The Writers Guild Foundation, in collaboration with Storyline Partners, will host this virtual panel discussion analyzing the history and current state of representing trans people on- and off-screen. Tune in to hear how portrayals of these experiences have evolved to depict complexities and nuance, the potential to expand the storytelling landscape, and the urgent need to share these stories and embrace the humanity of trans lives.
Panelists include:
Sydney Baloue - Legendary, The Vanishing Half, Tom Swift
Our Lady J - Pose, Transparent
Chloe Keenan - Q-Force, Single Drunk Female
Nori Reed - Raven’s Home
ND Stevenson - She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
Moderated by Gillian Branstetter, Communications Strategist at ACLU.
Panel starts at 3:00 p.m. Pacific Time.
RSVP for free or with a suggested donation of $10. All donations go towards producing future panels and events. After signing up, you’ll receive information on how to access the Zoom panel.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us at events@wgfoundation.org.
In Partnership with
ABOUT THE PANELISTS
Sydney Baloue is a writer, producer, director, dancer, archivist, and journalist. He is in the House of Xtravaganza and he was Co-Executive Producer on HBOMax’s LEGENDARY Seasons 1 and 2. In 2022, he was the first Black trans man in the Writers Guild of America after working as a staff writer in scripted TV on THE VANISHING HALF (HBO) and TOM SWIFT (CW). Sydney is a ballroom historian and the author of Undeniable: A History of Voguing, Ballroom And How it Changed My Life (And the World).
Our Lady J is an Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated writer, director, and producer, best-known for her work on Pose, Transparent, and American Horror Story. Before Lady J’s career in television, she toured the world performing as a singer/songwriter, as well as a collaborative pianist for pop, theatre, and classical music ensembles. Our Lady J has received two Peabody Awards, three American Film Institute awards, three Writers Guild Award nominations and two NAACP Image Award nominations. She most recently wrote on the upcoming Netflix series, The Boroughs, executive produced by the Duffer Brothers.
Chloe Keenan is a writer and producer who got her start on Amazon's TRANSPARENT and has since worked on shows like Freeform's SINGLE DRUNK FEMALE, NBC's CONNECTING and Netflix's Q-FORCE. When she's not writing, Chloe enjoys long walks in cemeteries and buying anything with Hello Kitty's face on it.
Nori Reed is an iconic LA based comedian, writer, and actress originally from Christian County, Kentucky. Nori got her start in The Bay Area and was boldly named by SF Weekly as ‘Oakland’s Next Great Comedian’. Most recently, she wrote for seasons five and six of Disney’s Raven’s Home, creating Disney Channel’s first-ever live action trans character, which led to GLAAD award and Emmy award nominations. She was featured in New York Magazine as one of Vulture’s Comedians You Should Know and Will Know In 2021. Her stand-up has been showcased by Showtime, HBO Max, and at many celebrated festivals, including: Netflix Is A Joke Festival, Comedy Central’s Clusterfest, SF Sketchfest, and Outside Lands. Her writing was published in Vogue Magazine, and she wrote for Audible’s scripted series: Hot White Heist.
ND Stevenson is the award-winning, bestselling author and illustrator of Nimona, The Fire Never Goes Out, and the upcoming Scarlet Morning, as well as the co-creator of Lumberjanes. He was also the showrunner for the Netflix series She-Ra and the Princesses of Power and co-produced the Oscar-nominated animated film adaption of Nimona. He currently lives in Los Angeles.
About the Moderator
Gillian Branstetter is a Communications Strategist at the ACLU’s Women’s Rights Project and LGBTQ & HIV Project. Formerly of the National Women’s Law Center and the National Center for Transgender Equality, she works with advocates, storytellers, reporters, and artists to fight for gender justice, including the safety and dignity of queer and transgender people. She is an experienced spokesperson and media strategist featured in national and local media outlets including CNN, MSNBC, The New York Times, Washington Post, as well as a writer and reporter with work in The Atlantic, Newsweek, Out Magazine, and Thomson-Reuters.