of trans life.
Hi Lexie, I am content being the archivist and historian of trans….Please let me know when there is someone who can become the new Superman and Superwoman!!
It’s much more fun for me to remain in the background and do my Boswell thing…:-)
Hope that you will have a lovely weekend and a happy time searching for the new Christine Jorgensen!!
How about we eliminate all of the self-centered pretty faces and concentrate on someone at ground level; someone who has actually had a real job, survived discrimination with their head held high, isn’t an obsessive dress-up queen, and is less concerned about an elite few and more about the common good of the entire trans population. Someone whose activism isn’t designed to pad their resume but to get things done. And is articulate and intelligent.
Everything else is window dressing
See, the problem is that we have no say in who gets picked as our spokesperson, hence the reason for my asking for someone else to come out, taking the spotlight away from Caitlyn.
I really like Caitlyn. I also agree with her “right wing” views. I agree with those who see the Republican Party as the party of the potty police. The problem is not with Caitlyn. Se bases her positions on sound economic and social research and she reserves a healthy skepticism. She doesn’t just parrot talking points like so many Americans tend to do. It is very positive to have more TS people on the political right. The net result will be a more moderate approach toward gender issues from both parties and a greater chance that the public in general will gain a better understanding of trans issues.
It is reprehensible for people to hate Caitlyn because they disagree with some of her views. We all need to stop acting like we are on the Jerry Springer show and re-commit ourselves to a society that celebrates our ability to have civil discourse, even when we hold an opposite view with a fellow citizen.
I hope Caitlyn runs for Governor in California.
I’m fascinated how you think it is good to support a party which is behind every single anti-trans, genital inspection bill being introduced across multiple states, in league with hate groups like the FRC, the AFA and the FPI. The same party whose overwhelming majority of presidential candidates have vowed to introduce a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage. How do you justify that to yourself? Are you laboring under the same delusion as the now defunct GOProud, and the ineffectual Log Cabin Republicans, that you are on the brink of changing them from the inside? Note the deafening silence of the LCRs in the anti-trans bills or the amendment. Or does your belief that they’ll be better for your bank account swamp your sense of justice?
LOL exactly .. Any real activists that has lobbied for trans rights in state capitols knows.. The political right is the enemy..And what I suggest you to do is to go down to your local state capitol and talk with the right wing you are so supportive of.. I am willing to bet you will get the door slammed in your face..
I’m assuming that comment was directed at the person I was responding to?
My Personal Dislike of Caitlyn isn’t just her political views
It’s the fact that she used the trans Community to ‘up’ her fame
She doesn’t give a damn about trans people and if anything has made it harder for us . Yes Springer is terrible but she’s done many of the things Springer has , and because She is wealthy and protected she doesn’t face the backlash . It’s more than her political views , she is the most famous Trans person on earth, she has the responsibility to show us in a positive light to the Cis media
Thanks for the comments. We can agree to disagree on most of your points. I’d say it’s safe to say Caitlyn has made herself un-electable.
As a transwoman, Caitlyn is a neophyte. She hasn’t had to run the gauntlet of rejection by her past friends, children, work employees and employers. She doesn’t know the abject poverty that many trans folks have been forced to live by being unemployable because of their transgender lives. Nor has she had the privilege of being urinated on by the Christian right bigots. She remains as no spokesman for me, especially after donning a corset and being the cover girl of a magazine. I know of no other woman who would be shown wearing just a corset for the cover of a magazine. What she is proving herself to be is just another Kardashian.